“In (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shines the in darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not." (Parenthesis added.)
It is a real understatement to say that John’s prologue, from which our text is taken, is a theological masterpiece. It gives us a picture of Jesus that is unmistakable, and on which, in large part, we take our view of Jesus as the Son of God. The two verses that comprise our text shows us that Jesus is life and light. What does that mean? Jesus is revealed as life throughout the Bible. In verse 10, John records that “the world was made by Him.” This means that with the Father and the Spirit, Jesus was in on the creation of the world. When the Bible says that God “breathed life into the nostrils of Adam,” it means that Jesus was part of that. Jesus is the giver of life – period. But He is revealed as the giver of a different quality of life. In John 10:10b, Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Jesus is the giver of abundant life. This primarily means that Jesus gives us abundant spiritual life. Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to them, and it is the indwelling Spirit that gives us the abundant life. The Holy Spirit brings joy and peace into our lives – among other things. (See Galatians 5:22-23) Jesus is also the giver of everlasting life. John 3:16 reminds us of this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The biblical, New Testament, teaching is that Jesus is the way to Heaven. In John 14:6, Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life: no (person) comes to the Father but by me.” (Parenthesis added.) It is there to believe or not believe, but if you believe the New Testament, you agree that Jesus is the way to everlasting life. Jesus is revealed as light: “…and the life was the light of men.” In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Jesus shares His light with those who believe in, and follow, Him. The point is that Jesus sheds light on what life is all about for believers. As believers in the “light of the world,” we are to live in His light and show it to the world. John added in verse 5: “And the light shines in darkness; and darkness comprehends it not.” I interpret this in two ways. One way is that the darkness, or those who live in darkness, are puzzled by the light and cannot comprehend it. The other way is that the darkness cannot apprehend it. (This is how it is translated in my Greek interlinear New Testament.) This means that the darkness cannot overcome the light. After all, light is the absence of darkness, and when a light is turned on, the darkness dissipates. There are a lot of arguments today about who and what Jesus is. A lot of those arguments are not based on what the New Testament tells about Jesus, but what people imagine about Jesus. I will repeat something that I have written several times in couch potato articles: The only information that we have about Jesus is in the New Testament. The New Testament was written by people who either knew Jesus personally, or knew someone who did know Him personally. Those writers have given us what we know about Jesus, and what we can know about Jesus. We can believe that Jesus is life and light because it is written in the New Testament by one who knew Jesus, and was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Jesus wants to be life and light in your life. If He already is, join me in rejoicing in that life and light. If He is not, trust Him today by inviting Him into your life. Do it! Bro. Joe
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