It is easy (as I have said) to bring under the head of Life and Light
all the miracles in the Gospel, from the miracle at Cana down to the
Raising of Lazarus and even the miraculous Draught of Fishes in chap.
xxi. Both the first ‘sign’ and the last are instances of the assertion
of creative power, and the Healing of the Blind Man in chap. ix, where
this aspect is more subordinate, illustrates the activity of Christ as
the Light of the World, a text on which the concluding paragraph of the
chapter enlarges.
Besides the miracles there are many other allusions to these ideas of
Life and Light: notably to the ‘living water’ in the discourse with the
Samaritan woman (John iv. 10-14); to the ‘bread of life’ in the
discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum (vi. 31-58); in the comment
apparently suggested by the libation at the Feast of Tabernacles (vii.
37 f.); in the sayings on Light in viii. 12, xi. 9 f., as well as in
chap. ix.
There can be no doubt at all that these ideas of Light and Life are
quite fundamental to the Evangelist, and that they fill a large place in
his mind. But to say this is not quite the same thing as to say that the
Gospel is constructed upon them. The Evangelist has told us in set terms
on what the ground-plan of his Gospel is constructed; ‘these (things)
are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing ye may have life in his name’ (xx. 31). There is
no need to seek for any other definition of the object and plan of the
Gospel than this.