The Light that Shines in Darkness

Jesus coming into the world was like light breaking into the darkness - like a long awaited sunrise that dawned on the cold night of the fallen world. In these verses and throughout John's writings in the NT, the concepts of "light" and "life" are intimately connected. Like the light of the sun that falls on the earth - and not only gives LIGHT to all people but also gives LIFE to all people - the dawning of the Incarnation is both illuminating and life-giving.

Illumination is a double-edged sword. Light makes it possible to see, but it also exposes what we may want to keep hidden. The advent of Jesus both illuminates the truth and exposes the darkness of sin. But what we often fail to realize or remember is that both the illuminating AND the exposing are life-giving. Praise God that Christ the True Light shined on the darkness - that he shined on OUR darkness! Without it, we would have no life.