Shortly after John 3:16, Jesus said, “All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” There’s a picture of contrasts. Darkness plus sin plus fear contrasted with doing right in the light for others to see. That’s not a new picture Jesus paints with red words in Scripture. God’s original plan was to set apart His people, planning for Israel to do what He wanted and walk in His light. They struggled with fear and sin, sometimes choosing to hide in the dark instead of walk in His light. It plays out in the natural world and follows that similar things can happen in the spiritual world.
Here’s an example. We were hiking and startled a beautiful roadrunner. My friend wanted to take a picture, so we waited for it to emerge from a dark hiding spot under a bush. It hid because it was fearful of us. Hiding in the dark is a natural response for some animals, and many people. They won’t go near the light because they are afraid of being exposed. At the extreme, there is even fear of capture and self-preservation kicks in. But God, like my photographer friend, waits for His creature to come to the light, to be exposed. It’s in the light that we confront our sinful nature with God’s help and forgiveness. We have to drop our fear and feelings of self-preservation so we can be willingly captured by Christ. That’s an extreme contrast, being captured and finding freedom in the same place, in Christ.
The roadrunner came into the light and paused briefly for her camera, then ran off on its way. Let’s walk on our way in His light, doing what God wants, adding to the red letter painting our Savior works on every day. ~Tracy