Afraid of the Light
Afraid of the Light
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
John 1:9-11
The world, and in particular the Jews, did not recognize the creator of the world. They did not recognize their God who journeyed with them in the desert and delivered them from Egyptian slavery. They did not recognize the person that they prayed to and studied in the synagogues. What happened?
The most obvious thing is that they didn’t expect a human being to be their God. They didn’t understand the prophecies about the coming messiah. They had painted a different picture and explanation of those ideas. They thought a human, only human, man would be their messiah and not God himself. So when Jesus tried to explain that difference, they couldn’t understand. That light was too blinding.
The second problem is in their interpretation of what the messiah would be like. They expected a powerful warrior who could gather the people and fight the Romans. Jesus was the exact opposite. He was meek and mild. He fled from crowds and avoided physical fights. Again the light was too different for them to accept.
The third problem, and the key problem, is that they were too disconnected and far from God to hear the truth and understand and trust it. Only those few who truly followed Jesus were able to discern God’s voice and learn the things that God was trying to explain. It took time but those few would allow the Spirit to impress their hearts that yes, Jesus was the Son of God. It took time, right up to the Pentecost, but they were able to hear and accept that Jesus was not going to fight the Romans with swords but to win them into salvation. He was going to fight sin and the Devil, not human prisoners of sin.
Today, Jesus continues to shine light onto the world. She shines light on us. Is there light which is also to bright or different for us to see? Are we like those of the past who can be surrounded by light and yet fear it? Are you in a relationship with God to allow him to slowly and carefully show you the truth and light? Are you willing to change and be molded inside and out by him?
God bless,
Pr. Steven Couto