Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Jesus spoke these famous words during the Festival of Tabernacles, one of three annual pilgrimage festivals in which the men of Israel were required to journey to Jerusalem. The festival commemorated the forty years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness between their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and their entry into the promised land of Canaan. During the eight days of the festival, pilgrims would sleep outside in tents—a reminder of the travails of wilderness living and of the gift of finally coming to a lasting home.
Light had a particular meaning in the context of this festival and the story it re-enacted. Each day during their forty years of wilderness wandering, the people of Israel were led through hostile and desolate places by a pillar of clouds. And when darkness fell in the evening and the desert was swallowed by night, the people were guided and kept safe by following a pillar of fiery light.
In Jesus’ hands, the entire story of exodus, desert wandering, and homecoming take on a new layer of meaning. Within this foundational story of Israel, Jesus comes to understand his own identity and calling. Israel’s slavery in Egypt turns out to be a microcosm of the situation of all humanity. We are captive to so many forces—to our addictions and hang-ups, to the guilt of our wrongs and to their destructive consequences, to disease, to injustice and oppression, to the fear of death hanging over us all. As God once heard the cries of slaves in Egypt, so God has heard the groaning of a captive world and has acted now to save us.
With his death, Jesus will deal the decisive blow against Evil and win the world a chance to leave its tyranny behind. In his teachings, Jesus has declared God’s promise of a better future—a Promised Land, a recreated world, where wounds are healed and justice reigns and abundance flows like rivers. With his resurrection, Jesus will later offer the first concrete glimpse of this future within his own resurrected body.
But between one and the other, the first deliverance from Egypt and arrival at the land of promise, still lies a vast desert and many starless nights. So now, during the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus makes sure his disciples understand: he is the Light, the Pillar of Fire, sent by God, who will lead them through the wilderness. He is the one who will sustain them through all the starless nights between here and the homecoming God has prepared. Whoever follows him will never walk alone in darkness.
I recently learned something fascinating about how the Festival of Tabernacle was celebrated in Jesus’ day. In the outer court of the temple stood towering lampstands topped with golden bowls. Young men would climb up ladders to fill the bowls with fuel and set them ablaze. And for the duration of the festival, the faithful of Israel would try to stay awake all night, singing and dancing in the light of a fire that could be seen from far away.
Something about this image captures my imagination. It seems fitting somehow that (at least for some of us) Christmas comes at the darkest time year. The world often seems quite dark, and so do our lives. The middle of the wilderness can be a very dark place. But in this wilderness, a light is burning. Not a tiny candle, but a giant column of flame. The Light’s name is Jesus, and he has come because God is unwilling to leave any part of this world in captivity. He says, “Come with me. Follow me. Follow this light, and I will lead you home. I will lead you safely through the wilderness. Trust me—you’re going to make it.”
No matter where you find yourself, there is only one truly sensible response to such news: to stay up all the dark night, dancing.
