Where a Mother Laid Her Baby
December 15, 2019
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone…. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given….
—Isaiah 9:2,6 (see Isaiah 9:2-7)
The darkness that covers the world is not only the darkness of sin, but also the darkness of death. What people who are wandering in darkness need is light—bright, shining, radiant light.
Thankfully, God did not leave us to wander in the perpetual darkness of sin and death, for he sent his glorious light into the world in the form of the Christ Child. The light of the Christ Child was not for Israel alone. God wanted fully to display the radiancy of his glory. This required a salvation that was not for the Jews only, but for all nations.
Isaiah promised a real human being, a Messiah born of a woman, who thus became one with his people.
By itself, however, Christ’s humanity does not explain his dazzling light. How could a mere human being serve as a light to the nations? Not even a king has enough candlepower to bring his people out of darkness and into the light.
Jesus Christ—God’s Son and our Messiah—is divine as well as human, and thus he shines with the very glory of God. His brightness is the radiance of God’s glory.
God invites us to come into his light by receiving Jesus as our Messiah. Choosing to remain in the darkness instead of entering the light of his redeeming love would be folly, for what Jesus has to offer us is exactly what we need.
Reflective Question
Where do you find yourself choosing to remain in darkness instead of fully entering into the light of Christ’s redeeming love?
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