John 1:4-8

In today’s verses, John turns to the imagery of light and darkness. Jesus is THE Light who has overcome the darkness:

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

Darkness is scary, whether you are a little kid or an adult. Remember when you were little and how unsettling it was to be in a dark room? We were certain there was some kind of boogeyman lurking in our bedrooms! As adults, we know the boogeyman isn’t real, yet the darkness can still have a powerful influence over us. I’m sure you’ve all had nights when you have been wrestling with some problem through the night - and the darkness greatly increased the importance of whatever the problem was. But when the morning light came, somehow you saw things as they really were, and those adult “boogeymen” were reduced to their proper scale. You could see there was never really any danger. That’s the power of light - it shows things as they really are. It illuminates truth. Everything becomes clear when we flip on the light switch!

If you are currently struggling with something dark (bad news about health, a spouse who has told you he’s leaving you, the threat of job loss, a financial mess that seems to have no solution, etc.), bring it to the light of God’s Word - in fact, bring it to The Light. If you remember how big our God is, you can see your problem in a new light - its scale will be greatly reduced! The Creator of the universe, who sustains everything, can surely handle your problem!

Now, John turns to what seems to be an almost random reference to John the Baptist:

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (vs.6-8)

I wondered about this being plopped into the middle of John’s discourse on the identity of Christ, so I am grateful that Jon Courson covers it. He writes, “At the time John wrote his Gospel in A.D. 75 or so, people were already beginning to worship John the Baptist. The apostle John wanted to nip this idea in the bud. Thus, at the very outset of his Gospel, he makes it crystal clear that John the Baptist was not Jesus’ equal.” (Application Commentary: New Testament, P. 437).

We see this issue even today, when saints or other religious leaders are venerated to a place of near equality with Jesus. So the apostle John is making it clear that John the Baptist had a specific role, to witness to the Light. What is really interesting is that John the Baptist was not called to be the defending attorney for Christ, just a witness. I find great relief knowing that, as Courson points out, “We are not called to debate, argue, convince. We are called to be witnesses - to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth concerning what the Lord is doing in our lives.” ( Courson, P.436)

We don’t need a theology degree or even in-depth Bible knowledge in order to simply tell people what Jesus has done for us. There is no pressure for us to convince anyone of the Truth. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. We are merely called to share as God gives opportunity. As a new Christian, I felt the need to quickly learn all I could about the Bible and apologetics in order to properly “witness.” And while I LOVE apologetics, and the many things I’ve learned through Bible study, the reality is that “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

This morning, as I read these verse, that is what popped out at me! If I want others to know my Jesus, I just need to SHOW Him by my actions. Then, if anyone asks the reason for my hope, I can just simply tell my story... PHEW! Does that speak to you, too?