Be sons of light in Jesus’ light.

 

Sermon for Sexagesima, February 7, 2021

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Light.  Amen.

John 12:35-43  ³⁵Then Jesus told them, “The light will be with you just a little while longer.  Keep on walking while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you.  The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.  ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.”  Jesus spoke these words, and then went away and was hidden from them.  ³⁷Even though Jesus had done so many miraculous signs in their presence, they still did not believe in him.  ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said: Lord, who has believed our message?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  ³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because Isaiah also said: ⁴⁰He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes, or understand with their heart, or turn—and I would heal them.  ⁴¹Isaiah said these things when he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.  ⁴²Nevertheless, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.  ⁴³For they loved praise from people more than praise from God. (EHV)

Be sons of light in Jesus’ light.

Dear sojourners in a dark world,

            Imagine being trapped in a cave a mile under ground with no light, no hope, no way out, and your only possible escape would be if someone came down from above to rescue you.  Consider the joy you would experience if after a long wait, a light suddenly broke through the darkness.  In the physical realm of the mining world, this has happened many times, and when that breakthrough comes soon enough to save those trapped below, there is great rejoicing, both down below and up above.

In a spiritual sense, also, this is exactly what Jesus came to do for us.  He came down from above to rescue all of us trapped in the dark cave of sin and death.  Unfortunately, in spiritual matters, when those trapped in darkness meet the light, the perversity of the human nature causes many to reject the light as unnecessary or even unwelcome, yet we will only Be sons of light in Jesus’ light.

One of the realities of a sinful world is that evil avoids the light.  Sinners don’t want their sins revealed.  Criminals relish operating in the darkness and hide at the first sign of light.  As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide from God’s all-knowing eyes.  You may have secret sins you don’t want anyone else to know.  More than one celebrity and politician has fallen from public favor when some perceived infraction has been brought to the light of day.  Sadly, in our dark and troubled world, it is often more acceptable to flaunt the sin than to walk in the light of Christ.

Now, some people have pretended that they would believe in God if only He provided a sign, some miracle to prove that He truly exists.  The gospel accounts demonstrate that this is just another trying to evade the light.  Many of the people who witnessed God’s Son walking on earth, saw His miracles, and perhaps even experienced some of them, still refused to see who Jesus is.  St. John reported, “Even though Jesus had done so many miraculous signs in their presence, they still did not believe in him.  This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said: Lord, who has believed our message?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 

What this shows is that we cannot dig our way out of the cave of darkness on our own.  Trapped as we were, we didn’t have the tools, nor the endurance or strength to escape death.  The only place we knew as our home was too far separated from life above.  However, we have a Friend, our Creator who loves us and couldn’t bear to have us separated from His love forever.  Therefore, God sent His Son to be our Rescuer, who coming down from above would enter our dark, broken-down world, so that He could bring us light and life and a real hope.  Consequently, we would expect that the Rescuer would be received with welcome and great rejoicing.  Sadly, that wasn’t the case as Jesus walked the earth, and it still is often not the case even after His rescue mission has won our release.

We meet the crowds that followed Jesus on what was most likely the Tuesday of holy week.  Many of those people had hoped Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, but when He talked about being crucified, suffering, and dying, they started to turn against Him.  They believed some of the prophetic Scriptures, but only the parts their sinful hearts desired.  That’s why Jesus said, “The light will be with you just a little while longer.  Keep on walking while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you.  The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”

Even at that late date, almost no one in Jerusalem could imagine that before the end of the week, Jesus would be nailed to a cross in agony and shame.  They couldn’t perceive that Jesus had to fulfill all the Scriptures in order to rescue us from the darkness.  Like so much of the world today, they thought about only the here and now.  The sad fact is, though, those who reject the Christ have no idea they are doomed to everlasting destruction in the pit of hell.

For those in the crowd that day, future salvation and glory seemed too far off to hope for.  Yet, even when we are lost in the darkness, “God our Savior…wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)  In fact, God has sworn, “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)  Because God wants to save us, God’s Son gave Himself into death so that we might truly live.

Previously, When Jesus spoke to them again, he said, “I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  By the time Jesus spoke the words of our sermon text, His rescue mission was a sure and certain accomplishment.  He had withstood the devil’s temptations in our place.  He had lived all His days in perfect obedience to the law and to His Father’s will, again on our behalf, and Jesus knew that in just a few short days, His victory over darkness and death would be complete.  Forever after, all who follow Him would be led out of darkness to life above. 

John wrote, “They could not believe, because Isaiah also said: He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes, or understand with their heart, or turn—and I would heal them.  Isaiah said these things when he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.”  Christ’s rescue mission is glory to God.  The sceptic might question why God would blind the eyes and harden the hearts of those He wanted to save.  To some extent we could guess that God was exasperated by their unwillingness to believe.  That would certainly line up with the example of Pharaoh in Egypt who was given numerous chances to repent, but in his arrogant, longstanding rejection of the Lord was eventually locked in his unbelief to his eternal destruction. 

We might also wonder, though, whether this blindness and hardening was temporarily necessary so that the Son of God and Man could fulfill His destiny of suffering and dying for all people?  It was God’s plan to have His Son bear the price for your sins and mine—to suffer the devil’s bite to His heal as Jesus gave up His life on the cross for sins He didn’t commit, then three days later crush that serpent’s head by rising to live again in final victory over death.  Thus, on Easter morning, Jesus threw open the gates of the tomb so that the darkness of death can never hold anyone hostage again.

All of this is why Jesus told His followers to stay walking in His light.  The darkness of sin and death surrounds us.  Departing from His narrow way leads only to disaster.  Hans Brorson wrote,

I walk in danger all the way; The thought shall never leave me

That Satan, who has marked his prey, Is plotting to deceive me. 

This foe with hidden snares May seize me unawares

If e’er I fail to watch and pray; I walk in danger all the way.

Yet, as we walk with Jesus, we are continually being led home to a glorious future above.  By His perfect life and sacrificial death, Jesus has freed us from our sins and the grave’s prison.  By the proclamation of the Gospel and the water of Baptism, our path to eternal life has been given to us.  The victory is already granted to all who hear His voice and believe.  The only thing asked of us is to trust our rescuer and follow Him where He leads.  Therefore, Brorson could boldly sing:

            I walk with Jesus all the way; His guidance never fails me.

            Within His wounds I find a stay When Satan’s pow’r assails me,

            And, by His footsteps led, My path I safely tread.

            In spite of ills that threaten may, I walk with Jesus all the way.

This is the confidence of the Christian faith.  Still, as we saw in the Jews, many people find Jesus hard to believe.  We may too if we allow the cares of this world, the hidden traps and snares of the devil to waylay us.  John reported, “Even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.  For they loved praise from people more than praise from God.”  Praise from the people—oh how sinners love to receive praise from those who surround them.  Those people saw the miracles, heard the powerful message of truth, and actually believed it all, yet, the darkness of the world tugged ever so strongly against their hope for life.  The darkness can feel so familiar to sinners that freedom doesn’t seem real.  This is a devilish trap we need to avoid.  Staying with the ways of the world leaves us in darkness with no hope of living above.  Worrying about what the world will do to us might lead someone to let go of Jesus, and all would be lost.

Instead, dear friends, Be sons of light in Jesus’ light.  Walk in His light to have freedom in eternal glory.  Jesus is “the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)  There is no other rescue coming to save you.  None other is needed, for Jesus has already won your release from the devil’s dark hole. 

So, how do we walk in the light?  Simply by trusting the voice of the Savior who has won our freedom.  Hear God’s faithful Word on a regular basis.  Partake of the precious body and blood of the Son in His holy Supper.  Diligently study the Scriptures for by them you have life and salvation.  Walk in the Way and the Truth and the Light with your fellow members of God’s family.  Don’t be afraid of the light.  Don’t be afraid of the taunts and jeers of those who want to stay in darkness.  Rather, rejoice that Christ’s powerful arms enfold you to carry you out of the gloom of the darkness down here to the life and glory of heaven above.

By the water and Word of Baptism, God has adopted you into His family of believers.  By the Good News of all that Jesus has done for sinners like you and me, God has enlightened our path to glory.  John began his Gospel by speaking of Christ, the Word made flesh, saying, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.  The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)  Nothing will ever darken the Savior’s power.  Be sons of light in Jesus’ light.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.