The Light (John 1:4-13)

The Light (1:4-13)

John uses the word "life" thirty-six times in his gospel. What do people need to live? There are at least four things that are essential: light (everything would die if the sun went out), air, water, and food. Jesus is all of these things! He is the Light of the world and the Light of life (John 8:12). Malachi 4:2 calls him the "Sun of Righteousness." He gives us the "breath of life" (John 3:8; 20:22) and the "water of life" (John 4:10, 13–14; 7:37–39) through His Holy Spirit. Lastly, Jesus is the Living Bread of Life that came down from heaven (John 6:35ff.). He is life, not just a giver of it (John 14:6).

Light and darkness are themes that come up a lot in John's gospel. God is light (1 John 1:5), and Satan is "the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). People either love the light or the dark, and this love tells them what to do (John 3:16–19). People who believe in Christ are the "sons of light" (John 12:35–36). The first creation started with "Let there be light!" The new creation starts when light comes into the heart of the believer (2 Cor. 4:3–6). The arrival of Jesus Christ in the world marked the beginning of a new day for sinful humanity (Luke 1:78–79).

You might think that blind sinners would be pleased to see the light, but that's not always the case. The arrival of the true light caused problems because the forces of darkness fought against it. John 1:5 says, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The Greek verb for "comprehended" can mean "to get over" or "to understand." You will see both attitudes in the Gospel of John: people will not understand what the Lord is saying and doing, and because of this, they will be against Him. John 7–12 tells the story of how that opposition grew until it led to Christ's crucifixion.

When Jesus imparted spiritual truths, those who heard them interpreted them literally. The light couldn't get through the darkness in their minds. This was true when He talked about the temple of His body (John 2:19–21), the new birth (John 3:4), the living water (John 4:11), eating His flesh (John 6:51ff.), spiritual freedom (John 8:30–36), death as sleep (John 11:11–13), and many other spiritual truths. Satan tries to keep people in the dark because being in the dark means death and hell, while being in the light means life and heaven.

This fact helps us understand what John the Baptist did (John 1:6–8). John was sent to tell people that the Light had come into the world and to be a witness to Jesus Christ. Even though Israel had many spiritual advantages, they didn't see their Messiah. The word "witness" (v. 7) is crucial in this book. John uses the noun fourteen times and the verb thirty-three times. John the Baptist was one of many people who said, "This is the Son of God!" Sadly, John the Baptist was killed, and the Jewish leaders did nothing to stop it.

Why did the people of the country turn down Jesus Christ? Because they "didn't know Him." They didn't know anything about spirituality. Jesus is the "true Light," and every other light is a copy of Him. The Jews, on the other hand, were happy with the copies. They had Moses, the law, the temple, and the sacrifices, but they didn't get that these "lights" were pointing to the true Light, who was the end of the Old Testament religion.

As you read John's gospel, you will see that Jesus is teaching people that He is the fulfillment of everything that the law stood for. Being born a Jew was not enough; they needed to be born again, from above (John 3). He did two miracles on the Sabbath on purpose to show them that He had a new rest to give them (John 5; 9). He was the Water that gave life (John 7:37–39) and the manna that filled you up (John 6). He is the Shepherd of a new flock (John 10:16) and a new Vine (John 15). However, religious tradition bound the people, preventing them from seeing the truth of spirituality. Jesus came to the world He had made, but His own people, the Jews, didn't understand Him and didn't want to accept Him.

They heard His words and saw what He did. They saw how perfect His life was. He gave them every opportunity to understand the truth, have faith, and be saved. They wouldn't follow Jesus, even though He was the way (John 6:66–71). He is the truth, but they wouldn't believe Him (John 12:37ff.). He is the life, and they killed Him!

But people who sin today don't have to make those same mistakes. John 1:12–13 tells us that God has made a wonderful promise: anyone who accepts Christ will be born again and become part of God's family. John talks more about this new birth in John 3, but here he stresses that it is a spiritual birth from God, not a physical birth that depends on human nature.

The Light is still shining! Have you personally received the Light and become a child of God?