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The Light of the World
Friday, December 24, 2021 by Vicki Dorshorn

Lights are very much a part of our Christmas décor. People hang them on trees, rooftops, store windows, yard ornaments, and around doors. The darker the night, the brighter those lights glow—some solid, some flashing, and some even multi-colored like those on a fiber optic tree.

Speaking of lights, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, declared a marvelous prophecy about Jesus. In the power of the Holy Spirit he said, among other things, that the “sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78–79 ESV). That “sunrise”—or light—is Jesus.

Throughout the Bible, we see Jesus spoken of as the Light. However, he’s not a seasonal Christmas light. He is the light of the world for all time.

He is the light of creation. In the beginning, the Triune God called him forth to be light in the darkness. Genesis 1:3 says, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (MEV). The apostle Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 4:6 when he writes, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (MEV). Jesus—the Light of creation—has shone in the hearts of believers.

He is also the light of redemption. Simeon, under the power of the Holy Spirit, held the baby Jesus and proclaimed, “for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 1:30–32 ESV). Jesus is God’s salvation—the Savior—for all who believe. He is available to all people, though not all receive him.

Jesus himself made this clear in John 3:19–21, saying, “This is the verdict, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that it may be revealed that his deeds have been done in God” (MEV).

Those who hate truth and love unrighteousness will reject the light of Jesus and will choose, instead, the darkness of sin and unbelief. That same darkness which is rapidly overtaking our culture. But we have this promise: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5 NLT).

That is because Jesus is the light of life. We read in John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life’” (MEV). He is our very life if we choose him as our Light. Many other Scriptures bear this out—too many to list them here.

Furthermore, Jesus is the Light of heaven. John writes, “And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light” (NLT). We won’t need candles or Christmas lights there. The True Light will shine forever upon us.

May you be blessed this Christmas with the Light of life, Jesus Christ, in all his splendor and glory. May his grace and truth light your path through life, and may you walk in his light always.

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