Light

I took this vacation photo because of the light. There’s such a contrast between the dark tunnel within the fort and the daylight reflecting through it. Such a lovely illustration of going from dark to light.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:4-5 KJV)

In our solar system, only earth gets just the right amount of sunshine to support life as we know it. Of all the other possible planets scientists have deducted from light and energy, none have displayed similarities in orbit and rotation, changing the dynamics provided by light. The ‘right’ amount of light gives poinsettias at Christmas and lilies at Easter. The right amount of light and rain gives us a world-wide variety of food.

No other planet has the combination that is capable of supporting life as we know it. Most of the differences have to do with light. That thought brought me to:

Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: (Isaiah 42:5 KJV)

He goes on to say:

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:6 KJV)

This chapter written by Isaiah speaks of the Messiah, just as John does in his gospel. They both tell of a light given by God to a world in darkness:

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16 KJV)

I like the idea of crooked things being made straight. Driving curvy roads to get home makes me want straight ones, but I think Isaiah is writing about making people’s lives straight while leading them in paths that seem so very different – just as Jesus doctrines were very different from the Messiah they were expecting. Yet these were the very scriptures Jesus used to explain what had just happened:

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27 KJV)

The same scriptures that Apollos used to convince Jews:

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. (Acts 18:28 KJV)

The very same scriptures I read today, showing the light of the world. Come, read them with me – and read the surrounding pictures, too, coming out of the tunnel into God’s light.