Today’s Passage: John 1:6-8

He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him — John 1:7

Our high school students have recently been studying the “I am” statements of Jesus together. One special statement Jesus made was when He said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). We identify light by its features: it has a glow, needs electricity, uses power, and reveals the objects near it. Darkness and light cannot exist in the same space. Light will always overtake the darkness. John tells us that Jesus is the Light. He takes away the darkness from the world and He takes away the darkness in our own hearts. All of this so that, through Him, we can bear witness about the Light to the world.

God sent John the Baptist to teach others about Jesus. “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him” (John 1:7). John did not come to be the light but to bear witness about the Light. His life was to be a proclamation to the One who is greater than all. His message didn’t focus on himself but centered on Jesus. As believers, we know that God commands us to love Him with all of our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But it does not come naturally to make much of someone else. It’s much easier to talk ourselves up and make ourselves look good, but we need to take a lesson from John. He played second fiddle to Jesus, and he did it well. He understood the bigger picture. It wasn’t about him. It was all about Jesus.

Just as John bore witness about the Light, we are called to do the same. Our lives need to be centered on Jesus. As we approach this Christmas season, we celebrate the Light that has come into the world—indeed, into our very lives. How can you make much of Jesus this Christmas season? How can you bear witness about the Light of the world?

Prayer

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be the Light of the world. Help us to share His story with others. In Jesus’s name, amen.