Essays
The Light of the Gospel
THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
Setting aside for a moment the ongoing debate about the exact day of Jesus’ birth - - we know that He was born, and that a chorus of heavenly angels sang praises to God (Lk.2:13-14). While we may not know the precise day or date of His birth, one can surely see that God chose in the sacred writings to “spotlight” His birth. Yes, His birth was but a means to an end. It is also true that the cradle was but the first step in Jesus’ journey to the cross. Yet, think about it - - we know so very little about the first three decades of the life of our Lord. Other than one incident recorded in Lk.2:41f, the Scriptures tell us nothing about His boyhood and His pre-ministry life. But concerning His birth, we know a good bit. So let us do as the wise men of century one did - - “they rejoiced exceedingly WITH GREAT JOY” (Mt.2:10). Let’s be like the shepherds who returned home, “glorifying and praising God” (Lk.2:20).
Jesus came into a world that was full of darkness. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn.1:4). Tis’ the season for lights. How sad it would be to not allow these illuminated holidays to remind us of the glorious birth of our Lord and Savior. May John’s words about Jesus not come to be a commentary on our household: “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it” (Jn.1:5). Jesus was born to be THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD and such He is. As Simeon declared just days after the birth of Jesus, He was to be “a light of revelation to the Gentiles” (Lk.2:32). In Him we have “THE LIGHT OF LIFE” (Jn.8:12). Early in His ministry, Jesus reached back to the scroll of Isaiah (cf. Isa.9:2 & 60:1-3 and Mt.4:16) to enunciate the importance of His arrival - - The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED. Every tree that glitters this Christmas season and every string of lights draped here, there and everywhere can serve to remind us of this profound and world-altering truth. No one has expressed it better than the apostle Paul (2Cor.4:6):
For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ
