During the weeks leading up to Christmas at the church
where I serve, we are spending our time together in a sermon series entitled
light. During this series, we are looking at an account of Jesus life that is
recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of John. This week I would like
for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump back into the
opening section of the gospel of John, we will see John continue unpack this
idea of Jesus as the Light.
After revealing for us who Jesus is as the eternal
expression of God that is the source of life and light for humanity; After providing
evidence from the life of John the Baptizer to back his claims regarding Jesus;
John makes a shift from answering questions regarding who Jesus is as the Light
to begin to answer questions regarding why Jesus entered into humanity as the
Light. We see John make this shift beginning in John 1:9:
There was
the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
John brings us into this section of the gospel of John by
proclaiming not only who Jesus is as the Light, but what Jesus did as the
Light. As we discovered two weeks ago, Jesus, who John described as the Word,
is life and that life functions as a light that resides with the Divine. So as
the Word, Jesus, in His very being and nature, is life and light that helps us
see that there is a Creator who is light and life and there is creation that
was covered in darkness. Thus, Jesus is the source of life and a light for all
of humanity that points people to God.
Here, we see John further unpack that reality by stating
that Jesus was the true light who came into the world. When John uses the word
true here, this word literally refers to what is genuine, authentic, or real.
In other words, John is saying that Jesus is the real deal; Jesus is the
genuine article. And because Jesus is the real deal and the genuine article, He
is the One who is the real and genuine source of life and light.
While many people throughout history have chased after
and pointed to various religious or philosophical systems as a means of
explaining and experiencing life and a relationship with God, John’s point is
that there is only one true and genuine source whereby humanity can experience
life and a relationship with God. And that source is Jesus.
But not only is Jesus the one true and genuine source
whereby humanity can experience life and a relationship with God. In addition,
John explains that Jesus, as the Light, came into the world. Jesus Christ, as
the second member of the Trinity, as the eternal Divine Being who has always
existed in a close, personal relationship with God the Father and the Holy
Spirit, did not remain distant and disinterested up in Heaven.
Instead Jesus, as the Light, left
Heaven and entered into humanity as a baby born to a teenage girl in a cave and
spent His first night on earth in a feeding trough for animals. Now the fancy
church mumbo jumbo talk word for what John is describing here is the word
incarnation. The word incarnation simply means to take on flesh. In other
words, Jesus Christ is God in a bod. Jesus, as God, as the Light, entered into
humanity and took on flesh without ceasing to be God.
Now
a natural question that arises here is “well Dave, why would Jesus do that? If
Jesus was God up in Heaven, why would He leave Heaven and become a human
being?” If you that question is running through your mind, I want to let you
know that it is a great question to be asking. And fortunately for us, John
begins to provide us the answer to that question when he states that Jesus, as
the true Light, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
What
is so interesting here is that the word enlighten, in the language that this
letter was originally written in literally means to make known or to shed light
upon. John’s point here is that Jesus, as the Light, entered into humanity in
order to make Himself known to humanity. Jesus, as the Light, entered into
humanity in order to shed light upon who He was to humanity.
Tomorrow,
we will see John reveal what happened when Jesus entered into humanity as the
Light to make known and shine a light on who He is as God in a bod…
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