“No matter how hard you fight the darkness, every light casts a shadow, and the closer you get to the light, the darker that shadow becomes. “
Plato
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DECEMBER 17, 2024
With the birth of Jesus, a king arrived in enemy territory. Satan was the ruler of this world and had covered it with the darkness of sin. Jesus, the light of the world (John 1:5; 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46;), the Lord of all creation (Colossians 1:15-17), came to defeat Satan.
While foreign kings came to worship the infant Jesus, other rulers reacted with fear. Herod, the King of Judea and ruler over Bethlehem (where Jesus and his family were living), ordered his soldiers to find and kill Him. To ensure Jesus was found, soldiers were ordered to kill all children under the age of two in and around the city.
In Bethlehem, the praises of angels announcing Jesus’s birth were replaced with the wailing of mothers.
The presence of the Messiah would threaten not only earthy kings but also the leaders of the social and religious order. The priests and Pharisees rejected Him and they too would want him killed.
Jesus shook the foundations of governments, institutions, and families. He challenged beliefs, cultural norms, laws, and the interpretations of God’s word. He shown God’s light into a world darkened by sin and brought a sword that would separate that darkness from God’s light.
This is why Jesus, when speaking about His message, said to His disciples,
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:21-22
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
Matthew 10:34-37
Jesus’s coming was a light to those living in darkness, a light that revealed the evil in our hearts and the shadows our sin cast into the world. The exposure of sin forces a decision: come into His light or retreat into the darkness.
“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
John 3:20
This Christmas, don’t look at the manger and see only an innocent, helpless child. See also a king come to overthrow the rulers of this world and every illegitimate love ruling in our hearts. See the Creator of the universe who has come to destroy the power of sin and death and open the door to a restored kingdom of light.
“The people who walk in darkness shall see a great Light—a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of the shadow of death.”
Isaiah 9:2 TLB
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What does the light of Jesus mean in your life?
- How has the sword Jesus brings impact our world today?
- How has it impacted your life and your family?
Church Reading Plan: Zechariah 4; John 7