How Do You Come Out Of The Darkness And Into The Light?
Most of us are pretty spoiled when eliminating a dark room as we switch on a light. Night and darkness only forcefully grab our attention when the power is off. We seldom consider how fortunate we are for the gift of artificial and natural light.
With light, we can see with our eyes, and seeing allows us to participate in life fully and freely. The weather, however, may keep us humble as snowstorms or pouring rain may be blinding if we are driving on a highway. In addition, storms can limit our visibility, so we may be in danger of going off the road or colliding with another vehicle.
On November 30, 1991, fierce winds resulted in a freakish dust storm that triggered a massive freeway pileup on Interstate 5 near Coaling, California. At least 14 people died, and dozens were injured because wind-driven dirt reduced visibility to zero. Unable to see, motorists found themselves in a disaster.
There is seeing with our eyes and yet being blinded by what we think we know. A case has been made that the Titanic’s captain refused to believe the ship was in trouble till the water was ankle-deep in the mail room. Only then was it apparent to him that the multi-layered hull had been pierced, and his unsinkable ship was going to sink. Ships that could have arrived before the liner went down weren’t summoned until it was too late.
Many of us take our sight for granted. We know that some people are blind. Jesus spoke of Himself as the light of the world, meaning that He is the light of God that shines in our darkened world of sin and death to help us see the love of God for us more clearly.
When Jesus was on earth, He understood the suffering of blind people. Often the only livelihood for a blind person was begging. For example, when Jesus approached Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, the beggar began shouting at Jesus, and he kept calling, “Son of David, have pity on me!”
Jesus heard his shouts and stopped, and when the blind man came near Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The man replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight your faith has healed you.” The blind man immediately received his sight and followed Jesus, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God. (Luke 18:35-43)
The blind beggar repeatedly called Jesus ‘Son of David’. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant He was the long-awaited deliver or savior or Messiah, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies. Many others, like the religious leaders of the time, could see Jesus and his miracles, but they were blind to Jesus being the Messiah.
Jesus, as the light of the world, shines forgiveness and hope for all who see him as the Son of God. Jesus is the God-given light to break the darkness of sin and death. So may He bring light into your darkness.
