Seeing the Light
“I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”Isaiah 42:6b-7
In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we find four “Suffering Servant” songs where this mysterious servant speaks and God speaks to him. God seemingly calls this servant for a special mission, one that when reading today seems strangely familiar. “Set you as a covenant of the people.” Jesus is the new and everlasting covenant, by whose blood we have been redeemed. Jesus Christ is this Suffering Servant.
Jesus is the Light of the World who has brought light into the darkness, and He desires to bring light into the dark and hidden parts of our lives so that we might not live in shame, but rather allow those parts to bring about great fruit. After Lazarus died, who was then in the darkness, Our Lord went to him and called him out of the tomb. Lazarus was called from death to life, from darkness into light. The closed eyes of Lazarus were now opened again. And by this miraculous resurrection, the closed and skeptical eyes of many were also opened. Many also came to believe — light was brought into their lives, and their darkness was no more. But coming to see and living in the light brings its own consequences: persecution.
Because Lazarus has been raised from the dead, giving witness and credence to Jesus’ power and ministry, the people began to journey to see him. Who wouldn’t want to see a man who had come back from the dead? This caused some commotion and the Jewish leaders were not happy about it. “And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him” (John 12:10-11). Although Lazarus was brought back to life, his life is now at stake. Those who have been raised and have been touched by the light will always be the object of those in darkness. Those who have turned away from sin will always be a target of interest for the enemy. What is evil is always attracted to the good because evil is really the lack of something — that which is good.
Hence, as Christians we will always be persecuted and marked by the enemy and by all those who still sit in the darkness. But we must not allow that to stop us from shining forth the light of Christ that is within us. We must continue to bring light into the darkness of our world. We must also continue to allow the Lord to shine His light into our minds and hearts. Light conquers darkness, good triumphs over evil, and life always wins over death. Yes, as followers of Christ we may always be at the edge of darkness, but thankfully, we have the Lord, who is our light and our salvation. Indeed we have nothing and no one to fear, not even sin or death.
