Seeing Is Not Enough

“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Mt 4:16 AV)

 

An often cited verse on many Christmas cards and greetings, this verse is the hope of Israel and the rest of the world we have in Jesus Christ.  He is that great light.  He is the light that has sprung up.  He is the personification of hope God has for the world.  Our sins, all of them, are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The region and shadow of death are actually referring to the Gentile world.  In other words, Jesus, that great light, has come upon all people everywhere that we might have hope.  I know this verse is speaking primarily of salvation and the darkness and death spoken of are spiritual darkness and death, but what is true in the spiritual word may also have a shadow of truth applied in the emotional and physical world as well.  Outside of the obvious, there is another application that I wish to expound.  That is the concept of hope and embracing hope.  Just because hope exists, it is not effective unless we embrace it. 

There is something about a light in the midst of complete darkness.  All sorts of critters are drawn to it.  Outside our back door, we have a flood light that could light up the neighborhood.  I have had a few helicopters try to land in our yard because we were the brightest light on the ground 😉.  My back door is painted white so it reflects the light very well.  When I take my dog out at night, I have to turn off the light in the house so the insects that have coated the door don’t come in.  We live in a fairly large city.  We live in an area where vagrancy is not all that uncommon.  We live a couple of blocks from several bars so it is not uncommon to have the homeless or the drunk wander on one’s property invited for any number of reasons.  Yet, the thing I notice is the more well-lit your property is, the less chance you have of an unwanted visitor.  They seek out the darkness and not the light.  Those who want little to do with right living will seek out the light.  All others will try to avoid it.  The same is true of those of us who tend to be more pessimistic than optimistic.  We tend to look for the bad news and completely miss the good news.  We prepare ourselves for the worst and never figure the best to be possible.

If you’ll notice one little word above, I will make my point.  Note the word, ‘…saw…’.  This suggests those who sat in darkness could not avoid the light because it was a great light.  Just because they saw it does not mean they went toward it.  The great light sprung up.  It arrived quickly and intensely.  A wonderful description of the ministry of Jesus Christ which was dramatic and over before you reckoned it finished.  Those who saw the person and ministry of Christ had an opportunity to go to the light and experience everlasting hope.  Instead, those who saw the light and did not embrace the light had hope for a very short time.  My point is this.  The closer we get to Jesus and the more we embrace the hope He offers, the more lasting that hope remains.  If we are saved, we have eternal hope.  We know exactly where we will be when our earthly pilgrimage is over.  This, the world cannot take away.  Yet, we do not have to wait until eternity to live in the hope of today.  The light is still there.  He is great!  Walking in the light as He is in the light, we have hope the world cannot understand.  The key is to walk toward hope instead of away from it.  We sit in the darkness of hopelessness because we choose to.  God has offered us a Great Light from which we can draw.  No need to sit in darkness.  The choice is ours.