Sermon manuscript:

Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome. In our reading John puts it this way: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Again, Jesus is spoken of this way: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” Here comes Jesus. Here comes the light.

One of the simple statements that the apostles use to describe a Christian is that a Christian has moved from darkness to the light. Peter encourages us to “proclaim the excellencies of God who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Paul says, “You formerly were of the darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.”

If the fruit of light is in everything that is good and right and true, then the deeds of darkness must be bad and wrong and false. An example of that was when Jesus was betrayed and arrested. One of the 12 did it. Judas had already been operating in the dark for some time. He kept the money for their little group, and he had been helping himself. He struck a deal with the chief priests and elders. He would lead them to Jesus so that they could arrest him, nice and quiet-like, when there was no one else around. Judas used an amazing sign. He would kiss Jesus when he greeted him. Then the soldier would know who to arrest.

Judas, with a band of soldiers and Jewish officials, came to Jesus either very late on Maundy Thursday, or, more likely, in the very early morning hours of Good Friday. He said, “Greetings teacher!” and he kissed Jesus, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” Then Jesus asked the officials and soldiers: “Why do you come out against me with clubs and swords? I have always been public with my teaching, and yet you didn’t seize me when I was out in the open.” Then Jesus said, “But this is your hour, and the power or authority of darkness.”

What happened there was bad and wrong and false. Jesus was betrayed by his friend. Jesus was rounded up in the middle of the night, when the multitudes of people who loved him were asleep. Jesus’s enemies didn’t care whether what they were doing was honorable or not. They just wanted to win.

Darkness has its advantages. If you want to impose your will without anyone getting in the way, then operating in secrecy and darkness is the way to go. Jesus was arrested when most people were still sleeping, and already by nine o’clock in the morning he was nailed to the cross. The powers that be engineered the whole thing so that it would be over before it even began. Everyone, including the disciples, thought that it was a done deal. The authorities had used darkness, yet again, and carried the day.

Paul characterizes the time that we live in as being a time of darkness. The story of history has largely been a story of darkness. One fellow gets the better of another fellow. Now he’s king. But today kings don’t hold the power anymore. The people who hold the power today are in business. By and large, the story of business is darkness too. Somebody figures out some clever way to get more from his employees or more from his customers or he sabotages his competitors. Then he uses his ill-gotten gains to buy off politicians who will pass laws that will further his empire. The rule he follows is always the same: He wants more for himself and less for others.

We are largely powerless against these powers and authorities. Never before have human beings had such ready access to information with the Internet and all, but who can know what is true and not true? There is information, disinformation, misinformation. The darkness is bad enough already, but it is only made worse when false lights and false christs come along and say, “Trust us. We’ll fix everything for you.”

Jesus Christ is the light of the world; the light no darkness can overcome. Jesus has come for judgement. Jesus says, “This is the judgement: The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, otherwise he would be convicted of his evil deeds. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been worked in God.”

Here is the choice: The light or the darkness. Do you want God to prevail in Jesus Christ or do you want to do what you want to do under the cover of darkness? It seems like it should be an easy choice, but doing whatever we want is awfully enticing. It’s how we first learned to lie and operate in the darkness. If you good enough at that kind of thing, nobody else needs to know the truth. When the light comes, you can’t hide anymore. You’ll be convicted. You’ll lose the shiny, white façade and be revealed as a sinner.

That’s how it is, strangely enough, for those who have been converted. Those who believe in Christ, who believe in the light, are exposed by that very same light as being evil. Christians should not hide their sins. That’s the old strategy of fig leaves and bushes from the Garden of Eden that won’t get you very far with God. Instead we should plead guilty before God like we do when we confess our sins:

I am a poor, miserable sinner. I have sinned with my mind, by the words I have spoken, and by the deeds that I have done. I deserve God’s temporal and eternal punishment. That is what the light reveals about me.

But the light is not merely like a searchlight or an interrogation light. It does not solely expose what is hidden or evil and to do nothing more about it. The light of Christ exposes, but it also heals and forgives. It obliterates the darkness so that it is no more. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus says as much in the same section that I quoted from earlier. He says: “God loved the world in this way, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.”

God has sent his Son. He is the light. This light will save those who are in darkness, but we cannot remain in darkness. If we prefer the darkness to the light, then we are on the wrong side. Jesus heals. He’s also coming to judge. The powers that be in this present age of darkness believe that they are on top of the world. They believe that they can do anything they want whether their actions be honorable or dishonorable. But their time is limited. They better hope that they can live long lives, because that is all the good times they will have.

What is much more prudent is to embrace Jesus, the light and life of men, who has come into the world. As Paul encourages us, we should cast away the works of darkness. Whatever is bad, wrong, and false will not help us in the long run. Grace, mercy, and truth come from Christ. They radiate out from him like light from its source. You have something better with Jesus. Jesus will win. The light will scatter the darkness.