Light
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” John 1:9
Have you ever been in the dark? After losing power during Hurricane Hugo, my parents decided that we should eat some of the shrimp my dad had recently caught and put in the freezer. I couldn’t think of a better idea. I love shrimp, especially when my dad fries them. He had caught enough for us to have a fried shrimp feast.
My dad fired up his outdoor cooker and fried the shrimp to perfection like he always does. He brought them inside on a large platter. Because our power was out, we enjoyed our meal by candlelight. I wasted no time on feasting on the shrimp. Something seemed to be a bit “fishy” (pun intended) about the taste of the shrimp.
My brother brought a candle close to the shrimp and we noticed that the shrimp had little black specks. Worst of all, the specks seemed to have little legs. The shrimp were covered in “fire ants”. Apparently the heavy rain had driven the ants to seek shelter in my dad’s frying pot. The light from the candle revealed that we were not just eating shrimp but we were eating ants. Thank goodness for the light!
Jesus identified himself as the Light of the World. In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” By nature we are prone to live in darkness. Light can be scary because it exposes the darkness of our hearts.
We all have a serious heart problem and it’s affecting every part of our lives. In Mark 7 Jesus says: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Jesus came to shine the light of His holiness into the darkness of our hearts to show us our sin. That’s not all. Jesus does not leave us in our sin. His light is not only revealing but it’s also redeeming. His light is life-giving.
Not only did He come to reveal our sin but He also came to redeem us from our sin. That’s the best news ever.