When I think of the Christmas season, one of the things that I picture in my mind is all of the lights. We refer to these special lights as “Christmas lights.”  They make the long dark days of winter tolerable for me and help get me in the Christmas spirit. Last week, I saw an amazing light show choreographed to music to start the Christmas holiday season. It drew quite a crowd. I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t like Christmas lights. If only we could have the joy these Christmas lights provide all year long. Can we?

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” [1] Was Jesus saying this as part of an illustration to make a point? Did He really mean He was the literal light of the world? Could the answer to both questions be “Yes”?

In the final two chapters of the Bible, there are some amazing statements that say Jesus is the year-round “light of the world.”

“And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb [Jesus] is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.”[2]

“And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”[3]

Understanding Jesus to be the literal “light of the world” sheds a lot of light[4] on one of the great mysteries of the Bible for me. That mystery was with God creating the sun, moon, and stars on day 4 of the creation week, where did the light on days 1 through 3 come from?  And how did the plants, trees, and other vegetation created on day 3 survive if the sun wasn’t yet created to provide them light necessary to live? Now, I believe I have an answer to that mystery.  Jesus was the source for that light until the sun, moon and stars were created. The Bible begins and ends with Jesus being the source of Light.

[1] John 8:12

[2] Revelation 21:23-25

[3] Revelation 22:5

[4] Pun intended.