Jesus Is Our Light, Not Only at Christmas, but Always
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Listening to news reports, it’s clear the world lives in darkness. Countless examples of intellectual ignorance and pride, terrible choices, and moral failures illustrate that people basically have a deep bent toward selfishness and independence from God and His will. Even when surrounded by the beautiful lights of Christmas, people are in spiritual darkness without Jesus.
What is spiritual light? Where did it come from, and how is it present in the Lord Jesus — our Light? We can examine those questions, but first it’s helpful to note the connection between Christmas and light.
Why Is Light Such a Big Part of Christmas?
Light is one of the many symbols of Christmas. Whether we light candles or place lights on a Christmas tree, glowing lights have a special place in our hearts during the holiday season.
For Christ-followers, lights symbolize Jesus’ coming as a baby in Bethlehem, the promised Messiah. Think of the lights surrounding Christmas. A great light, a star, guided the wise men to His manger. Also, an infinitely greater light, “the glory of the Lord,” suddenly shined around the shepherds in the fields of Ephrathah. At that moment, God’s glory — a brilliant light —enveloped them. These were unique, specific events showing that something unusual had happened!
In a song about the newborn Christ, Zechariah, a priest and the father of John the Baptist, said one of the purposes of the Lord’s coming was to “shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79).
The hymn “All Is Well” reminds us of the huge historic shift of Christ’s coming and the significance of light. “All is well, all is well,” the hymn begins. “Angels and men rejoice; For tonight, darkness fell into the dawn of love’s light.” Picture that — the enemy’s schemes foiled in the birth of a baby and the dawn of “love’s light” through Him.
God Was and Is the Source of Light
Light began in the creation, emanating from the “Father of Lights.” There is no darkness in Him at all (1 John 1:5). The physical light in creation is a beautiful picture of what God does in a believer’s life through spiritual light. It is as if God, the source of light, cries out to the sinner’s heart, “Let there be light!” At His command, spiritual darkness is dispelled. While “darkness” includes evil, sin, and hopelessness, believers through the ages have come to understand that God’s light includes His holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, grace, hope, and more.
David leaned into the truth of God’s light. “The LORD is my light and my salvation,” he said; and “my God turns my darkness into light.” That is a great blessing for all believers! When we feel like we are stumbling around in darkness, we can have hope in the light of God. The Psalmist said of the Father, “even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:12). We don’t have to be afraid of the dark — physical or spiritual — when we know God.
Psalm 36:9 contains a profound and beautiful phrase: “in your light do we see light.” David began his psalm describing people who are evil, with “no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 1). After that, David recited the many ways God is faithful, righteous, just, loving, etc. Then he said we see light in God’s light, the true light that enlightens and changes mankind. He is the sun of our soul, illuminating our confused and ungodly thinking.
And that brings up another point. God searches our thoughts and motives like a searchlight exposing the dark corners of our hearts. All things are seen by Him, but we do not need to fear the one who sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). We need only to agree with Him about our sins, rest in His forgiveness, and continue to grow toward spiritual maturity.
God’s light is eternal; it will never end. The book of Revelation describes New Jerusalem, the home of the Bride of the Lamb, as a city that will not need the light of the sun or moon, “for the glory of God gives it light” (Rev. 21:23). Think of it! God’s glory — which includes His beauty and perfection, His majesty and power — lights up the entire city! Our Christmas lights cannot compare to that splendor.
Why Do We Need the Light?
The Bible says human hearts are “desperately wicked,” beyond cure, and without God (Jer. 17:9). Everyone has sinned, falling short of God’s glory. Without God we have a darkened foolish heart.
What darkens the heart? Job 18:5 refers to the “light of the wicked,” which includes anything and everything that causes a person to shine in the world. This might be great skills, attractive appearance, wealth, fame — whatever makes a person great and celebrated by others. But all of it put together does not amount to a flicker of true light in terms of eternity. It is only darkness masquerading as light.
Proverbs 13:9 contrasts the light of the wicked with the light of the righteous. The righteous shine “brightly,” but Solomon said the lamp on the wicked is “snuffed out.” The contrast is stark: fleeting fame vs. lasting triumph. The wicked may have good things now, but as their spiritual light is extinguished, they will receive their just rewards. Jesus made the issue clear in His sermon, the Beatitudes: “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Matthew 6:23). People can be spiritually blind and not realize they are in utter darkness.
Clearly, we need a savior, and Jesus is the perfect, sinless Savior.
Why Is Jesus Our Light?
Lauren Daigle sings about the first coming of Jesus: “The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. … Glory to the light of the world. Glory, the light of the world is here.” The world needs the light of Jesus and the gospel message that can transform souls. The Savior Himself said He is “the light of the world,” and whoever follows Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Salvation is in Jesus alone, and when we receive Him as Savior and Lord, He makes God’s “light shine in our hearts” so we can know the glory of the Father (2 Corinthians 4:6). God’s children are known as “children of light” because they “believe in the light” (John 12:35-36, 46).
Isaiah 9:2 says, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Matthew repeated Isaiah’s words, referring to Jesus. Malachi 4:2 says, “The sun of righteousness will dawn” on those who honor God’s name. This light cannot be extinguished; it is irrepressible. Jesus, who came to earth as the precious Lamb of God, is our eternal “lamp” (Revelation 21:23). While God’s light is said to be “unapproachable,” Jesus makes us whole and we are able to approach the Father through Him.
Jesus is the very “radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3). John testified of Jesus, “we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and only Son who came from the Father.” This is the Light promised by the prophets. John the Baptist was a witness that Jesus is that light, the true light who gives light to everyone (John 1:6-9). Peter, James, and John caught a glimpse of Jesus’ light in the transfiguration, when Jesus’ face “shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2; Revelation 1:16).
Scripture tells us that the Servant of the Lord, meaning Jesus, was appointed “as a light to the Gentiles.” The Jews looked toward their Messiah, and Jesus opened the door to the Gentiles as well. Paul was sent by God to preach about Jesus so that people’s eyes would be opened and they would be turned “from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). An old hymn urges people to “Send the light, the blessed gospel light” from shore to shore because “there are souls to rescue.” Every Christ-follower is commissioned to share the glorious message about the Light of the World.
How Do We Walk in Jesus’ Light?
The joy of Christmas is not only that Jesus came, but that God’s light has come to earth. This same Jesus — wondrously born in Bethlehem, gloriously raised from the dead, and the “bright Morning Star” mentioned in Revelation 22:16 — is coming again. When we see Him, His face will shine “like the sun shining in all its brilliance” (Rev. 1:16). We want to be ready at His coming. If Jesus is our light, we’ll want to learn to walk in His light — to live our lives with the goal of moving toward spiritual maturity.
In the Old Testament, the phrase “walk in the light” is connected to God’s presence. Isaiah said, “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:5). The context is about a future time when the Lord will reign from Jerusalem, and people from all the Gentile nations will come near to learn how to walk in God’s ways. In the New Testament, “walking in the light” is connected to following Jesus, our Lord (John 8:12).
Those who come to Jesus’ pure, true light should never desire to walk in spiritual darkness — living apart from God and in a state of continual sinning. They will want to walk in His presence with clean hands and a pure heart. Paul reminded New Testament Christians that they were once walking in darkness, but now, they were “light in the Lord” and, as such, they should “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Walking in the light is meant to be a lifestyle.
God calls us to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh; but also, we must learn to walk according to the Word of God. Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” As we learn to walk in the light, cleansed by the Lamb from our sin, we have fellowship with other believers.
When a believer lives out the life Jesus made possible, others will be drawn to the light, His light. A childhood song urges Christians to not hide their light, but to “let it shine.” As the children of light, we are called to tell the story of salvation in Jesus, going to the ends of the earth. That includes around our local neighborhood and throughout our community. Christmastime offers many opportunities to reach out, love, and share the Light of Jesus.
In the hymn, “Jesus, the Light of the World,” we sense the connection between Jesus our Light and our responsibility. The hymn’s refrain says, “We’ll walk in the light, beautiful light. Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright. O, shine all around us by day and by night. Jesus, the light of the world.” Christmastime is a wonderful season to let our lights shine — to reach out, love, and give — as beautiful reflections of God’s perfect gift of Jesus, our Light.
Sources
Lyrics.com, “All Is Well”
Hymnary.org, “Send the Light”
Lyrics.com, “Light of the World”
Hymnary.org, “Jesus the Light of the World”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/MinoruM
