Advent 2025, Week 4 – John’s Light of Christmas Past/Present/Future, Part 3
Jesus is the light of Christmas past and present. He brought light into the world, and he continues to bring light in our lives. How so? To answer that question this week, we’ve been studying the writings of his disciple John.
In John 3, verse 19, John writes,
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
John 3:19-21 has a practical application to how we followers of Jesus live our lives. We will get to that in a moment, but first let’s hear what Jesus himself said about being the light. In the Gospel of John, Jesus talks about being the light in numerous places.
In John 8:12, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Similarly in John 9:5, Jesus says, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Then there’s what he says in John 12:35 and 36, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’”
Jesus keeps talking about his light in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
When we put these teachings together, how is Jesus the light? By dispelling the darkness of sin and death with the light of his righteous selflessness.
Jesus is the light in that he brings hope and love into darkness. Note that word “into.” In John 12:46, he says “I have come into the world.” That’s what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus brings the light of Christmas past and present into the world.
When he says he brings light into the world, he is not promising to remove the all darkness. He says he brings light into the darkness. How, though, does he bring light into the world?
He brings the light of truth. As Christians we believe that Jesus not only has the truth, he himself is the embodiment of truth.
In our world there are many cultures, organizations, churches, political parties claiming to have the truth. But we Christians look to Jesus to translate the world for us. His way is the true way. He lived the true life. We look at how he lived, and we strive to live like him. That is how his light dispels the darkness in our world.
How did Jesus live?
With humility, with a heart for those in need, with a courage to face hypocrisy, with a passion for the mission of God, with very little regard for material possessions, with a desire to help people experience abundant life.
To put it simply, to live the light of Jesus, we live sacrificially like he did. Some call it the cruciform life. Cruciform is in the shape of the cross. And what happened on the cross? Jesus gave his life, sacrificially for us. Jesus calls us to live that same way. To be his disciples is to die to ourselves, he said, take up our cross, and follow him.
That involves believing in him. Perhaps that’s where it starts, believing in him in our hearts and minds. But following Jesus is an active way of life. We live in the light when we do the deeds of light. Of love. Of selfless love. Living with love toward others from the love that we receive in our relationship with Jesus.
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 