“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2
Dear Ones:
When the Bible speaks of light, in the spiritual sense, what does it mean? In John’s gospel, we find the Lord’s words: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (8:12) The Lord Jesus makes a great distinction in this verse between light and darkness. This “light” of which He speaks is a LIFE, His life. There is, all around every one concerned, the testimony of God in nature declaring the attributes of God. But when Jesus came into this world, and particularly, when He began His ministry, He came as “light” unto the world, for the glory of God was revealed by His life. The unveiling of the life of God in the flesh was true light, for it was the demonstration and manifestation of the eternal nature, and person of God. It must be said that to not have this light, and see this Life, is to live in darkness, blindness, unaware of the greatness of the glory of God, and His salvation for man.
In Matthew’s gospel, the truth of Isaiah’s words is brought to bear specifically at the outset of Jesus’ ministry. The Lord Jesus is declared to be this “great light,” which those who sit in darkness and death, come to see. In Isaiah 42, we discover the specifics of this light, to whom it is destined, and the effect that it causes upon those who receive it. It is said of the Lord Jesus, that He is called, sustained, and kept, by God, in order to be given as a “…covenant of the people, and for a light of the Gentiles.” (42:6,7) This Living “Light of the world” came first to the Jews, also to be seen by the Gentiles. They become the recipients of the eternal blessings of that light. The purpose of this living Light, was, “…to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” (v.7) What does this mean, and how does it apply to both Jew and Gentile alike?
In the book of Psalms, we read: “…For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light we see light.” (36:9) It is when the light of the life of Christ is revealed that we can truly see. Sinful man, in and of himself, has no true light of Life. This light must be received if one is to truly see. In another Psalm, we read: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (119:105) The objective word of God is the expression of the light of God in Christ. It is as He takes the truth of His word, and makes it alive to our hearts, that we too “see” the Life, that same Life that the disciples saw in Jesus’ day. What then does all of this mean, and how does it apply to us today, on this side of Pentecost?
In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord Jesus declared to His disciples: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (5:14) How can Christ be the light of the world, and He declare that his disciples are such? It is because of the one Life that binds all of them together. Paul put it like this: “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin: but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10) When the Spirit of God was poured out upon all flesh at Pentecost, a mystery was revealed that had been hidden from before the foundation of the world. The truth of Christ coming to dwell in the hearts of believers at Pentecost, and since, by faith, would change the world. The light through Christ’s body, His church, would change the world.
Dear Father, We pray that the light of the life of Christ will burn brightly in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad