“The Light of THE Word”
We’ve begun studying the prologue of the Gospel of John: The purpose of John, the Jewish evangelist, is to convince sinners of the true person of Jesus Christ. This Gospel is an evangelistic, salvation book. In John 20:31 John’s summary is: “That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have salvation in His name.” He teaches that in order to have salvation, a sinner must believe in the true Christ.
We read from John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, (We find that “the Word” is Jesus and He was continuously, eternally existing- Jesus’ Eternality) and the Word was with God, (The Word was in continuous relationship with God- Jesus’ Person) and the Word was God. (Jesus WAS ALWAYS God- Jesus’ Deity.)
2 He was with God in the beginning. (This Person JESUS and no other always existed with God in the Person of the Son.)
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (Jesus is CREATOR God. We are part of the “Created” and He is the Creator.)
Last week we looked at the first part of verse 4: In Him was life, (Jesus eternally existed and He IS self-existent LIFE and He alone is able to share life, to create and distribute life.)
Today we continue: 4: “In Him was life, and that life was the Light of men.”
Jesus IS LIFE-GIVER and the LIGHT-BEARER
The LIFE, the Lord Jesus, is also THE LIGHT BEARER to men-He is the LIGHT to humankind. Last week we saw that the word LIFE (“zoe”) had a dual meaning: The PHYSICAL life of mankind came directly from God at Creation when “God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” We also saw that there is NO SPIRITUAL life apart from the Son of God: He breathes spiritual life into people who are DEAD in sin because HE IS eternal life. THIS LIFE-GIVER, the WORD of God, who is Jesus the SON, is also the LIGHT-BEARER to the human race: the Life is the same as the Light of men.
You can clearly see that the word “LIGHT” carries a dual meaning as well as the word “zoe” for life: We experience physical light as a result of Genesis 1:3 when God said (amar), "Let there be light’; and there was light.” Physical light is a great example of God’s general grace to mankind: everyone on the face of the earth experiences physical light as a result of God speaking it into existence, and what a glorious gift physical light is! Light brings illumination; we can SEE where we are going instead of stumbling around in the darkness. Light brings life and growth. Life thrives in the light.
Far more significant is the fact that Jesus shines in the SPIRITUAL darkness of this world as the very Light of the World. Jesus, as THE Light, is the revelation of the Life that is IN HIM. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world, whoever follows Me will not walk (dwell or live) in darkness,” —we’ll see that when we get to John 8. He is the life manifest, and the life manifest is called Light, He is the supreme metaphor of light against the darkness of the "fallenness" and sinfulness of the human race. The LIGHT is synonymous with the Truth and Godly Goodness. Jesus brought light to the dark chaos as Creator, and Jesus brings light to the darkness of sinful man as Redeemer Savior.
Later in John 12:46, Jesus says: "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” Light demonstrates illumination, knowledge, clarity, goodness and rightness. Light identifies with truth and The LIGHT is synonymous with the Truth, LIFE and Godly Goodness.
Back in Job 33: 28-30, Elihu came to Job with these words: 28 “He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, and my life shall see the light.’ Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, 30 To bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.” Beautiful truth: God brings the light of life by redeeming sinners.
1 John 1:5 says: “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” God is Light, the Light is the LOGOS, Jesus is the LOGOS/WORD, and He is nothing other than God, nothing less than God. He IS THE Light. (Jesus is not a created spirit-brother of Lucifer; He is not Adam or any other invention of man.) Anything other than the true light is darkness.
In the Darkness
Verse 5 tells us: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
1:5 καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν
And the Light in the darkness shines and the darkness it not overcame
Darkness, (skotia, sko-tē'-ä, is the word used in the Greek), darkness (skotia, sko-tē'-ä) encompasses all the deeds, desires and deceptions of the devil’s domain. Darkness encompasses the Devil’s domain. Darkness is associated, not only with the absence of physical light, but in scripture it coincides with deception, blindness, ignorance, confusion and error. Darkness is the absence of light. Whereas the LIGHT is synonymous with the Truth and Goodness, DARKNESS is associated with evil and falsehood.
Eph. 5:8-11 tells us:” For you were once darkness, (Eph. 2, last week we looked at the fact that without the LIFE of CHRIST we are DEAD in the darkness of our sins.) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
As we work through John, we’ll see that he makes marked contrasts in his writings between light & darkness, illumination & blindness, knowledge & ignorance, clarity vs. bewilderment, rightness vs. evil, truth vs. error: Christ is the difference between ETERNAL LIFE and ETERNAL DEATH. Jesus Himself reads the verdict in John 3:19: "This is the judgment,(this is the damning sentence or verdict) that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
1 John 2:8-11: “I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Normally it is LIGHT that blinds the eyes, but spiritual darkness SO blinds the eyes of the heart that you cannot even perceive the light.
The Light shines in the darkness
BUT THE Light SHINES in the darkness. (Shines -phaino, fī'-nō) The life of God, the eternal one, THE eternal life—who IS Jesus—comes into the world as LIGHT and JESUS shines HIS LIGHT into the spiritually dark world and He continues to light the world. The present tense of the verb tells us that Jesus is continuous light in this present time, for example, the verse says that “the light continues shining in the darkness.” He has SHOWN uninterruptedly from the beginning until now; The life that was the light of men keeps giving light.
Paul says in Colossians 1:12: “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
Jesus shines His Light in His Incarnation, (in His appearing from eternity in the flesh, in His perfect life, in His atoning sacrifice, in His life-giving resurrection and indwelling Spirit, and He KEEPS GIVING light, shining ever brighter.
2 Cor. 4:6: For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Ah, to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ, forever shining radiantly!
1 John 1: 5: This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all..” THE LIGHT is no match for darkness. Darkness does not extinguish light. It’s just the opposite: When light comes, darkness flees. Light a candle in a dark room and watch the darkness run. That is why John says that…
The Darkness did not “comprehend” it.”
The darkness did not “comprehend” (OVERCOME) it. “Comprehend” is an old English word and not the best translation for the Greek word, “katalambano”. It is certainly true that darkness did not understand or comprehend the light, but the most vivid way to explain “katalambano” would be “to pounce on and overpower, to overtake or overcome.” The one who is life has come into the world and is the Light of the world and the darkness did NOT overpower it. The darkness could not overwhelm the LIGHT. You know that, darkness cannot overcome light; Light always overcomes darkness. Darkness has no innate power but light does.
What is the darkness? Look at Luke 22:53, Jesus is coming to the cross and He said, “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.” The darkness refers to Satan, demons, and the whole complex of darkness, the domain of darkness we mentioned in Colossians 1:13. The darkness is going to bring everything it has against the LIGHT. Satan, the prince of darkness, is going to battle the LIGHT OF THE WORLD but the demon-darkness cannot overpower the Light. Darkness has tried to do it over and over again in history: Satan tried to destroy the Messianic line many times. He tried to kill all the babies in Bethlehem, trying to include Jesus as a child. The demons tested Jesus time and again. Satan himself came at Him at the temptation to get Him to bow down to him and violate God’s Word. Even in the garden of Gethsemane Satan tries to get Jesus to go the other direction from the will of the Father and the sacrifice of the cross. Demons assaulted Jesus everywhere He went. Satan continually tried to extinguish the Light of Christ.
All of God’s wrath against the demon darkness, all the forces of hell, accompanied with human evil, (human evil as evidenced even today in the persecution of Christians throughout the world!) pummels and pounces on THE LIGHT as He hangs upon the cross, but it does not extinguish it. The Light still shines…it still shines after the cross, in the resurrection, and in Christ’s ascension…and the LIGHT shines even brighter. The Witness of the Word is that Jesus is eternal God, The Creator of the World, the Life of the World and the Light of the World who cannot be extinguished.
Jesus said this in John 8:24 (NIV): “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins."
If you do not believe in the Jesus of John and you die in your sins, you will go to everlasting OUTER DARKNESS and experience what Jesus endured. Jesus says this: “I am the one described here in these opening five verses and proven in the rest of this gospel.” Do you believe that Jesus is God in human flesh? That’s the foundation of saving faith. If you don’t believe that FACT, you will die in your sins, unforgiven, and bear the full punishment for your own sin and darkness.
The glorious promise of John 1:12 is this, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name”; “His name meaning” ALL of who JESUS really is.” The darkness did not overcome the Eternal Light of the World. Are you persuaded in your own heart to BELIEVE IN HIS NAME? If the Light of the World is the LIGHT OF YOUR LIFE, then you are invited to proclaim that faith at the table of our Lord as well proclaiming HIM in your life.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus brought LIGHT to the dark chaos as Creator, and Jesus brings LIGHT to the darkness of sinful mankind as Redeemer. (Light-“phos”)
(John 8:12,12:46, Job 33: 28-30, 1 John 1:5, Ps. 36:9)
II. Darkness (skotia, sko-tē'-ä) encompasses all the deeds, desires and deceptions of the devil’s domain.
(Ephesians 5:8-11, 6:12: John 3:19, 1 John 2:8-11)
Spiritual darkness SO blinds the eyes of the heart that you cannot even perceive the light.
III. Jesus SHINES (phaino, fī'-nō) His Light in His Incarnation, His perfect life, His atoning sacrifice, His life-giving resurrection and indwelling Spirit, and He KEEPS GIVING light, shining ever brighter. (Col 1: 12 -13, 2 Cor. 4:6, 1 John 1: 5)
IV. The darkness pounces on THE LIGHT but the darkness CANNOT OVERCOME (katalambano) Him.
(Luke 22:53, Col. 1:13, John 8:24, 1:12)
The Witness of the Word is that Jesus is eternal God, The Creator of the World, The Life of the World and The Light of the World who cannot be extinguished.
