Jesus often referred to himself as “the Light”. “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. In 30 AD, when his public ministry began, the nation of Israel had been without light for well over 400 years. The word of God, spoken through the prophets, had been silent for all that time. A world devoid of God’s presence, must have been frightening, to a race that knew they were his chosen people. The only connection they had, was found in the keeping of the law, and that was getting very old indeed. Allow me to illustrate this sort of darkness by a physical example. I’ve visited several caves in my day, and one thing a tour guide mentioned to us always stayed with me. Caves are the darkest place on earth. There is no light source at all, hence fish who lived in the underground waters had eyeballs, but were blind. The same holds true for any human or animal who happens to get lost in one. Scientists say that anywhere from 1-4 weeks, of this life without light, will render one completely destitute of vision.
It’s amazing to me then, that this noble people didn’t lose their faith, all together, during this pitch black era. Imagine that you are that hapless person left behind in the cave. The electricity is turned off, no glow appears from a star, moon or candle, and you just know you are going to go blind. Oh, you pray, for any tiny pinprick of light to guide you out. That gives you some idea of how the Jewish believers must have felt. So, when Jesus came along he was that saving light source to a world in darkness. “…the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Matthew 4:16. Masses of light-starved people began flocking to him, with a hunger for God that only deprivation could instill. Not everyone came running, there were plenty who had adjusted to the dark. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19. We can all agree that most crimes occur during the night, when evil actions are more easily hidden. Hence, those “adjusted” folks were doing just fine in the dark, “thank you anyway Mr. Jesus, we don’t want what you’re selling.” they said.
For those sincerely seeking his enlightenment, then and now, we are promised His light, aglow inside us, and outwardly visible. “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” Ephesians 5:8. My question to you today is, are you living as a person of light? Is the beam, that emanates from your being, strong enough to draw people in from the darkness? If you were the only example of how Christ’s light should be shining, how much darkness would it displace? Have you checked your power level lately, or ever? Do you leave the “light shining” to the priest, minister or other “closer to God” types? Sadly, you are not alone. I dare to say many Christians have no idea of the light that is available, and Satan loves that. The longer he can keep the world in darkness, the more blind, lost souls he can accrue for himself. Don’t believe me, believe His word, invite God in and let him turn on that eternal light that the world is so desperate to see. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6. Don’t be concerned about the size of your light, all that matters is that we continuously display His Light!!
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