The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

I JOHN 1:5 - 10 LIGHT! “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you all: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5 I wonder what Thomas Edison thought when he discovered electricity and found a way to make light from electricity. Before his invention, people used to create light through the use of oil or kerosene based lanterns or by candles. Neither of the two methods was necessarily an efficient way to make light. Candles would burn continuously, but would eventually lose their light as they melted away. The oil or kerosene lanterns were dangerous in terms of the fumes they gave off or the real possibility of fire should the lantern fall to the ground and catch something flammable on fire. Remember that the great Chicago fire was attributed a cow knocking over a lantern into hay. Whether that was true or not, it certainly fit the belief of the day about the potential dangers of oil or kerosene lanterns. There is something about electricity that is amazing. It provides power to buildings in that it is continuously available for use. All it takes is someone to flip a switch to turn the light on or move a dimmer switch to gradually turn on the light. Now lamps can use up to three way bulbs to give as much light as is necessary to a room. Yet with light as it is with many things, the source of the light or the electricity is always available, yet it requires someone turning the switch to access it. John in the section from I John 1:5 – 10 talks to the churches around Ephesus about light and its source. This is the message that John received from the Word of life he had seen, heard, and touched. John clearly proclaims that God is light and in him is no darkness. But what does it mean that God is light? What implications does this have for our lives? God is light – this statement is concise and clear. We have seen that the Word of life existed since the beginning and had appeared to John. John had seen him, heard from him, and touched him. He is a person who was very real. Clearly the Word of life’s message was very important to John. John had heard the message and proclaimed it to the churches. Any message from the Word of life that is heard and not passed onto others in the life of the Christian does not have much value. John had committed his life to the proclamation of the message. This is not an option. John did not sit back and bask in the knowledge of the message as if he was the only one who possessed it and demanded that others come to him to get the knowledge. He took the steps to proclaim the message loud and clear to all. It was the practice of the Gnostic to proclaim that a relationship with God can only be found through some special knowledge available only through a privileged few. You had to go to them to find it out. To that, John proclaims that he had heard and seen the message through the Word of life and initiated communication with the people so that they could know that message also. Anyone who heard John could know the message. There were two elements to that message. The first element is that God is light. In the first few verses of greeting, John had introduced the people to the Word of life, the source of eternal life, so that the churches could be in relationship with God, His Son the Christ, and John himself. How that becomes real in our lives is determined by how well we make use of the power of God as light – or how well we turn on the switch to appropriate that power into our lives. But what does light suggest about our God? One thing, it does not mean that God is literally light in the same sense as the light that comes from electricity. God is light suggests that God is truth, open and honest in his dealings with his followers. God is light also suggests that God is pure and good in all of His ways. Where had John come up with this thought and truth about God? He said it himself – this was the message he had heard from the One he had seen and heard. Jesus’ words were ringing in his mind and heart. Over twenty times in the gospel of John, he mentioned light in relation to Christ. Here are a few. “In him was life, and that life is the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it.” John 1:4 “(John the Baptist) came as a witness of that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not that light; he only gave witness to that light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:7 - 9 (Jesus said to Nicodemus) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil…whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19, 21 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 (Jesus said) “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4 - 5 (Jesus’ last words to the crowd before he left them and went to the Upper Room) “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you still have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” John 12:35 – 36 John certainly would have remembered the words of Christ during the Sermon on the Mount; “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 The second element is that there is no darkness in God. In fact, there is no darkness at all. There isn’t even any gray or shadows – all is light totally and completely. Clearly John wanted to portray a contrast with the truth that God is light and emphasize it. What does darkness suggest? Darkness suggests the presence of sinfulness and evil. Yet the presence of sinfulness or evil is not always apparent – it must be exposed to the light. John remembered this from Jesus in the words we have already noted from the gospel of John, and makes the point here for the churches. Sinfulness and evil cannot exist in the presence of God. Sinfulness and evil cannot be seen unless it is exposed to the light or to God Himself through our lives. Suppose you walk into a room with the lights fully off and attempt to look around the room. You may conclude that the room is clean and well maintained, yet you know that you are not seeing all that the room has because you have not turned on the light. If you happen to have a dimmer switch in the room and gradually turn on the light, more problems with the cleanliness in the room would surface because they are exposed to the light. You may begin to see some papers laying on the table in a disheveled manner. Or you may see some stains in the carpet or dust on the floor or lamps. You may see some marks on the walls. Several things may catch your eye as you see the room. It is like that in the growth of the follower of Christ. Many things in our lives are exposed as we grow in the Scriptures and in the light. But they can only be seen through the eyes of our God who is light in order to recognize them.