“Walk While You Have The Light!”

“Walk While You Have The Light!”(Jn.12:27-36).
It has been debated in theological circles whether the Lord Jesus Christ was a Stoic. The answer tilts in the direction that he is not a Stoic, but some of his teachings have “surface-level similarities, such as promoting inner peace and endurance.” The reason is not farfetched why some people even think that Jesus died like a Stoic. “A Stoic is a person who endures pain, hardship, or misfortune calmly and without complaint.” Early Christianity was influenced by Stoic ideas and shared concepts like Logos. John introduces his gospel by stating that “in the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God.”
It is a similar Stoican reality when Jesus says, ‘Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
By the way, Jesus died a similar death to socrates. While in prison pending execution, Socrates was given an opportunity to escape, but he refused. He argued that to escape was to disobey the law that he had upheld, and for which he was condemned. To escape was to show a bad example and to contradict what he had been teaching. Before his death, Socrates told his main accuser, “The time has come for us to part; you to live and I to die.” He wondered which of the two was better. Besides, he argued that it was out of ignorance that people feared death since nobody had gone to the land of the dead to know whether this life was better than the life after death.
Although Socrates lived about a century before Stoic philosophy was born, some of his teachings influenced Stoicism. I can dare to say that Socratic philosophy influenced Jesus’ teachings since Socrates lived more than three centuries before Jesus. More so, all we know of what Jesus said and did is according to what the gospel writers wrote in the same way that all we know about Socrates is what Plato wrote about him.
After all these have been said, Jesus faced his crucifixion with ultimate courage like a Stoic. He was fully aware of what was to come. Jesus submitted to the will of God despite himself, just like the Stoic principle of accepting the Logos.
Jesus died knowing that through and beyond the cross was the fulfilment of his mission: “…when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.” So to say God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.
My friend, take these words to live with for today: “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it so that you may become” a child “of light.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is the light. Have a closer walk with him.
Sunday prayer: Holy Spirit, guide my steps for a closer walk with Christ, my Lord. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
22/03/2026.