There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
Last week I had the privilege of sea kayaking on the Mediterranean Sea with some Middle Eastern friends. They are starting a sea kayaking ministry that is going to be really cool. We camped on beaches that the Apostle Paul most likely sailed by on his missionary journeys. And as I looked at the same moon that Paul must have gazed at sailing these waters, I was struck with how uniquely “historical” Christianity is. We believe in the same man, Jesus, who Paul spoke about two thousand years ago.
It reminded me that Christians do not just believe in a set of ideals or truths. We believe in a person who was born, lived, and ultimately died on a cross as a sacrifice for humanity. We believe that he rose again three days later and is sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven right now. And we believe that this man, Jesus, who lived in history, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that all people long for.
A THEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE MOON
One night on the beach, by a crackling fire I looked up at the full moon and the light that it cast on the sea. It was so bright I could walk along the beach easily without my headlamp. How profound that the moon does not have any light in itself. It only reflects the light of the sun. This is a lesson from Creation that explains perfectly what it means for us to be witnesses of Christ to others.
We are not a source of light. We merely reflect the light of Jesus by believing in him and walking in his Spirit. As witnesses, we are reflectors of Christ’s light to others just like the moon reflects the light of the sun.
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When John wrote his account of the Gospel, his intention was that people in his day and ours would be able to believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human on account of what Jesus said and did. He also wanted to help those early Christians to reflect the Light (Jesus) to their family, friends, and community. So in the opening words of his account of Jesus, John wrote an amazing statement about Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. He wanted them to see how John the Baptist was a great example for them to follow in spreading the Gospel to others. Like John the Baptist who so boldly pointed others to Jesus Christ, he encouraged all believers to follow his example and be a “witness onto the Light.”
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTEST IN THE DARKEST OF PLACES
John the Baptist was like the moon. He lived as a witness to the light: Jesus Christ. We too can be like the moon to a dark world and reflect the Light of Jesus Christ.
Like a candle, it does not take much light to light up a dark room. You may feel like your witness is not doing much in the world, but light shines the brightest in the darkest of places. So lets all take some encouragement from the moon. The next time you are outdoors at night, remember that we are not the light, we are merely witnesses to the Light. It is not through our power that people can be saved, we can only point people to Jesus. So lets take the pressure off of ourselves and just start freely shining Jesus to our friends. He will do the rest.
QUESTION FOR REFLECTION
The next time you are outdoors at night with some friends, God can use the moon to remind you and your group of this great truth that John wrote about in his Gospel. Here are some discussion questions to use as a teachable moment:
- According to John’s analogy of John being a “witness to the light,” as a follower of Jesus how are you and I like the moon?
- Start a fire at your campsite and consider how light shines the brightest in dark places. Are there any dark places in your neighborhood, city, school, or workplace where God might reflect himself through you?
- What are some specific ways that the Bible tells us we can we a witness to the Light, Jesus Christ?
