The Light
Almost everyone in the world uses light. No matter if it is the sun, a lightbulb, or a candle, these types of light guide our way. While all these come from God through His creation and the tools and wisdom He gave us, the truest light came as a special gift from God! The Light of the World, our Messiah. But what is the purpose of His light? What does it mean for us? And how can we too be lights to the world?
Join us as we answer to these and other questions, discovering the Light of the World that cannot be hidden or extinguished and how we can choose to walk in it!
Light of the World!
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”—John 8:12
At the time of Yeshua’s—Jesus’—birth, a light shone in the Heavens, serving as a guide for the Magi and a prophetic sign to those with eyes to see. It was an impressive light yet, compared to the newly born Yeshua, the Heavenly light that shone could have been but a mere spark from a fire…
“…there is no one like the Lord our God.”—Exodus 8:10
Our Messiah, just as surely as He was the Word made flesh, was born the Light of the World! He held no darkness in Him before coming to earth, nor during His life on earth, nor now as He sits at the Father’s right hand, nor in the days to come.
“…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”—1 John 1:5
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”—Malachi 3:6
His light shines brighter than any other. It guides people to Him and brings the precious gift of salvation!
For anyone walking without the light of our Messiah, deep darkness meets their gaze. Yet, because of the precious gift of Himself, those who once knew no hope of following His light can now experience it! Before this gift, only those Gentiles who discovered and accepted God through the laws He had given His children could even partially know the light of God… and few found their way to Him.
Gentiles could have forever been left to walk in darkness. God could have left His salvation and light solely with the Jewish people… but He loved everyone on earth too much to turn away. He wanted to graft the children of Israel and the Gentile people together to create One New Man. Into those who would follow His light and not turn away. Who would love Him, just as He loved them. A people brought together in the unity of their God to bring the light of the Messiah to the lost… to the whole world!
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14-16
Yeshua lives in all who believe in Him. He guides us through His Holy Spirit. And because of these gifts and the gift of being made in His image, His light shines through us. He blesses us by lighting the fire of His Spirit in us, allowing us to know the fire of Himself as we share it with others!
Some may try to shut out His light, but that is only a personal choice. He is light, there is no darkness in Him, and none can shut that light away! None can hide it from the world. And like the wise virgins, we can choose to enjoy His light instead of walking away. We can have our wicks trimmed, our lamps filled with oil, and the fire and light of God to set it alight, causing His light to shine! We can answer the call that is announcing the coming of our Bridegroom…
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’”—Matthew 25:6
His light shines brighter than the sun. He is the true Light of the World. By choosing to be wise, to ready our lamps—mind, will, and emotions—His fire can be aflame inside of us, serving as a light and testimony of our God! We can walk down the path God set before us with confidence, for His light guides us!
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”—1 John 1:5-7
Prepare:
The light of Yeshua stands ready for all who want to receive it, but in order to do so and meet our Bridegroom, we need to be prepared. Just as the five wise virgins in Yeshua’s parable had to be prepared…
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.”—Matthew 25:1-5
All ten virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom. They were all eager for His arrival, but only five of them realized that the Bridegroom might not arrive when they expected. Those five brought their lamps, just as the other five had, but they went a step further… they brought oil. They were prepared.
It is interesting to think that the foolish virgins knew enough to realize the coming of the Bridegroom. They even brought lamps. Some part of them must have realized that they were waiting for the Light of the World, but somehow, they did not think to bring the thing that would cause that light to shine in their lamps…
The wise virgins, however, were not only eager for His coming but remained ready, even though they too slept for a time. Because they knew that once the cry was sounded; once the coming of the Bridegroom, the Light of the World, had been proclaimed, they would have the tools needed for His light to guide them by.
Like the wise virgins, we need to be ready. The knowledge that He was due to arrive provided a spark in both the foolish and wise virgins, but it took something more, a deeper understanding, to cause the wise virgins to prepare well.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”—Matthew 24:42
The light of Yeshua shines in us, but we can choose to share it continually, thereby being full of oil, or choose to snuff it out. By snuffing it out, the oil slowly evaporates until the lamp we carry serves no useful purpose…
But we can choose better. We can choose to not hide the light He has put inside us. We can choose to let it shine!
His light serves as a blessing, renewing our spirit and drawing us near to Him, but it also honors Him. Because it causes others to see His glory and beauty as they are drawn to His light. It causes the Messiah in us to shine brightly everywhere we tread, guiding us and others to the Bridegroom. To the wedding…
“…the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.”—Matthew 25:10