Before I address the question of who Jesus is, maybe I should tell you briefly who I am and what might qualify me to ask you, my readers, to trust my thoughts on the subject. I am not academically trained in Bible studies nor ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic—the languages of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments discovered in recent times in the 1940s inside caves by Bedouin shepherds. These fragments were examined and analyzed by biblical archaeologist G. Ernest Wright and later by other international archaeologists.

However, my parents and my paternal grandmother introduced and sustained me in the discipline of church attendance from the time that I was a young child. In addition to church worship attendance, I was always in Bible study classes. I have not stayed in a little box with only one stream of religious instruction.  Two of my children belong and are active in churches of protestant denominations other than mine. I visit those churches often. Two of my grandchildren have been students in Catholic schools. I have attended mass with them at their school church often. 

In recent years, I determined to read the Bible in its entirety and did so systematically several times. I am a foreign language teacher and I never tire of examining and comparing Scriptures in my native language of English to languages I have studied. Maybe you will enjoy doing that with me today, too.

The second of my Who Is Jesus Series has as its reference The Holy Bible New Testament Gospel of John chapter 8 verse 12. Here Jesus defines Himself as “light,” but not just any light. He says He is the “light of the world.” The world of which He speaks includes every human heart who feels a darkness or an emptiness, waiting to be filled by the light of a personal relationship with a personal God.

I hope you’ll read and meditate on today’s description of Jesus in His own words. They have been translated by trusted scholars.

English: I am the light of the world. KJV (King James Version), GNT (Good News Translation), NIV (New International Version)

Français: Je suis la lumière du monde. LSG (La Sainte Bible par Louis Segond), BCC1923 (Bible Catholique Crampon 1923), BFC (Bible en français courant)

Español: Yo soy la luz del mundo. RVR (Biblia Reina Valera 1960), JBS (Biblia del Jubileo), NTV (Nueva Traducción Viviente)

Deutsch:  Ich bin das Licht der Welt. DELUT (Lutherbible 1912), HFA (Hoffnung Für Alle), NBH (NeÜ bible.heute)

Encouragement and Instruction
from the Bible, God’s Holy Word
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2022
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
NonnyDay.com