What beautiful words they are: ‘I am the light of the world.’ That means, ‘I am the exclusive light of the world.
I am come not to be a political deliverer to the whole nation of Israel, I am come to give salvation to individual people who repent. So we notice the ‘he that followeth me’, obeys me, like a disciple obeys a teacher; obeys me, when I say repent; obeys me, when I say trust me; obeys me, when I say yield your life to me.
‘He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ Possess the light of life. You can have the burning fiery pillar for yourself in Christ. You can possess him. You can belong to him. You may have him, and that means you will possess him just as he possesses you. To have him as your friend, as your Lord, as your Saviour. You have him in every sense.
The word translated ‘followeth’ has a strong element of union in it: ‘He who links himself to me – closely follows me, is identified with me, as a disciple to a teacher.’ If you are believer in Christ, it’s no use at all if you have only a distant following, a distant hold – ‘Well, I believe these things are true; I believe in Christ; I believe in his death on Calvary for sinners; and I go to church, once a week. I kind of believe these things.’ No, ‘I depend upon Him. I will obey Him. I will love him and serve Him, because he saved me, and changed me.’ That’s what’s in mind here.