The True Light

by Bruce Mills

As we come to the Easter season, when we recall the single greatest event in the history of mankind—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—we need to remember why Jesus came to this world.  He didn’t come primarily to be a great example (though He was the perfect example), He didn’t come primarily to be a good Teacher (though He was the greatest teacher), and He didn’t come primarily to perform wonderful acts of kindness (though He was the most compassionate person who ever lived).  His primary purpose in coming was to bring Light and life to a sin-darkened world and save His elect children from their sins.

In John 8:12, Jesus is recorded as stating, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  And earlier in the Gospel of John we are told that John the Baptist came as the forerunner of Christ, so that he could testify about that Light (John 1:7-8).  Now, there is something very important to consider here. Since when does someone have to testify about light? Why would anyone have to tell you “this is light”?

Several years ago, our family was on vacation and we stopped at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The tour guide took our tour group through the cave, pointing out various points of interest, and when we were far back in the cave, he turned out the lights and let us stand there in the darkness. And no matter how long we stood there, our eyes never got accustomed to the dark so that we could see anything. It was pitch black and no matter how long one might stand there, it will stay just like that. After we had stood there a while, the tour guide turned on a flashlight. And not one person in that cave said, “Where’s the light? Where’s the light?” When that flashlight went on, everybody knew the light was on. Nobody said, “Hey, look over there; there’s the light.” If you lit a match in that place, everyone would have seen that match. Nobody had to point out the light. But do you know what John came to do? He came to point out light to people living in blackness. So that begs the question, “Who needs light pointed out to them?”

There’s only one kind of person who needs to be pointed to the light. What kind? Blind people. And do you know what? Everyone in this world is blind. 2 Cor. 4:3 says, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.” Now here comes verse 4; watch this truth: “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

That’s why Satan blinded them; so that they can’t see the light, and so God’s pastors and evangelists and proclaimers of His truth have to come along and say, “Look! Take my hand and let me show you the Light.” It’s pathetic that the sin darkened world hasn’t even got the sight to see the light. This is one reason why the apostle John includes the story of the blind man who Jesus healed in John 9. He was a blind man who could see the Light, and the unbelieving Pharisees were men who could physically see but were spiritually blind and missed the Light.

All unbelievers are like those fish in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico that have been underground so long that their eyes are gone and all they have are empty sockets. Someone can turn the light on, but they can’t see it anyway. And so the Light came, blazing the brilliant, glorious Light of God into this world, and people couldn’t see it because they were blind and John the Baptist had to be the first one to take them by the hand and say, “There’s the Light.” And even then, it is only those who God heals their spiritual eyes and gives them the ability to see the true Light who will be saved.

This is what every preacher of God’s truth who has ever lived does. This is what you do when you witness to others about Christ. Our task as Christians, as witnesses, is to take people by the hand in their blindness, as they stumble around in darkness and show them the Light, because they can’t see it. And then it is God’s responsibility to open the spiritual eyes of those whom He has chosen from before the foundations of the world so that they see that Light. 

During this Easter season, when men and women are more aware of the origin of Easter, take opportunities—as God provides them—to lead people to the true Light that enlightens every man.