Isaiah 8:23 -9:3 / 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 / Matthew 4:12-23
It can be rather difficult to describe what light is.
It would be easier to say what light is not.
So, light is not a substance, nor is it an element.
We can see it, and we may even be able to feel the effects of it, like as in the warmth of the sunshine.
And yet, light has no weight, it has no shape, no form, no odour, and no sound.
But strangely, it can be measured, and the unit of measurement is lumens.
So, the higher the lumens, the brighter is the light.
Another interesting aspect of light is that it travels at the constant high speed, which is about 300 million metres per second.
So, if they say that a planet is 10 light years away, and if we bother to do some calculation, we will come up with an incredible amount of time to reach that planet.
So far, we have looked at light in the scientific and practical terms.
But light also has a spiritual side to it. And in the spiritual world, there is this constant battle between light and darkness.
In the gospel, when Jesus heard that John has been arrested, He went back to Galilee and settled in Capernaum.
The arrest of John had cast a shadow, but the gospel also quoted a prophecy from Isaiah:
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light. On those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned.
In the spiritual sense, Jesus is the light, the divine light.
He is the light that shines into the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
And with the light comes the message of repentance: Repent, the Kingdom of God is close at hand.
We may think that we long for the light, but we must also remember that where the light is brightest, the shadows are darkest.
It can be understandable that a child is afraid of the dark.
But the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
Although it may sound strange that we are afraid of the light, but that is because the light reveals our shadows.
And there is a wise saying that goes like this: The moment you are disturbed by insult, or pleased by praise, you are still a slave of the darkness.
Yes, our pride and ego cast long shadows of darkness in the presence of the divine light.
And also, to move around in the dark is like asking for trouble.
We will surely knock into things and break them, and we will also get hurt.
The reality of this world is that there are shadows of darkness.
In this darkness, people knock into each other and are left broken and hurting.
But this is where the Good News of salvation comes as the light of repentance.
With the light of repentance, we see the broken pieces of our lives, and also the broken pieces of the lives of others.
With the light of repentance, we pick up these broken pieces and present them to Jesus.
Jesus the light called His disciples to follow Him and to be fishers of men.
The Word of God Sunday reminds us that Jesus, the Word of life, is calling us to follow Him, and to be echoes of His Word.
We are to be echoes of God’s Word to bring about healing to broken lives and to be sparks of light in the world that is darkened by shadows.
Let us be echoes of God’s Word that will scatter the darkness, and let us, with the Word of God, prepare for the Lord the road of salvation for others.