15. “I Am the Light of the World”

Jesus . . . Teaches in the Temple

“The Great High Priest,” Margaret Barker, BYU Studies, Vol. 42, no. 3-4
This article looks at the symbolism and theology of the temple. The temple was a setting in which Christ frequently functioned. In the scriptures Jesus Christ is described as being a “great high priest.” Within the article is discussed how the rights and duties exclusive to the high priest affected how Christ’s contemporaries perceived him.
“Jesus Christ in the Bible,” Robert J. Matthews, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
When Jesus was asked how he and Abraham could have known each other when their lives on earth were separated by so much time, Jesus replied, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The Greek term here translated “I am” is identical with the Septuagint phrase in Exodus 3:14 that identifies Jehovah as “I AM.”
I Am the Light of the World

“Physical Light and the Light of Christ,” David A. Grandy, BYU Studies, Vol. 53, no. 4
Many scriptures suggest the God has a capacity to transcend time and has a deep association with light. This article bridges religion and science to propose that physical light resonates metaphysical overtones, some of which may be considered theological or spiritual. Special relativity’s portrayal of light breaks the frame of mechanistic thought. Physical light is in some ways indistinguishable from spiritual light, or the light of Christ.