Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”
Darkness often symbolizes fear, lostness, evil. Think pitch black, or the black of night, or ‘and it was night’. But, here we have darkness so dread that you can sense it. Thick tangible frightening darkness. Have you ever felt the darkness? Perhaps your mind travels to some troubling tragic past event. To you, that was darkness. It was sad, and depressing, scary; almost evil. That is what we think of as felt darkness.
Darkness, in a nutshell, describes life in a fallen world. Sin and darkness ride tandem and we are moving fast and descending continually. We live in a dark, sin filled world. But ….
Jesus announced in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” As we follow Jesus we forsake the darkness and so walk in the light. We no longer stumble in the dark.
Jesus is the light of the world. He enlightens every man. John 1:8, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” Take a guided tour of the mysterious caves of Kentucky. Once in the deepest, darkest section they will turn off the lights so you can experience true darkness. After a minute you are disorientated and cannot see your hand in front of your face. The lights go on and the darkness flees.
We live in moral and spiritual darkness. Violence, greed, self-righteousness, racism, and evil are everywhere. We are all part of the problem, suffer from it, and we can do nothing to fix it. We need the light of the world to enlighten us. Jesus is the light of the world and he has given us light to dispel the darkness.
Into a dark world walks Jesus as a lighted candle. Everyone’s attention is drawn irresistibly to the his light. Jesus lights the candle of one, then another. More light. Then they pass the light to the next and so on. Soon, the world is filling with light and all can now see. This growing brightness dispels the lingering darkness. In his light, we see light.
Now we, believers, are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14, 16, “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” So share the light. Enlighten others with the message of Christmas. Behold the night is over, the light has come. Praise God!