John 8

Lighting Up a Dark World

Every morning before dawn our Schnauzer Gidget takes me for a walk. The sidewalks and streets in our neighborhood are bumpy and not well lit, so it can be a little treacherous when there is no light. This morning a beautiful full moon lit up the dark sky and helped me dodge the potholes and cracks.

 As I looked at the moon I wondered how the lunar surface could reflect light from the sun so brightly. After all, the moon’s landscape is mostly craggy mountains and rock and dirt. Not exactly the mirror image we would associate with a bright reflection. But it still shines bright enough to help me see the potholes and keep me from tripping on our walk.

Every morning there are three consistent elements during our walk – 1. The darkness that renders the street more dangerous. 2. The moon that often makes the walk safer and more enjoyable. 3. The sun, whose source light reflects off the moon and onto the dark street. It strikes me that this is a microcosm of our daily walk as Christians.

Darkness

When Gidget and I go on our walks we expect it to be dark, because darkness is the absence of light on the predawn street. Similarly, the Bible tells us that our world has become a darkened place because of sin and evil. The Bible speaks of darkness in terms of spiritual potholes like ignorance, wickedness, and death. Darkness is the default state of a world that does not know God.

Source Light

In John Chapters 8 and 9, Jesus says of himself, “I am The Light of the World.” He is not an energy reaction to something else, and he is not the reflection of a more primary light source. He is the Source of Light itself. Even more astounding, John 1 states that his “Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.” His light always overcomes darkness.

Reflective Light

As Believers, we are called to reflect the source light of Jesus into this dark world. In John 8, Jesus says, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, because you have the light of life.” Ephesians 5 tells us we were once in darkness and are now in the light, so live as children of the light.

Reflectivity Issues

I have the same capacity to reflect light as the moon. I too am full of crags and valleys, and rocks and dirt. There is nothing reflective about me. Even so, Jesus tells me to let his light shine in this dark world. That’s not our natural response, but here are some suggestions to help us be better reflectors.

 Walk in the Light. We all need direction in life. Psalm 119:105 encourages us to stay connected to the Light Source through prayer and Bible study when it says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” He helps us see.

Let your light shine. Jesus encourages us to be reflectors of his Light into a dark world. In Matthew 5, he tells us to “Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to the Father.” We can help others see.

Put on the armor of light. As Jesus Followers, we are in a battle with the forces of evil in this world. In Romans 13:12 Paul tells us to act like we are on a battleground and not a playground, and to “Put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” He protects and guards us.

The moon never tries to create its own light. It was created to reflect its source light, the sun. Likewise we are not created to be our own source of light, even though the world encourages us to do so.

But, when we spend our energy pretending to be our own source of light, we are bound to be encompassed by the darkness of the world. Jesus promises to give us a better way to light our path and avoid tripping on the cracks in the walkway, because he overcomes darkness.

 Maranatha,

Andy