John’s Gospel opens with a stunning declaration: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). It’s poetic. Beautiful. Hopeful. But if we’re honest—also a little intimidating. Because when the Light comes, so does the Truth. And that’s where things get uncomfortable.
We love the idea of light. It’s warmth. It’s clarity. It’s safety. But what about the truth it reveals? Jesus doesn’t just illuminate our world; He exposes it. He exposes us—our shadows, our motives, our missteps, even the ones we didn’t know were there.
It reminds me of a moment years ago when I volunteered on a Habitat for Humanity site. I decided to “share my wisdom” with the project manager about how we should proceed with the next steps. He smiled, then gently but firmly said, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”—a direct quote from Job, where God reminds us just how little we truly understand.
I’ve never forgotten that. It was truth—right in my face.
And God’s Word does that. 1 John 2:8–10 presses even further: “The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining… Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” In other words, you can talk about light all day long, but if your life doesn’t reflect that truth in love, you’re fooling yourself. This is both truth and light, right in our face!
Jesus doesn’t offer light and truth as nice ideas. He embodies them. And He gives them not to flatter us, but to transform us. To call us out of darkness, even the darkness we prefer.
So the real question is not whether Jesus brings light and truth. He does.
The question is: Can we handle it?
Or more importantly—will we let it handle us?
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