What Will Happen If You Choose Not to Follow Jesus

“The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.”

John 12:35

There is a profound sense in which these words of Jesus speak to us today. The light of Jesus comes to us through the Scriptures, and each of us has it for “a little while.” What will you do with the light you have received?

Suppose that you and some friends decide to explore a cave. It is like a labyrinth. Every few yards there is a fork, and you have to decide, left, right, or straight. After a couple of hours, you and your friends are lost. Your torches grow dim and go out. Darkness has overtaken you.

Hours pass. You and your friends sit in silence. Then, someone sees a point of light. As it comes closer, you can see a person. A bright light shines from his helmet, but it’s as if his whole face is full of light. He says, “Follow me.”

As the man begins to move, the light around you becomes less, and if you want to have the light you need to follow Him. “Come on!” you say to your friends. “We have to follow the light!”

“But who knows where he will lead us?” one of them says. “I’d rather try and find my own way out.”

“But without Him you’ll be stumbling around in the darkness,” you say.

A shadow is coming over your friends, and soon it will be over you. You have to make a choice. What will you do? “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (12:35).

What will you do with the light you have received?