The Light of the World
André H. Roosma 13 May 2012
(NL orig.: 24 Dec. 2011)
The people walking in
darkness have seen a bright Light; they who dwell in the land of deep
darkness, on them the Light has shined.
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 9: 2; cf. Mattit-Yahu (Matthew)
4: 12-17
At the celebration of His birth we celebrate that Jesus came to us.
He became most literally Immanu’el,
which means: God with us.
We could say: Jesus brought God near to us, by removing the barrier that
we had erected towards God.
The above Bible text speaks about Him as the
Light that came into the world. Many hymns affirm this as well,
as this classic one by Joshua Stegmann, from 1628:
Abide with us, our Savior, Thou Light of
endless Light; Increase to us Thy blessings, And save us by Thy
might.
(From: Ach bleib mit deiner
Gnade, German; old English translation from the Dalston Hospital
Hymn Book, 1848.)
The famous Adeste Fideles praised: “God of God, Light of Light”.
We also find it in contemporary songs, as in this beginning of one
sung by Chris Tomlin:
Light of the world You stepped down into
darkness. Opened my eyes, let me see. Beauty that made this heart
adore You Hope of a life spent with You
But what is then that Light, of which
the above text and all those songs speak?
As Christians we can simply say with the cited hymn, or with John 8: 12,
that Jesus Christ is that Light, but how come, that He is called The Light?
Which deeper connection is there between Jesus and light?
To find that answer we have to go back in time.
The largest part of the Old or First Testament of the Bible was originally
written in an old form of Hebrew.
The letters or symbols of this old script were originally pictures or
pictographs.*
One could understand the words by combining the meanings of the pictures.
When we look at the original form of the Hebrew word אור - ’or, which is the word
translated as light in English, we see:
– from right to left: an ox head, a tent pin and a face (sideways).
These three symbols represent, in this order:
- an ox head; the first, the most prominent, the dearest;
- a ten pin, signifying security by connection,
attachment, or covenant;
- a face (sideways): a (higher) Other (mostly God, sometimes a fellow
human).
The entire word thereby represents:
‘our first, most precious attachment/ belonging to God (and to each other)’.
And implicitly that includes the notion that that attachment provides
security and safety.
It is clear, that this gives a description of what Jesus means to us,
as He provides our connection with God indeed.
Now it will be interesting to use this insight, to have a look at the very
beginning of the Bible.
Genesis 1: 3 says that the first thing that God created by His Word
(compare John 1: that Word is Jesus!), is this
light, this first attachment/belonging to Him.
Without attachment to Him, nothing can even exist.
As Paul said: all exists in Him (Colossians 1: 17).
Jesus Himself said that we have to stay connected to Him as tendrils onto the
vine (He Himself!), if we want to live, flourish and bear fruit
(John 15 cf. also what Jesus prayed in John 17, after the unity and
intimate connection shared by Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit).
Let us now look at the following texts in this light.
And this is the message which we have heard from
Him and declare to you: God is light, and in Him is no
darkness at all..
1 John 1: 5
We can read this as: „... God is 100%
attachment/connection”.
He does not want any division, no distrust, no enmity...
His entire Being, all His Character is only aiming at connection.
That is why it was the very first that He created!
Isn’t He a marvelous God to know and worship?!
Hallelu-YaH!
Here is another wonderful passage, this one by Peter:
But you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so
that you might speak of the praises of Him Who has
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; you once were
not a people, but now you are God’s people; once without
mercy, but now accepted by His mercy.
1 Peter 2: 9-10 (cf. Colossians 1: 9-14)
Jesus transferred us from darkness and death – that hideous
condition of being separated from God, where there is no life. And He put
us again into the light; connected once and forever again to God the Father!
And that not to keep this glory quietly to ourselves...
But when we really tasted this glory, we will not even be able to; we will
share from the abundance given in our hearts! :-)
In December the Jews celebrate the Chanukah festival.
This is a festival commemorating what God did in the year 165
before Christ, at a re-consecration of the temple, when He let the great
Menorah burn for eight days on an amount of sacred oil sufficient only for
one day.
My research* has brought to light in a
rather unique way that the light of the great, golden Menorah
in the temple in Jerusalem, with its seven oil lamps on top, was already a
unique symbol of the presence of God from early on.
Unfortunately the Jews gave another meaning to it and even replaced the
seven-branched Menorah by a candle with nine branches (8+1).
In my view it is a pity that Chanukkah pressed the Festival of
Tabernacles (Sukkoth) as the great festival of the Light into the background (note: Jesus probably was born at or just before Sukkoth;
the celebration of Chanukah in December seems, just like Christmas,
mainly inspired by pagan midwinter festivals).
The most important in this context is that in Jesus God gave more than only a shining symbol of the Light of
His presence. He, Who is The Light, came Himself!
That was an infinitely greater miracle!
Paul later tells the Roman king Agrippa, that he saw a great Light, when he was on the way to Damascus to persecute
the followers of Jesus:
“Thus I journeyed to Damascus with the
authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the
way a Light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining
round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to
the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’
And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand
upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to
serve and bear witness to the things in which you have
seen Me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you
from the people and from the Gentiles – to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to
Light and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in
Me.’. Acts 26: 12-18
God came real close, and even the fanatic Jewish theologian Saul could
not resist that.
And God made His purpose known to him: to bring people back from darkness
– being separated from God – to the Light – life, closely
attached to God.
About the new Jerusalem that will once descend from heaven, John says:
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is
YaHUaH, the Almighty God, and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the
Lamb.
Revelation 21: 22-23 (cf.
Yesha‘-Yahu (Isaiah) 60: 19)
Of John the baptist it was said, with a hint to the text from
Yesha‘-Yahu (Isaiah), cited at the top:
“... And you, child, will be called the
prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation
[Jeshuah] to His people in the forgiveness of their
sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us
from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of
peace.” Luke 1: 76-79
In the light of that old word light,
, it becomes clear immediately what this light has to do with peace (Hebrew: shalom).
Preciously connected to God we experience shalom.
The reverse is true as well: when we break down shalom by doing things
that are against the Character of God, and which He has not meant for us,
then we also hurt this connection.
Think about this, if you like; e.g. when singing about the Light.
I pray God’s rich blessings over you and the people who are precious
to you!
And that you may fully enjoy Immanuel Who
came to this world a little more than 2000 years ago (probably around Rosh Hashanah (Jom Teru‘ah), the Day of
Atonement (Jom Kippur) or the Festival of Tabernacles
(Sukkot)), and Who still wants to be with us every day.
In love He loves to give us that life in close connectedness with Him!
Notes
Derek TownsendExcellent
and simple! I’d like to offer the understanding of darkness here as
well: Being the chet - shin - kaph ( , ed.).
Darkness, then, is separation from the source of blessing – or –
separation from the Life that covers us. So true, if Immanuel means Elohim
(God) with us, then the only way we can dwell with Him is ‘through’
the Light of Life – Hallelu Yah!
André (author)Thanks Derek Townsend! A good and affirming supplement indeed! Blessings!
Previous articles: Tsitsit – A sign of
flourishing, to remember the blessing and reigning hand of
YaHUaH, The Palm Tree in the Bible (5) - The
‘language’ of the palm tree, Psalm 118 – A wonderful,
prophetic-Messianic Hallel Psalm around Pesach, and Psalm 117
– Another wonderful Hallel Psalm.
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