Smashing Darkness
Smashing Darkness
(click for read aloud version)
Police officers show up only on the worst day of a person’s life. If you need the police, it is probably a bad day. Fortunately, they are trained to get things under control as quickly as possible. If you’re on the right side of the law, it feels good when the police arrive. If you’re on the bad side of the law, well…
Follow Jesus in the New Testament and he routinely shows up in the messes people had made of their lives. Leprosy, sickness, sin related suffering, adultery, demon possession, paralysis, death- you name it, Jesus faced it.
Jesus brought the goods
In the Bible, darkness is the devil’s domain. People who are in darkness can’t see their way ahead, everything looks scary, nothing makes sense, it smells like death and it always seems that the worst is yet to come. Jesus had a reputation for being a darkness breaker.
Jesus has life to give away. Where Jesus shows up, things come alive. He not only gives life to everything that is living, he also has something called “eternal life” that is more than a beating heart and breathing lungs. It is a heavenly life. It comes from above. It is a connection with God. It is Jesus living inside of you. Jesus is that life.
And where Jesus shows up, light shows up. His very life is light. As the light, he walks into the darkness and suddenly everything looks different. It’s not as scary. Evil begins to retreat. The demons hide.
When Jesus walked into the darkness of people’s lives he was essentially saying, “give me all of your darkness, give me all the world’s darkness, give me all the darkness that the devil has created, give me all the darkness that your sins have brought upon you, give me all the darkness of your mess and no matter how dark it is, it cannot overcome me, I will overcome it.”
We should not be afraid to walk to the darkness in our world. Why? Because we have Jesus. He is the one who will show the way ahead. Jesus himself brings hope. The darkness will not overcome him. Not ever.