"He himself (John the Baptist) was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light"
John 1.8 TNIV.
This verse has challenged me and I would like a little commentary from you. This verse clearly states that John the Baptist, who Christians often idolize as being super spiritual, is not the light. Yet later we see Jesus saying, "You are the light of the world" Matt. 5.14. So the question this raises in my mind is, are we the light of the world and if so, then why is John the Baptist excluded from this category?
This first idea that I am wrestling with is that maybe the Holy Spirit had not yet filled believers and so John the Baptist was not filled with the Spirit and thus in some sense lacked the true light. The counter to this idea is that we see the Spirit of God moving and working well before Acts 2. We even see the Holy Spirit at work during the baptism of Jesus in the form of a dove.
Another idea and one that I am leaning towards is that of reflections. John the baptist is a witness. In some sense I see John as a mirror of the greatness of Christ. The context from which Matt 5.14 is written focuses on the representation of our Father, by us, to the rest of the world. Although the text does say; "let your light shine," I think it is referring to the light that we reflect. Would you agree that when a mirror reflects light, in some small way that mirror takes ownership of the reflected light? Believing that when a mirror reflects light it takes some sort of ownership, then Jesus saying "let your light shine" becomes understandable. The light is not our own but we do take some ownership in how we reflect that light.If the mirror theory is correct then we are to be reflectors of the greatest light, the Christ. Taking this point further, reflectors simply show others the light. If that is the case then what a load off of our shoulders. We, Christians, do not have to save the world. We are not called to attempt to be savior for everyone around us. We are simply called to reflect, to the best of our abilities, the greatest light that will ever exists.
What do you think? Did John the Baptist not have the Spirit and thus wasn't the light or are we simply reflectors? Do you have other thoughts that I may have missed?
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I think there may be another option here. Perhaps the two words are being used differently in the different settings. We often use the same word with different "senses" to it in different scenarios, and so it was with the Greek writers as well. Think of the word "field". I may use it to mean an area where people play sports, or a grassy pasture, or a branch of occupation, etc.
In the John 1:8 verse, and in the whole passage 1-9, John is talking about the divine God, the true light. He also mentions that it is the light of all people, which I would lean towards as a reference to how we are made in the image of God. That is close to your mirror or reflection idea. We are not God, just like John the Baptist was not God. John was a witness to God/Jesus/Light. We are image bearers, but we are not God. The verse about "You are the light of the world" could also be translated "you are the light to (or for) the world". We are supposed to show the world the light of God within us, or display our "God image" to the world. I do not believe that Matthew was saying that we are divine, so I think that the meaning of the word light was different in the two passages.
-Becky Rokitowski
Well, my first thought is that in Luke 1:15 it says that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth/ That alone tells me that great things were to come from this man and was specifically chosen by God for a specific purpose. Second, it was John's voice that was to be heard and to prepare the way. By Jesus coming to have John baptize Him was important because he was the last of the Old Testament prophets.
Second, what do you see when you look into a mirror? I think of looking into a mirror first before I think of what is being reflected from it. To me that image of a mirror is how people may or may not respond to what they see in me; not necessarily what I am reflecting. I believe that as Christians we are given that gift of being the light and to spread that to the world, but it may take many reflections of that mirror.
I don't know if any of that makes sense but that is what I got. Good post
Good stuff Brian! Way to keep us thinking! Here's my "2 cents." In looking at some of the other passages about John in all of the Gospels, we know this; John the Baptist was the first prophetic voice that Israel had heard in 400 years. Some of the last words they had heard "live" was from Malachi. Malachi 4:5 could have been in the minds of many as they listened to the firey speech of this amazing new voice on the horizon. Matthew tells us that Jerusalem, Judea and the surrounding region went out to see and hear him. There was no doubt confusion in many as they wondered if the appointed time for the Messiah had come. John made sure they understood that "HE" was not the Coming One but hey, sometimes we hear what we want to hear, right? :)
I think Jesus is just reiterating what John had said about himself and about Jesus. I am NOT the ONE, but am only a voice crying in the wilderness. When Christ lives inside us, and He does, (2 Cor. 13:5) can we help being His light? That is a rhetorical question because the answer is no. The only way the light does not or cannot shine is if we cover it up. Christ's message was specific to the time and place (the context) in which it was spoken. He was speaking to a generation of Jews who were overwhelmed by the fact that at last God had broken His silence and was again communicating to His people. Finally, after 400 hundred years, the people came to the wilderness and asked, "Is there any word from the Lord?" The response was, "YES! And you can be delivered!"
Woody