Jesus is the Light (John 3:19-21)

Topic: Jesus is the Light

Reading: John 3:19-21

19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

Introduction and Overview

When God created the heavens and the earth, as described in Genesis chapter 1, the first thing He created was the light. God said, “Let there be light,” and He separated the light from the darkness and He said that the light was good. He did not say the darkness was good, but the light was good.

It appears evident that the light He created on Day 1 of the Creation was not daylight as we know it. He did not create the sun, moon and stars until the fourth day of Creation according to Genesis chapter 1. And what is interesting is that when He did create the lights of the day and the night, that is, the sun, moon, and stars, He did not specifically call that light “good” as He did the Light that was created on the first day of Creation.

The analogy here appears to be that the Light created on the first day of Creation was the separation of good and evil. The Light was good and the darkness was evil, and their separation is made to show they are polar opposites. One Hebrews to English lexicons gives us these insights about the light and darkness on the first day of God’s Creation:

Concerning Light: “Though the Old Testament employs rich metaphor, its usage never divorces “light” from the personal source—God Himself.”
And concerning Darkness: “Its semantic range covers tangible nightfall, thick obscurity, and figurative darkness that conveys calamity, wickedness, ignorance, or the hiddenness of God. The term is set in continuous tension with “light,” forming a primary biblical polarity that serves creation theology, covenant history, prophetic warning, and pastoral consolation.”

The culmination of these discussions of light and darkness becomes complete in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light and in these scriptures today in John 3:19-21 we see that Jesus is the light. He came to be the light of the world and to give people the light of the insight and knowledge of God. Jesus is the light that is good and His visitation to the earth creates a polarity between the light and the dark in mankind. He polarises life so we can see the good and the evil, and provides the opportunity of choice for all mankind to reject the darkness of evil and to seek the light of truth in Him.

Key points from reading:

Jesus is the light that came into the world to teach and show what is good in the eyes of God
Mankind broadly rejected the light of Jesus and chose to follow the darkness of evil
Those who do come to Jesus as the light show that they are seeking a better way

Discussion:

Scripture: John 3:19 – Jesus is the Light of Judgement

In John 3, verse 18, just prior to this verse we read these words:

“He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Then, continuing into verse 19 we see that when Jesus came into the world, the world came under judgement.
The people of this world are judged because they refused to believe in the truth given through Jesus. People preferred the ways of sin and chose darkness rather than the light. Jesus is the light of this world and through Him we all have access to the light of insight, knowledge, and life.
But mankind preferred the darkness. They loved darkness rather than light because the deeds of mankind were evil. They were evil then, and they are evil today. In fact they have become and are becoming more evil as time goes on. Even in my own lifetime I have seen the escalation of evil. Things that were considered evil when I was younger, because they oppose all that is good in the eyes of God, are celebrated today. Evils that once were in the hidden domains of darkness, and were condemned by society and the law, are now practiced openly and promoted.
Those who follow the ways of darkness and promote them will be judged. The judgement is coming and all who indulge in these evil practices will reap the rewards of their evil. Jesus is the light and it will be by the light of His judgement that these evils will be judged and cast out.

Scripture: John 3:20 – The Light Exposes Evil

Why is it that all manner of evil comes and occurs in the darkness of night? Why is it at night that criminals come out and their evil deeds are done? It is because they do not want to be seen. A thief or a murderer uses the cover of darkness as a tool to hide what they are doing. Those who seek the fleshly pleasures through adultery, prostitution, and other lustful desires, do so in the dark. And they do so because they do not want to be seen. They know it is evil, and so they seek the darkness to hide from the light that would expose them as evildoers.
The light of day is not the place where these evil people operate. The light exposes them for all to see and they do not want to be seen. They work in secret, away from the mainstream of society, where they think they are safe from exposure.
But when the light comes, they are exposed and will run from the light. Think about a thief approaching a property. If that property has security lights and warning systems, when those lights switch on, the thief runs. They do not want to be exposed by the light. Look at businesses in shopping strips and malls. All of them have security lighting and it is the light that often stops thieves attacking their stores. At least that used to be the case. These days however, criminals are becoming bolder and the light is not as significant a deterrent . But even so, knowing the lights will come on, thieves will still put on masks and clothing to hide their identities. Why? Because they do not want to be exposed to the light and discovered doing their evil deeds.
And it is the same for all who reject Christ too. They do not accept that Jesus is the light and come to Him for salvation and redemption. They prefer the ways of darkness so they are not exposed by the light. But God sees what they are doing. Jesus is the light and He lights up their evil ways. And they are judged according to their evil deeds.

Scripture: John 3:21 – Seeking the True Light in Jesus

Fortunately, God is full of grace. God is prepared and willing to overlook the darkness of sin in those who seek to do what is right. Anyone seeking to do what is good, right, and true in the sight of God, comes to the light. Unlike the criminals and the children of the darkness, they come to the light, They have no fear of the light because their deeds are wrought in the light and in God.
Those who come to the light, and Jesus is the light, are accepted by God with open arms. Those who seek the light of His truth become His children. When we seek the ways of God and follow Jesus according to the ways laid down for us in the Bible, we are children of God. As God’s children we receive His blessings and will inherit a place in His eternal kingdom to live in light with Jesus and the Father into eternity.
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, man has continued to follow the darkness of sin. The darkness has grown enormously. It was that bad that God almost wiped all mankind off the face of the earth in the days of Noah. God promised after the great flood that He would not destroy the earth by water again. But He has also promised that the next destruction He will bring upon the world after the Day of Judgement will be a destruction by fire. All who prefer the darkness rather than the light will be judged and a fiery destruction will be their lot.
But for those who do not seek darkness but seek the light that is in Jesus, they will be saved. Jesus is the light and He will save all who come to Him in faith. So, seek Jesus. Seek the light and reject all forms of darkness.

Prayer Points:

Pray and ask the Lord to show you the light and to separate you from the darkness of the evil in this world.
Pray for the light of Jesus and His teachings to fill your mind and body. Seek the light that comes from God who gives life and salvation in Jesus because Jesus is the light.
Pray that the darkness does not overtake you and pray for all who are in darkness that they may see the light and come to Christ.