I am the light of the world
The words I am the light of the world represent a picture speech of Jesus ( Jn 8,12 EU ). They belong to a series of seven " I-am-words " of Jesus, which are handed down in the Gospel according to John .
content
The saying of Jesus follows on from the story of the adulteress who was saved from being stoned by Jesus' intervention . Then Jesus spoke this “I am” word:
“Then Jesus spoke again to them and said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. "
interpretation
The verse should be understood against the background of the nocturnal festival lighting in the forecourt of the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles . This radiates to all of Jerusalem. Similarly, “light of the world” should be understood in the sense of “light for the world”. The term "light of life" refers to eternal life . The meaning of this light for the whole world is already prepared in the Old Testament, for example in Isaiah 42.6 EU .
Other Biblical Uses of "Light of the World"
A related use of the image of the “light of the world” is handed down in the Gospel according to Matthew in connection with the figurative word of the salt of the earth ( Matthew 5:14 EU ). In this part of the Sermon on the Mount , Jesus refers to his disciples as "the light of the world". The disciples can themselves become the light of the world when Christ works in them.
Also in the tradition of the Gospel of John the image of Jesus Christ as the light for the world reappears later. In the twelfth chapter, Jesus first explained that whoever believes in him basically does not believe in him, but rather in him who sent him (read: God the Father ). Then he takes up the statement of the "I am" word again:
"I came into the world as a light, so that those who believe in me don't stay in the dark."
reception
Johannes Zwick took the picture in the 16th century in the chorales All Tomorrow is Very Fresh and New ( EG 440, MG 195) or You highest light, you eternal glow ( EG 441), as did the Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann in his cantata Star from Jacob, Light of the World (TWV 1: 1399).
literature
- Johannes Beutler SJ: I am the light of the world. John 8:12. In: Erbe und Einsatz 92 (2016), pp. 52–55 ( PDF , 161 KB; 4 pages).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Stuttgart Explanatory Bible. 2nd edition, German Bible Society, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-438-01121-2 , p. 1344.