On the 4th Sunday of the Holy Fifty Days, the Church reads John 12:35-50. In this passage, Jesus was speaking to a crowd who was questioning why Jesus had to be raised up. Jesus then told them to walk in the light while the light was still with them and to believe in the light so they can become sons of light. Jesus then left them so that the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1) may be fulfilled. After this was done, Jesus explained to them that He came to save the world.
In this chapter of St. John’s Gospel, we now come to the very close of Jesus’ public ministry, just a day or so before His suffering in Gethsemane, His mock trial, His torture, and His sacrificial death on the Cross. The light of the world is about to be extinguished on the Cross.
What is the light that is spoken of in this chapter? The light represents our Lord and our God as St. John said earlier “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). When Jesus had said to them “The light is among you for a little while longer” (John 12:35), the Lord was indicating that His death was temporary. Fr. Tadros Malaty contemplates that Jesus’s intention in saying this to the Jews was to motivate them to believe in Him, and he
explains this verse as “It is like the sun whose light does not end but just gets hidden for a whole and then shines again”. Jesus then said to them “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you”(John 12:35). So, in Christ’s absence, we don’t know where to go and our goal is completely unclear. Jesus’s intention in saying this to the Jews was to motivate them to believe in Him.
How do we gain this light into our soul? “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light” (John 12:36). We obtain this light through the contemplation of God which leads to the inward movement; from darkness to light, from material to divine, which is our hoped-for salvation. Additionally, once we are enlightened, we ourselves begin to illuminate. Since the entrance of light changes us to light, the result is that we begin to take others’ hands and lead them into the light we have experienced and enjoyed.
Let the Gospel enlighten our souls to see the correct path and become children of the Light and sons of God. “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”. (Psalm 119:105).