There are seven wonderful titles of our Lord Jesus Christ in this opening chapter of the Gospel of John. He is called
(1) the Word (vv. 1, 14);
(2) the Light (vv. 5, 7);
(3) the Lamb of God (vv. 29, 36);
(4) the Son of God (vv. 34, 49);
(5) the Christ (Messiah) (v. 41);
(6) the King of Israel (v. 49); and
(7) the Son of Man (v. 51).
The first four titles, each of which is mentioned at least twice, seem to be universal in application. The last three titles, each of which is mentioned only once, had their first application to Israel, God’s ancient people.[1]
Today we will be looking at the second title, Jesus is the Light. We will explore the meaning of that title and how it applies to us today.
John 1:4–9
Opening ILL: Have you ever been in on one of those guided tours of any of a number of caves around our country ... like Ruby Falls, or Carlsbad Caverns or another one like nearby Marianna Caverns. Last summer we went and visited a cavern near the Smoky Mountains. And as they do in so many cave tours, once you get to a very inner place place in the cave, far from any daylight, they’ll turn out the lights and you cannot see anything ... not even your hand in front of your face. It is a frightening feeling! Very seldom has any of us found ourselves in total and complete darkness.
So much of wrongdoing, or evil, is committed in the darkness of night or in a dimly lit room. Why, because the devil is the ruler of darkness. It is his domain. It is interesting that the Bible describes heaven as being filled with light and Hell as being nothing but darkness. What’s the first thing we usually do when we walk into a dark room? We turn on a light. What should Christians be in this often dark world? A light. Jesus not only called himself the "light of the world," (John 8:12) but said: "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14). It’s time we showed our lights and revealed the devil for who he really is.[2]
But do you know why the world hates the light of Jesus?
John 3:19–20 (NKJV) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
Make no mistake about this. The world loves its evil ways and does not want anyone exposing them for what they are. As we read last week:
John 1:4 (NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Our light as Christians is the life that is Jesus. Jesus is life and Jesus is our light.
John 1:5 (NKJV) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
We understand Light and darkness. Light is good and darkness is bad. We get it. But there is so much more that is intended here.
Light is life, light is goodness and all things good comes from God (James 1:17). Light is knowledge. And most important, Light is Jesus.
Darkness is death, darkness is ignorance, darkness is sin and separation from God.
In short, physically, symbolically, and spiritually speaking, darkness is the absence of light.
When you go into a dark room, and turn on the light, the shines where there was nothing before. Verse 5 tells us the light, which we will see is Jesus, shined where there was nothing before. The nothing that was there, the darkness, does not comprehend the light.
The word that we translate “comprehend,” in the Greek is <katalambano>. Directly translated means to grasp or to lay hold of. It could means to grasp as to understand, or to lay hold of something to overcome it. Here I believe it could mean both, the darkness does not understand the light, nor can the darkness overtake the light nor can the darkness control the light. Herein is the Gospel:
When the light, that is Christ, comes, the light invades the domain of darkness. Satan rules over the darkness and he and his followers will resist the Light. The Light, which is Christ will overcome the darkness and be victorious, in spite of the opposition. This light was foretold by prophets in the OT:
Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV) The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
Now the writer of John, writes about John. This is not about the apostel John himself, but refers to John the Baptist.
John 1:6–7 (NKJV) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
This verse alone tells us a lot about John the Baptist. First, his mission cannot be understated because he was on a mission sent directly by God. Jesus tells us that there is no man greater than John:
Matthew 11:11a (NKJV) Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist
John the Baptist was the very last of the OT prophets. John’s mission was clear: “to bear witness of the Light.”
The word witness and the word testify is the same word in the Greek – martyese from which we get our word martyr. This word is used 76 times in the New Testament and is used in the words witness and to testify, both as a verb and an noun. Of those 76 times, the book of John uses over half, 47 times. John is seen being a witness or testifying numerous times in the book of John, even in this chapter, 3 times is used in these verses, 7 & 8, and also in verses 15, 19, 32, and 34. Witness and testimony are important words in this Gospel of John. That was the purpose of John the Baptist (or John the Witness), "to bear witness to the Light." And the purpose of bearing witness is “that all through him might believe.”
An interesting thing about darkness. I’ve been told that those who experience complete darkness over a long period of time, months and months without seeing any light at will become irrevocably blind. Darkness not only hinders sight, it causes blindness. We have a world around us that is all in darkness. the culture is dark and all they know is darkness. It's like being blind from birth. They do not even know what the Light is. Someone is needed to point them to the light and to tell them what the light is. Just like John, we are also called to be witnesses:
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
“You shall be” does not sound like a suggestion to me. We are also told to be witnesses. And being a witness will involve to the use of power that Jesus will give us through His Holy Spirit. John was called to be a witness to the Light. We who know the Light that is Jesus, we are also called to be witnesses to the Light, which is the Light of men.
John 1:8 (NKJV) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
John the Baptist was well known throughout the land. It fact, some 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, there were those that knew only of the Baptism of John (Act 19:1-7). Even today, there are some groups in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq that are descendants of the followers of John the Baptist. It must have also been so that these followers of John the Baptist were present in the days that John the disciple wrote this gospel. His emphasis is clear. "He (John the Baptist) was not that Light."
Here is the example we follow as witnesses to the Light. A good witness does not attract people to themselves. Rather they attract people to the object of their witness. We need to draw people to Jesus, not to ourselves. John the Baptist knew that. He told his followers:
John 3:30 (NKJV) He must increase, but I must decrease.
When we witness, it is not about us. It is all about the Light that is Jesus.
John 1:9 (NKJV) That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
The witness we give is to the true light. Not a false light, and here the Greek it refers to the true light as the one that is complete and authentic. Understanding the text and the word order is important here. This is not about every man coming into the world but rather "the true Light . . . . coming into the world." This clearly referred to in chapter 3:
John 3:19a (NKJV) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world,
This is different from the light created on day one of creation. This was "the Light," the very incarnation of God, in the form of man coming to earth and breaking into time and history. This is the divine Light straight from God. The Light that is the true light, the life of men from verse 4. This light has come into the world. The Light coming into the world. Biblically speaking, the world has no believers. If you are a true believer, you are not of this world:
John 15:19 (NKJV) If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
As a believer, we do chase after or love things of this world.
1 John 2:15 (NKJV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
But this Light that is Jesus has come into the world: "which gives light to every man." This does not mean that this Light is in every man, but the Light illuminates every man. Every person now is clearly seen for who and what they are.
Some, who have accepted the Light, the light shines with salvation. For others the Light illuminates with judgment, because all the sin that stains is clearly visible. When the Light shines on sin and sin is clearly seen for what it is, the desired result ought to be repentance. But many will choose rather to hide from the Light. They do not want their sins exposed. There is no desire to repent and face the Light.
Yet, as we have read in verse 5, the darkness, in which the world lives, neither understands the Light nor can they overcome or control the light. So they flee from the Light. Not only that, the world (as we had read) will also hate those who live in the Light and bring the Light and embrace the Light which is Jesus.
The question this morning is this: “Has the Light shined on you?”
We all have had the Light, which is Jesus shine on us. Our sins, once hidden in the dark, has been exposed in the light. We will all be held our accountable for our sins. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). How do we respond to the Light?
This is the beauty of Christmas. Jesus came as Savior. He came to take the penalty of our many sins.
Romans 5:8 (NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is where we are going next week.
Have you responded to the Light that is Jesus?
[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1466–1467.
[2] Adapted from a Sermon Central illustration at www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/82720/light-by-david-simpson?ref=TextIllustrationSerps
