Light

Light

July 10, 2025

Genesis 1:3-5

3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

John 1:4-5 NASB

4 InHim was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:5 AMP

5 TheLight shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

John 8:12

12 ThenJesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

“Let there be light”. Light has been essential for life from the first day of creation. And in John 1, we see that Jesus is the light of men and in Him was life. Light and life. In Genesis 1 and in John 1 we also see the contrast between light and darkness. In scripture we see light and darkness compared, but an interesting facet from physics is that, while light has a physical substance. It is a photon. Darkness has no physical substance. It is simply the absence of light. In John 1 we also see that darkness can not comprehend the light. The word used here is very interesting. The amplified version expands on this to say that the darkness can not overpower, or appropriate or absorb the light and is unreceptive to it. In the vernacular, darkness “just doesn’t get it!”. Whereas light represents life, darkness is death. 

An interesting way to illustrate this is to do the experiment where you shine a bright light on a lit candle in a dark room. Pastor Don did this last night, and you can clearly see that the candle casts a shadow. It participates in the darkness by blocking the light and casting a shadow. But the flame casts no shadow. Light is completely incompatible with darkness, so it doesn’t participate in the darkness, even to the extent of casting a shadow! You can not dim the light. Once a photon has been created, it is going to go at the speed of light to it’s destination until it is blocked or absorbed. But whatever energy or wavelength it was created with remains with it as long as it lives. Darkness has no part in the light.

So then, what are we to make of the scriptures that say that Jesus is the light of the world, and furthermore, as tells us that we are the light of the world. Just as the Sun provides light to the earth, which enables life on our planet, Jesus is the Son that brings light into the life of men and enables them to live life in the Spirit. Then, when we participate in the light and life of Jesus, we also shine into a dark world. Matthew 5 tells us to let our light shine. Don’t hide it under a basket, but let your good works bring life and light to men and thus glorify the Father in heaven.

The subject of last night’s Bible study was how we can let our light shine in the world. The darker and more evil the world becomes, the more it needs the light. Even a small candle will light up a room if it otherwise in total darkness. That is more and more the condition of the world today, so our light is needed ever more. Even little kind deeds like holding the door for an older person shine light into the darkness. A smile can light up a face and cheer a heart. An encouraging word can bring light into a discouraged life. So every little expression of light can make a difference. So let your light shine and watch the darkness flee. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness can not comprehend it.