The Light Shines in the Darkness
by Fr. Daniel Thomas
2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Today, we celebrate the memory of St. Chariton. St. Chariton was born in Iconium in the 200’s A.D. As he grew up, his godliness and piety were so well known that he was arrested and brought before the officials. He fearlessly confessed Christ even though cruely tortured. He was finally set free and moved to the desert and sought to draw ever closer to God. One day he was captured by bandits and they carried him to a cave. He was bound hand and foot. However, before they could do him much harm they drank some poisoned wine and perished. St. Chariton moved into the cave and used it as a place to draw closer to God in prayer. He took all the booty the bandits had left behind and gave part of it to the poor and the rest he used to build churches all over the area. His godliness became so apparent to all that people soon began to arrive at his cave, wanting to join him in his quest for godliness. He lead these people for a while but the yearning to be close to God drew him away farther into the wilderness. He moved to
In our passage today,
In context,
First, God commanded light to shine in our lives. Anyone who lives in this world has his understanding darkened. No matter how smart we may be in mathematics, science, literature, finances, our minds are still darkened to the way of life. John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.[1]
Christ is life and that life is our light. John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Those who are separated from God, for any reason cannot see God, cannot comprehend that he is because the devil has their minds and hearts veiled. He veils their hearts with sin and with so many things that look good and healthy and desirable. He appears as an angel of light, not usually as a horrible monster. And it is here that he deceives us.
People run from the light who live in darkness. When the creatures of the night are about prowling in our kitchens, such as cockroaches, when the light is turned on they scatter for cover. It is the same here. Even we, who are Christians, have areas in our lives that are in darkness. We do not want them revealed. These are unconverted, unsurrendered areas of our lives that keep us from approaching godliness in the fullness Christ intends.
However, it is possible for us to come to the light, even as the saints have done. God dwells in light unapproachable, yet in Christ, we receive this light and behold the life changing face of God.
Psalm 34:5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
When we look into the face of Jesus Christ, who accepts us as we are, and bring to him all of our demons, all of our darkness, all of our old ways of doing things, he shines light on our darkness and the darkness is consumed and we are transformed a bit more into his glory. For his light is all consuming and our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). God makes darkness light (Is 42:16) and he enlightens our darkness (2 Sam 22:29). With the brightness of his coming into our life, anything against Christ is destroyed. My friends, you cannot come into the presence of God and walk away unchanged. When Isaiah (Is 6) was brought into the presence of God, sinful though he was, he came away changed into the mighty saint of God we know him as. When the disciples saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain with the light of the glory of the God shining from the Holy Spirit through him blinding their eyes, they were transformed. When the Apostle Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, the light of God shown around him and he was changed. When Christ was born and the angel appeared to the shepherds, the light of the glory of the Lord shown upon them and the world was changed (Luke 2:9)
So, what do we do? Luke 5:1-11 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
In our Gospel passage for the day, the disciples began to see something special about Jesus and they left forsook everything to follow him. In our lives, we must forsake everything that hinders us in order to follow Christ. We must forsake all our old ways, all of our old teachings, all of our old friends (if necessary), and anything that hinders us. Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Now, he was not telling us to literally cut out our eye or lop off our hand. He tells us that whatever is in our life that is holding us back, that causes us to sin, these things we must rid ourselves of so we can become free and become like he is. Sin is bondage and we can never be free unless we remove it from our lives.
Today, there are so many false teachings that go against the revealed truth of God found in the Orthodox Church that men and women, who wish to be transformed into the image of Christ are frustrated in their attempts and despair of ever attaining Christ-likeness. We must be ever vigilant, even against some “Christian teachings”. St. Basil the Great said, “For the darkness of impiety plots to come upon the very hearts whereon the “light of the knowledge” of Christ has shone.”
Second, we must pray. When we pray, we actually ascend up to God. We come into his very presence when we offer up prayer. We need that time of prayer that renews creation, that renews us who were created in the image of God. Archimandrite Sophrony wrote, “Prayer is infinite creation, for superior to any form of art or science. Through prayer we enter into communion with Him that was before all worlds. Or, to put it another way, the life of the Self-existing God flows into us through the channel of prayer.” And, “Prayer assuredly revives in us the divine breath which God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and by virtue of which Adam ‘became a living soul.’” Prayer is the key that unlocks all mystery. It is the key to the human nature, so complex we have trouble understanding ourselves, at times, and yet so capable of things so divine one is forced to see the image of the Holy One. Prayer is the restorer of the breech, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Prayer, in other words is that which, when we approach God and enter his life altering presence, builds us up, repairs us, and changes us in ways we cannot begin to fathom.
As we learn to pray, we should start with the prayers of the Church and a rule of prayer. Our minds are of the fallen world and so we need training in prayer and correction in our thinking. After we add this, then we add our spontaneous prayers. For example, in the Orthodox Study Bible, as well as in several Orthodox prayer books, there is a rule of prayer and at a certain point, after the prayers of the Church, there is a place for our own additional prayers. These come only after shaping our minds in the mind of the Church. Some notes of caution, however. Many have sought to say the Jesus Prayer as the monastics do, or even to become monastic before they were ready. These have either ended up with serious problems, or, have become fanatics. We should only progress as we are ready to progress, and not run ahead. Stay the course, work through each season of your personal spiritual life, and grow in Christ and grow in his love. When you love as you should, then you are ready to move on. Also, prayer is not a weapon with which to seek revenge upon someone who has wronged you. We are to pray for our enemies and for those who have dealt with us wrongly. We are to pray for our own sins and forgiveness, not asking God to smite our enemies. A good prayer life can become a means of pride as well. So we must guard against wrong prayer as well as pride in our spiritual accomplishments.
Third, frequent Bible study is vital. The Fathers of the Church were commentators on what they studied in the Bible. They memorized much of it. Many like to quote the Fathers of the Church without realizing that Scripture was foremost in their lives. The great saints, such as Saint Anthony the Great, even though he could not read, memorized all the Scripture he heard in Church from a very early age. It was these memorized verses that formed him and shaped his life even when he went alone into the desert to a life of asceticism. What comes out of the mouth is what the heart is full of. Mother Raphaela says that this is the reason that Jesus lived his life consciously the way he did, and even died on the Cross quoting Scripture, because his heart was so full of it as he gave his life to its study from his youth.
The word of God, holy Scripture is a light for your life. St. Irenaeus said, “ A sound mind...that is devoted to piety and love of truth will eagerly meditate upon those things that God has placed within the power of mankind and has subjected to our knowledge...Such a mind will advance in the knowledge of those things...by daily study.” St. Cyprian said, “ More strength will be given you, and the knowledge of the heart will be increased more and more, as you examine more fully the Scriptures...”
Let me ask you something, are people drawn to Jesus by looking at your life? Are they drawn to Jesus by the light of God they see in your face? Why not? Do people seek a deeper relationship with God because of you? What sort of light do you shine? That of the darkness of this world, or of Christ who is the light of the world?