“6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.” – John 1:6-7 (ESV)
This John was John the Baptist as you may be aware. Here it is states that he was “sent from God…as a witness”. I want to look at those last three words in the previous sentence.
John the Baptist was simply a witness and should not be confused with the messiah. He was sent to create interest and understanding about the messiah to come. He was here to draw attention to the messiah and the salvation He would provide.
“8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” – John 1:8 (ESV)
It is made clear in verse eight that John the Baptist was not the messiah and only here “to bear witness about the light”.
Let’s talk about that part. As we go through our lives, we are to “bear witness about the light”. That light is Jesus. As I read in my NIV commentary I see that “we merely reflect that light”, and I thought of the moon. The moon is not the source of the light it provides, it only reflects the light that shines on it. In fact, if we all remember, the dark side of the moon is a cold dark place. Isn’t that how we are? As we are standing in the light of the messiah, we are warm and seen as God fearing, but when we step out of the light, we are cold and dark ourselves.
We are here “to bear witness about the light” and the way we do that is to reflect the shining on us daily to those around us. The only way we are able to reflect that light is to stand in it constantly. We should be letting the light shine on us and through us to bear witness of the messiah who is the light.
Do you consider your self the light, or the witness about the light? What is your take on your position here in the world? What ways are you able to bear witness?
Trevor's Thoughts 