Light

 

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overpower] it.” John 1:5.

 

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil, hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:19 – 21.

 

Throughout John’s Gospel the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness opposes the Light, but the darkness can neither understand nor overcome the Light. Appearances can be deceiving, for there are certainly times in the Gospel when it appears as if the Light is being overcome, whether it is when many turn away from Jesus (John 6) or the Crucifixion, things are not as they appear – Jesus Christ is victorious.

 

Have there been times in your life when things were not as they appeared? Have you had the experience of Christ brining victory out of apparent defeat? Perhaps even as you read this you are experiencing great difficulty?

 

Since we are called to live with Christ and to live as Christ, there are times when we may cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me!?” We ought not to be surprised when we encounter suffering, nor should we be surprised when we don’t understand all that is happening to us; but we can learn to trust our kind heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ through the vicissitudes of life, knowing that the darkness cannot overcome the Light that lives in us, the Light that has redeemed us, the Light which holds us in His everlasting love (see Romans 8).

 

The fact is that “men love the darkness rather than the Light for their deeds are evil.” As you look at John 3:19 – 21, what do you think this looks like? What does it look like in the Gospels? What does it look like today?

 

Here, once again, appearances can be deceiving; we should be careful in judging by outward appearances.

 

Someone reading John 3:19 – 21 for the first time might be excused for thinking that the religious leaders would flock to Jesus and accept Him. They might be excused for thinking that those who attended synagogue regularly would follow Jesus. They also could be excused for thinking that those who were not religious and whose way of living was outside accepted religious norms would reject Jesus and want nothing to do with Him.

 

Yet, what really happened? Who ensured that the Romans would crucify Jesus? Who sought to destroy Jesus throughout His ministry? On the other hand, who made up a significant element of those who followed Jesus? Looks can be deceiving.

 

Have you ever been deceived by the way things appear? Have others ever surprised you by their openness and thirst for Jesus Christ?

 

Do you treat people differently according to their appearance? (See James 2:1ff).

 

How did Jesus relate to others?

 

I wonder what I can do to guard against being deceived by appearances.