Great Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2

The Lord Jesus is not a candle in the night; He’s a floodlight, searchlight, beacon, lighthouse – Great Light. That’s a lot of light, because there’s a lot of darkness out there. Since people stumble around in the blackness and live under the shadow of death all their lives, a lot of light is needed to take care of everybody’s problems.

It’s really surprising how often Christ is associated with light. He is, after all, the brightness of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3), the Dayspring (Dawn) from on high (Luke 1:78), and the Morning Star (Revelation 2:28). Add to this that He is the Light that shines in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19) and three times in the book of Revelation it says that the glorified Christ has eyes that are flames of fire. Yes, that’s lots of light.

Once I was driving on a country road on the desert of New Mexico when my oil light went on. Those were the days long before GPS told you exactly where you were and at that time I had no clue which way to go. I knew I passed a town about twenty miles back, but I could see the glow of something on the horizon. It was the city of Roswell about ten miles ahead. Eventually a car passed me to help, but the point I am trying to make is that the distant city lights let me know where I was and that I wasn’t alone in the desert. I had seen a great light.

           The verse above in Isaiah comes before the famous Christmas verse about a Child being born and a Son being given. It gives the context of why the Savior came to this world to redeem mankind. The human race was lost, scared, and groping around in darkness. He came to bring hope, direction, and a Great Light.