“Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, my God, that is Who You are…” This is from a popular song that lists out some names of Jesus. It’s the name “Light in the Darkness” that is the focus here though, especially given the state of our world today. Generally, when we hear “Light in the Darkness,” we usually think He’s the good in the midst of the evil or the way we can see when our situation seems hard to see in. This is true but there’s more to it.
Darkness in the Bible is used as a metaphor in the Greek and means “the ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery in hell.” The presence of ignorance means there’s a lack of knowledge. People don’t know what they don’t know. People can’t change or repent if they don’t know anything different. So unless someone (us) tells them about Jesus and His goodness, people will only do what they do know and it doesn’t lead to anything good.
In John 8:12, the light is “the saving truth embodied in Christ and by his love and effort imparted to mankind.” Jesus came to bring the truth, the life, the understanding and clarity that the world is seeking. With what Jesus taught us about how to live and Him laying down His life for us, He has become the Light in the Darkness. When we believe that about Jesus, we become believers and now we have the light because we know the truth of Jesus.
As Christians, we cannot get hung up on what unbelievers do and go so far as to judge and condemn folks. It’s our job as believers to be the light and love people by telling them about Jesus. The same Jesus who saved our religious, lying, fornicating, addicted, foolish, wild, sick, depressed, evil and sinning selves is the same Jesus who loves and saves all who choose to believe in Him.
We can change the world around us by being the light because we have the Light of this world.
“whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”- II Corinthians 4:4-6 NKJV
