John 1:7, “7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.”

There are many luminaries in our world today, so when we see the “Light” referenced in verse 7 it doesn’t always jump off the page.  But, consider for more of human history humanity has lived in literal darkness.

Today we think of the dark as romantic or curious, but for most of human history you live in a hut or a cave trying to survive, and when the sun went down it was scary.  Yes, you had fire, but you couldn’t take fire to your bedside table.  It was just dark.

In fact, studies have shown that until the 1700’s  a days wage would get you about 10 minutes of light, so it was incredibly expensive and difficult to create. Then, whale oil was discovered, which got you up to an hour in the 1700’s, then kerosene in the 1800’s got you about 5 hours, and the in the 1900’s Thomas Edison changed everything, so that a days wage could produce 20,000 hours of light. It changed everything.

So in AD 90 when God is described as LIGHT in verse 7 it would have been incredibly significant. It would have been reminder of Genesis 1 when God spoke creation into existence and said, “Let there be light.”  It would have been a reminder of Israel being led by the light of a fire in Exodus. In Psalm 119, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”  In Isaiah 60, “The Lord is our everlasting Light.”  Psalm 27, “The Lord is my Light and m Salvation.”

It is why Jesus Himself says, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12, 9:5)

Which means the world is in darkness, and Jesus has come to bring clarity into creation.  When you know Jesus you are living in advance of the great day that is to come.  You will see purpose in your pain. You will find comfort in your chaos. You will see wisdom in His ways.

Before Jesus there would be darkness, duress, confusion, chaos, but now in Jesus there is clarity.  Therefore, we must ask ourselves, “Am I seeing the “LIGHT” of Jesus today?” Am I “witnessing” the glorious good news of Jesus today?

Do you see His goodness in your life today? Do you see His grace in your life today? Are you in awe of His creation today? Is He bringing healing into your soul today? Do you see the glory of the cross today? Are you believing in Jesus today?