The PC Guy - Al Lustie
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That Life is the Light of All Humankind

Dale Bruner shared with a group of us that this verse raised questions for him for which he had no answers -- at least on June 10th, 2005. So, in my own way, I began to try to unpack it.

By the way, this is a fragment of this assertion in the Gospel of John, chapter 1. It goes like this in the NIV translation. Bold is mine to highlight the phrase in question.

John 1:1-14
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
NIV

The first question raised might be this: what "light" is given to all humankind? Isn't the light reserved for people who have a personal relationship with God through Jesus? What, then is a "light" that people who don't believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have?

Let's dismiss "conscience" immediately. Nothing in the passages suggests moral direction or moral directives. Let's dismiss those prerogatives reserved, as far as we know, for those who live by faith In Jesus of Nazareth as well.

The clue is the word "life".

Life was created by the Word (Genesis 1) when God spoke words to create Light ("Let there be light"), a separation of chaos (where order can be), inanimate earth and water (building blocks of the planet), and with the land vegetation; the universe of stars, galaxies and planets; living creatures (animal, aquatic, avian) and finally, humankind. Humankind was given stewardship and rulership over all that had "the breath (spirit) of life" in it.

It is a logical step (not a stretch) to go from "in Him was life" to understand that the creatorship of the Word, the life-expansion into mammals, birds, fish, insects and so forth is the life that is the light of all humankind.

What does this mean for us?

Not much, consciously, for some. If darkness is somehow opposed to this light, then we can assume that the powers of inanimate, dead, chaos simply cannot extinguish the liveliness of God in animals, humans, fish, vegetation, insects and all other living things. Especially, however, it cannot extinguish the livelyness of human perception, striving, searching, procreating, deciding, changing, and otherwise doing more than existing.

Take is a step further. Nearly every desert in the world has life hidden somewhere in it. In the barrens of Australia the life hides for years until a rain -- bursts forth, procreates and hides again as things dry out. But it cannot be extinguished.

Cruel, greedy powers subject humans to death camps, killing fields, genocides (we see this in a big way in African areas today) -- but life comes back. Cambodians are still alive (notwithstanding the millions that were killed). European Jews still live (notwithstanding the millions that were killed). Christians have both persecuted and been persecuted -- but there are still Christians. Even a few follows of John the Baptizer (dunkera) can still be found.

Some species of animals have become extinct -- but animal life has not vanished. Many species of avians have vanished -- but birds of many kinds are still with us. The LIFE that is the light of humankind shines in the darkness of death, but death cannot annhialate what God has put into his creation.

In some cases light is that which lets us see a way to go, an obstacle to avoid, a trap, a drinking place, where the food can be found. For the audience to whom John wrote this Gospel, when it got dark (each night, during an eclipse, or a terribly stormy day) it was dark. The dark seemed to be attacking the light. During the darkness people stumbled, people dehydrated, people starved. But eventually the light returned, and people could find their way again.

The certainty that in spite of death, in spite of loss, no matter what the horror we face -- death will not overcome His life in us all -- that certainty comes from the Word who was with God, who was God and who came in flesh like ours to live for a while among us.

An even better connection with Him, Jesus, would be most worthwhile, don't you think?

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