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Trusting in the Light

Trusting in the Light
Words of Faith 1-5-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 12
[34] The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"
[35] Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. [36] Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

The crowd could not believe what Jesus was saying about the Messiah. They were waving palm branches for a victorious Messiah who would set up a political, earthly kingdom that would never end. From their reading of certain Scriptures, they thought the Messiah would never die.
This was mainly a “Bible Study” question. The kind of question people sometimes come up to ask after church while holding their fingers in two or three places in the Bible. These folks knew their Bible. If the Messiah is the Son of Man, then He should be here forever. Daniel 7:13-14 spoke of the Son of Man's everlasting dominion.
They may have been wondering if Jesus was making a distinction between the Messiah (Christ) and the Son of Man. Or was Jesus using the term "Son of Man" differently than its sense in Daniel 7:13?
Whatever the case, Jesus' words did not mesh with their concept of the Messiah. First he had to suffer and die? Then he would one day set up his eternal Kingdom? What kind of Messiah, or Savior, is this? Jesus did not fit into their mold. If Jesus was predicting His death, they could not see how that was possible, if He was the Messiah.
But Jesus was on an entirely different page. Jesus confronted them with the fact that the issue was moral. Their time of opportunity was limited. He is the Light for the world, but the day of His public ministry was almost over. The darkness of night was coming in which evil powers would hold sway over people.
It is a powerful image. The man who walks in the dark is an unbeliever who stumbles through life without knowing what life is all about and where it is headed. Their privilege was to trust in the Light-- in Jesus-- and become sons of Light.
Jesus said he would be with them in person for only a short time, and they should take advantage of his presence while they had it. Like a light shining in a dark place, he would point out the way they should walk. If they walked in his light, they would become "children of the light," revealing the truth and pointing people to God.
As Christ followers, we are to be Christ's light bearers, letting his light shine through us. We do not have forever to trust Jesus. Almost as if to make that point Jesus once again supernaturally vanished from them.
The question for us? Have you been trying to pour Jesus into your mold? Trying to make Him into a Messiah that reflects more of you than it does the Light of God? And how brightly is the Light of Christ shining in you? Can others see Christ in your actions? By the fruit of the Spirit evident in you? By the manner of your words and actions?

Lord God, I pray that the Light of Christ might shine through me in this age when so much seems to be dark. I place my trust wholly in the Light of Jesus so that you may become a child of the Light. In Jesus’ Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.