The Light Revealed. John 1:4-5 , Sept 8, Bible Study

Christ, the Light Revealed (vv. 4–5a, 9)

Verses 4–5 tell us: “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” or overcome it. Christ is “the light.” The Scriptures teach that such light is not only spiritual. There is a physical attribute to it. Moses went up Mount Sinai in the midst of thunderings, smoke, lightning, and luminescence at the peak. In Exodus 33:18 Moses asks God to “show me your glory.” After God put him in the cleft of a rock and put his hand over the cleft, his glory passed by. Moses was only able to see the back of God, the afterglow of God. The effect on Moses was so intense that his face became so bright that his people could not look upon him. He had been in contact with the physicalness of God’s glory. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:7, “The Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was.”

There were many Old Testament images of God’s glory—the Shekinah glory, the cloud, the pillar of fire by night, glory settling on the tabernacle, entering Solomon’s temple at its dedication, filling the whole place. Ezekiel laments, “Glory, the glory departing from Israel.” How sad when it was gone. Ichabod was written across the house of God.

Then after 400 years of darkness Peter, James, and John were taken up a high mountain with Jesus, where he was transfigured before them. “His face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2). His raiment was as white as wool. There is a physicalness to God’s glory.

John, however, is not talking about Christ’s physical light but his spiritual light. Verse 4 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Life-giving light seeks out a world lost in darkness. What a rich image of our Lord! Light journeying endlessly, seeking a place to illuminate, a way to bring warmth and light. Penetrating any crevice or opening, the smallest light will reveal an object’s true nature. In World War II during the blackouts in London, on a clear night a lighted match could be seen for twenty miles from the air. Our Lord is a light shining in the darkness. John says, “The light shines in the darkness” (v. 5), and the result is seen in verse 9: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” Not only does the light shine in darkness—it enlightens every man. There is not a single person who has not been enlightened by that light!

Paul, in the first chapter of Romans, tells us that light’s enlightenment is extensive, but men hold it down and suppress it. He says in verse 20, “men are without excuse.” Some say God sheds this light just so he can hold mankind accountable. But there is another reason: love. “The light shines in the darkness.” “Shines” in verse 5 is literally “shines on” or “continually shines.” This is an image of our Lord shining upon every crevice of man’s darkened heart, trying to reach into his being. If we have come to Christ, we have come not only because of his greatness in creation, but because of the greatness of his love

 Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (pp. 25–26). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.