Jesus the Light of Love

May 8, 2019 example, light No Comments

Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12).  Jesus taught that His disciples were the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).  Christians derive their light from Christ.  He is our example or pattern (John 13:15).  Christians must imitate Jesus.  The concept of imitation of Christ is a key component of the Gospel of John.  The idea of imitation comes from the Greek word mimeisthai.  We get our English word mimic from this Greek word.  The word mimic can be used in a negative sense in which case it means to mock.  The word mimic can also be used in the positive sense of to imitate closely.  Followers of Jesus imitate closely His mind and life.
The Divine Mimesis
In John 15:9, Jesus states, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”  God loved Jesus.  Jesus loved God.  “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.  Arise, let us go hence” (John 14:31).  Jesus manifested His love for the Father through obedience to the will of the Father which involved His death upon the cross.  The love between the Father and Son is a pattern for our love.  This is the love of oneness, i. e. oneness of the divine nature.  God the Father and His Son are one in essential being and will and purpose.   Christians seek to manifest the divine nature in their own lives (II Pet. 1:3-4).  “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  God is holy and He calls us to be holy.  God is love and He calls us to manifest love.
Discipleship Mimesis
In John 15:9, Jesus said that as the Father loved him, so he loved His disciples.  Jesus loved His disciples (John 13:1, 34; 15:12).  The disciples loved Jesus (John 14:15,21).  Jesus’ love for them became a pattern or example to them.  That love manifested itself as selflessness and a willingness to sacrifice His life in their behalf.  Jesus defined love in the act of selflessness and sacrifice demonstrated at the cross.
Believer Mimesis
The disciples are commanded to love each other as Jesus had loved them.  “This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).  Every disciple of Jesus becomes an example to every other disciple in love.  Every disciple, by loving, increases the power of love in the fellowship of those of like precious faith.  The church is strengthened and blessed by love.  The nature of this love is forever defined by Jesus.
Neighbor Mimesis
Every disciple of Jesus must love his/her neighbor.  “And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39).  In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus defines who our neighbor is.  The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that our neighbor is “the one who stands in need.”  Love is manifesting mercy to our neighbor.  When we love our neighbor, God’s love is now demonstrated to the world.  In this concrete way, Christians are the light of the world.  They take the light of love shown by Jesus to them and manifest it to those who stand in need.
The Power of Imitation
Jesus is our example (I Pet. 2:21-23).  We imitate Christ–duplicate, replicate and become like Him.  The effect is spiritual and moral transformation.  Jesus defines who we are (identity); what we do (conduct) and what we are (character).  The result is that we bear the image of Christ to the world–“Ye are the light of the world.”  The light of truth and righteousness is now present in the world through every true disciple of Jesus.  The light of love is now present in the world through every disciple of Jesus.  Only true disciples of Jesus Christ bear the light of truth and love to the world.  “As he spake these words, many believed on him, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).  When we walk in the light of truth, we become the light of the world!