The Brightest Light
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:1-5,14
Have you ever seen a bright, shining light be overcome by a greater source? Maybe you’ve noticed this with Christmas lights. If they’re left on during the day, you usually can’t even tell that they’re on. The sun is such a greater source of light that the tiny bulbs we cover our homes with could never match its radiance. Still, they shine so beautifully in the dark.
There are two things described in the Bible as light. First, John describes Jesus as “the light of all mankind.” Jesus later confirms this by calling Himself the “light of the world.”
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’”—John 8:12
Notice that Jesus says if we follow Him, we don’t have to walk in darkness—His light shines through us. And that brings us to the second thing referred to as “light” in the Bible: His followers.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”—Matthew 5:14-16
Jesus is like the sun—the true source of light so bright that nothing can compare. When we follow Him, His light is reflected through us. It shines so clearly that it points directly back to the source. Unlike the beautiful but artificial lights we put up that quit working so quickly (buying new strands this year, anyone?), Jesus is an inextinguishable light that can never go out.
This season, we celebrate that the incredible source of light—who brought life into the entire world—chose to enter our brokenness and overcome the darkness because of His great love for us. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. This is what we celebrate at Christmas.
How has Jesus brought light into the darkness of your life? Has He brought hope into your hopelessness? Has He given you a peace that doesn’t make sense? May we have the boldness to share these stories as beautiful, radiant, inextinguishable light shining in a dark world, so that others will come to know this glorious light for themselves.
