When we sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," we say, “Hail the Son of righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings."
We sing at Christmas because we have something to sing about! Light has come into the world, and we need never walk in darkness again. John 1:1-5, one of the richest passages of Scripture, explains why.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-5).
Jesus exposed sin, but He was never contaminated by sin. He could touch sinners, but sin never touched Jesus. He was undefiled. When the Bible calls Jesus the "light of the world," it's a reminder of the sinless, stainless purity of the Son of God.
The Bible says He was "in the world" (John 1:10), but He was not of this world. Jesus did not have His origin here. Think about this: His birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His life! For in eternity past, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit always were. There was never a time when “God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity…” did not exist. He has no beginning and no end.
Because Jesus was not of this world, He is the pure, incorruptible Light. Jesus was the only Person who could look others in the face and say, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46). The baby born in Bethlehem was the "true Light" (John 1:9), the pure light of heaven.
In the natural world, the speed of light is a constant. Albert Einstein said the reason he was able to construct his famous Theory of Relativity was because there is one thing in the world that is constant — the speed of light. Everything else is relative.
The sun will not shine for eternity. Its energy is slowly being used up. Even the sun will one day cease to shine, but the light of Jesus will illumine heaven throughout eternity!
What will be our light source in the Holy city?
“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb [the Lord Jesus Christ] is its light” (Revelation 21:23).
We’ll have no need for light switches, fuses, batteries, or utility companies, for He Himself will be our source of light. We will bask in the direct rays of His glorious light forever.
“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
Light and life are inextricably interwoven. You cannot have life without light. When God brought life out of chaos in Creation, He said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and the seas began to swarm with life. The seeds of earth began to bud and blossom. Light — photosynthesis — causes plants to produce food. Life itself is built on sunlight. Without it, our world would become cold, dark and dead.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He came to give us life. When the Holy Spirit shined the light of the Gospel into our hearts, a divine photosynthesis took place, producing life where before there was only death.
“The entrance of Your words gives light” (Psalm 119:130). Jesus is the Light.
Do you know that everywhere Jesus went during His earthly ministry, He brought life? Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
Praise God for the changeless, constant light of the Lord Jesus Christ! No matter how cold and dark your world may seem, it can be brought back to life when the glorious light of the Son of God shines into your heart. There is no life without light.
The life and the light went out of Adam's race when he sinned in the Garden of Eden. But Jesus is the Light of the world. When we make Jesus Christ both Lord and Savior, the One who entered time and space as that little Babe in Bethlehem comes in, turns the light on, and life begins for us. He gives eternal life.
