6-8 “A man called John was sent by God as a witness to the light, so that any man who heard his testimony might believe in the light. This man was not himself the light: he was sent simply as a personal witness to that light.
9-13 That was the true light which shines upon every man as he comes into the world. He came into the world—the world he had created—and the world failed to recognize him. He came into his own creation, and his own people would not accept him. Yet wherever men did accept him he gave them the power to become sons of God. These were the men who truly believed in him, and their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God.” (Good News Version)
A story is told about one of the early missionaries in the Missiga area in northeastern Ghana. This man was building a mission house on top of a hill and was camping next to the building site. There was no electricity in that area in those days, and battery-operated torches (flashlights) were also not available. Farmers working late in the valley below began to depend on seeing the light from the missionary’s camp fire to light their way home from the farm. But one night, there was no camp fire to be seen. The missionary had traveled fifteen miles to the town where his family was staying and was spending the night with them. When the missionary returned to the building site the following morning, one of the farmers came to complain that he had been forced to wander in the valley all night because the missionary wasn’t there to light a camp fire. The missionary took advantage of this incident to explain to this farmer how he could know Jesus, the true Light of the World.
This passage refers to two men: Jesus and his human cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a miracle child, having been born to Zachariah and Elizabeth in their old age. Elizabeth was Mary’s relative, and when Mary visited Elizabeth and entered the room, John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb as he received the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant and Mary was three months pregnant at the time.
Both John the Baptist and Jesus came to fulfill prophecies. When John the Baptist was born and received his name, Zacharia prophesied over John, foretelling Jesus’ coming as he did so. Zechariah’s Prophecy
Luke 1:67-79 “John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he spoke God’s message:
“Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to the help of his people and has set them free. He has provided for us a mighty Savior, a descendant of his servant David. He promised through his holy prophets long ago that he would save us from our enemies,
from the power of all those who hate us. He said he would show mercy to our ancestors
and remember his sacred covenant. With a solemn oath to our ancestor Abraham
he promised to rescue us from our enemies and allow us to serve him without fear, so that we might be holy and righteous before him all the days of our life.
“You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord
to prepare his road for him, to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven. Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace.”
God foretold John’s birth in Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
How proud Zacharia and Elizabeth must have been when John began his ministry, and how crushed must they have been when Herod had John beheaded to satisfy a vengeful woman. But Zachariah and Elizabeth had the satisfaction of knowing that they had done their best to raise one of the last prophets to come before Jesus.
Elizabeth particularly knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah, for when Mary entered the room, John leaped inside Elizabeth’s womb. But many others came, first to John and then to Jesus. “Yet wherever men did accept him he gave them the power to become sons of God. These were the men who truly believed in him, and their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God.”
Today, we no longer need to depend on someone’s campfire to light our way home, but think: where do you stand spiritually? Are you stumbling around in darkness, wishing life could be better, lighter, more fulfilling? Come to Jesus! There’s a reason the act of accepting Jesus is referred to as being “born again.” When you accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, He comes into your heart and cleans things up, purifying you and giving you new hope. What do you have to lose, apart from despair?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel as if we are stumbling around in the dark, tripping over things. Please come into our hearts, enlighten us, drive out the darkness, and give us hope and peace. In Your mighty and precious Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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