Day 2: The Light
Read: John 1:6-18
There’s a well-known saying, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” I’m pretty sure I use this phrase multiple times a week, especially when talking about the weekend, the end of a stressful paper, or when a break is soon arriving. Remembering that a time is coming when I won’t have as much being required of me gives me assurance that stressful moment won’t last forever. This hopeful statement gives me the energy to keep taking steps forward.
I realize though that being stressed by school doesn’t compare to the despair that many struggle to walk through. It doesn’t compare to the sickness that won’t go away or the mental illness that won’t heal. It doesn’t compare to the sin struggles that won’t let go of us. There are no words to describe the pain that accompanies these circumstances, but the good news in the middle of them is that God does not leave us in a place of despair.
Jesus is called “the Word” by John. A lot of people have asked what exactly this means. This refers to Jesus being God’s message. This is not all of who Jesus is. But the name “the Word” is referring specifically to this point. From the beginning of time, God has provided messages that point towards His plan to save the world. Prophets have been bearing witness about a Savior for centuries as a means of providing hope that the sin that has plagued the earth since the fall is not the end of the story.
Some of these prophecies have included predictions of the Savior being born of a woman, Jesus being rejected, a sacrifice for sins, the Savior coming through the line of David, and more. All of these have been spoken of the coming Savior long before He entered the world. These predictions and prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus. He is the Word. He is the salvation of the world. God Himself who created the world and who is above all is the one who came as a human to save the world.
Light doesn’t need a testimony for it to be able to be seen. But if a person’s eyes are closed or they are blind, they will not see the light. John 1:10 says of Jesus: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” The Old Testament prophecies told people to open their eyes so that they would see the light. They reminded the followers of God to keep their eyes open for the Savior to come. These messages of hope are fulfilled in the person of Christ. Verse 18 says, “No one has ever seen God,” the passage says, but God the Father has made Jesus known. God’s message of salvation, personified in Jesus, is how we know the truth and receive grace!
God has been faithful to not leave us in despair, but has provided us with a message of hope since the beginning of time and has been faithful to fulfill this message. Take time to praise God for this today!