I AM JesusSample

“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”

A group of religious leaders had just brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Testing Him, they asked, "What would you do?" In a savage audible from the intentions of the crowd, Jesus begins writing their sins on the ground in front of them and says, "Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." Dang. Talk about “having your mail read.” As the accusers disappeared, Jesus said to her, “I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more.” Speaking to the crowd that formed from the confrontation, Jesus puts everyone on blast: “I am the light of the world. You don’t have to live in darkness anymore. I have a light that leads to life!”

The Pharisees' response? “These claims aren’t valid.” Face, meet palm. The validity wasn’t the main issue. Lingering beneath the surface of their discredits was a darkness they weren’t ready to part with.

God can’t heal what we hide.

The one (and only) time my family did an Easter egg hunt with real eggs we had to triple count the final collection because one was missing. None of the adults could figure out where it was hidden, so we dismissed it quietly under the assumption, “We’ll find it later.” Well, we didn’t. For months. The stench became unbearable, so the search was on. Hidden behind a wall ornament resembling a bird's nest (yes, a bird's nest) was a green, brown, ooey-gooey rotten egg that had been hidden so long it stained the wall and ruined the coveted bird's nest.

The same is true with us. The things we hide in our hearts will eventually cause such an unholy stench, the only option is to find it and throw it out, or crumble under the crippling odor. Thankfully, we have a light. No, we have THE light. The light of the world illuminates, eliminates, and exterminates the stenches and odors of our soul, allowing us to shine again.