Stephen
Terry, Director
More Lessons from the Master Teacher
Commentary
for the November 7, 2020 Sabbath School Lesson
"The true light that
gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and
though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came
to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did
receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or
a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:9-13, NIV
As a "Baby Boomer," my
life has been profoundly affected by technological advances. Sometimes those
advances have made my life easier. After all. Who does not appreciate the
ubiquitous microwave that makes entire meals into fast food? The internet that
allows you to experience this commentary is also marvelous. Through its magic I
can interact with people from over 150 countries. It has allowed the gospel
message to penetrate the borders of countries with a wider range and less
expense than radio. Anyone with a phone and an internet connection can evangelize
in places where missionaries could scarcely travel before without great risk.
With Jesus shared on the internet, we are truly approaching every eye having
the ability to see him.[i] Little wonder that some feel
these are apocalyptic times.
But there is also a downside
to these advances. Some use this ability to become false teachers of conspiracy
theories and harmful ideologies. Liars themselves they loudly proclaim that
everyone who does not share their conspiratorial agenda is a follower of "fake
news." But in spite of some even posturing as religious leaders, they lie boldly,
and those lies are founded not on the rock of Christ but on the shaky ground of
the one who is the father of the lie.[ii] Those pursuing these
nefarious agendas use the social media of the internet to incite violent
actions against those who disagree with them while claiming it is the Christian
thing to do. These evil workers are nothing new. Paul wrote about them to the
church in Corinth, "For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light."[iii] The difference between then
and now is that it is so much easier for them to spew their poison through the
world.
Even if we do not
succumb to these conspiracy mongers, I have discovered that technology affects
my perception of the world in more discreet ways. As a child we had television
that was black and white only. People spoke of the broadcast day, because there
was not enough programming to fill up 24 hours. Some of those black and white programs
are still broadcast on classic TV channels. The story lines of James Arness's "Gunsmoke,"
Ward Bond's "Wagon Train," or Raymond Burr's "Perry Mason" remain as
captivating as when they were first aired. But when I watch those old black and
white worlds face their problems and overcome them, I must remind myself that despite
the television programming, my world back then was just as colorful as the
world today and not simply black and white. The properties of light have remained
the same seemingly forever. How nice it is to see the myriad colors televisions
are capable of now. But sometimes I wonder if those who only know of the 1940s
and 1950s through those old black and white programs and newsreels think of
those decades as boring, colorless times that no one would really want to experience
if they had a choice? Some, to correct that perceptual error, are colorizing
some of those old documentaries to help the viewer to realize the world appeared
just as colorful back then. Perhaps Jesus came two thousand years ago to
correct similar errors of perception.
We are told that he is
the light of the world in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John. In the very first
verse, John tells us that Jesus is God.[iv] This is a very profound idea
and challenges the intellect even of great thinkers. How can an omnipotent,
omniscient, omnipresent, ineffable God be limited to a human form? Just growing
up from a baby to an adult in that form and what that might mean is mind
boggling. Theological battles have raged for many centuries over the nature of
Christ. Rather than simply say "I cannot explain it," we force contrived
explanations and run the dangerous risk of creating an ersatz God constrained
by the boundaries of our definitions. But perhaps John's light metaphor is
helpful. There are many properties of light and energy that we do not yet
understand despite heroic efforts by leading physicists. But one property has
been known for a very long time. Light holds more than it appears to hold. We experience
light as brightness that can overwhelm our vision at higher intensities, but
light has far more than we can easily see with our eyes. When we shine a beam
of that intense brightness into a prism, we discover that what emanates from the
other side of the prism are a rainbow of colors. If a single beam of light can have
so much colorful diversity that is beyond our normal perception, what does that
say of our perception of God? Just as we have difficulty seeing the colors in a
beam of light unless they are reflected from or refracted through something, it
may be difficult to see the divinity of Jesus in human form until it is
reflected by the changes manifest in the lives of those who choose to open
their hearts and lives to him. When light shines into a dark room where we have
difficulty seeing even the shapes of furniture, the entire room changes,
exploding with color and definition. When Christ shines into the heart of a
human being, something similar happens and the life changes and becomes vibrant
and attuned to that which may have seemed invisible before.
Some wonder how a
single human, living two thousand years ago could have such a lasting impact on
humanity, even if he was the Son of God. But the light metaphor may help with
that as well. One of the properties of light is that one can never put enough
darkness into a room to eliminate even the smallest light. Instead the opposite
is true. One needs only the tiniest light to penetrate the darkness and reveal
what may be hiding in the shadows. Similarly, Jesus shone into our world and
revealed starkly the nature of human beings. When we plot our selfish plans, we
like to keep things hidden. We plot in backrooms. We steal and rob under cover
of darkness. We prey upon the weak and disabled through the obfuscation of multiple
levels of incorporation ensuring that even if someone manages to untangle the
corporate administrative charts, those most involved will be allowed to evade responsibility.
Instead, they are allowed to pass the blame to a nebulous corporation, perhaps
forcing it into bankruptcy as the officers have walked away with bonuses that
amount to little more than treasure chests filled from modern day piracy. But
light endangers all of that. It reveals what is transparent and what is not,
and discovering opaqueness is half the battle when dealing with hidden evil.
This brings us to our
responsibility. We can refuse to acknowledge Jesus as God and the Son of God.
We can demand that the ineffable be explained before we believe. When the light
of Christ shines into the world revealing what is hidden and thus exposing its
true nature, we can deny that reality and pretend that things are still as they
always have been. We can lament that the world is full of conspiracies and live
paranoid fantasies where we demand others change, but not us because, in our self-deception,
we got it right. But no one can put the genie back in the bottle. Once God
stepped into history in human form, the impossible became reality and showed
that humble, honest service is the path to real power in our world. There is no
need to exchange our salvation for the illusion of control. Jesus revealed that
when he spurned the Devil's offer of the entire world if he would only worship
him.[v] Perhaps because he already
knew that a lie is the most powerful tool in the Devil's toolbox, he knew that
within every offer, every temptation is a lying poison waiting to be activated
by the unwary person who would trust the Devil's sophistries.
As I write this, many
of us are shut up in our homes because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our lives have
been profoundly changed in ways that may seem dark and depressing. But this is
not what we were meant to be. Light still overcomes darkness. Service to others
still delivers many from feeling depressed about their situation. While some
may see the shady halls of political intrigue as the answer, the fruits of
that, division, hatred, and violence, all reveal in the lies they are grounded in
that they are only more darkness and can never be the light of Christ. Perhaps
now more than ever is our greatest opportunity to find the peace that eludes so
many. Talk to God about it. Though he may seem far off, he is as near as your
next breath.
"Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27, NIV