On Christmas Day we heard this from the Gospel of John chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” These verses talking about darkness and light are not talking about the good creation of night and day and its intricate balance made by God. This is talking about the theological difference and estrangement between the good of God and the evil of that which is opposed to Him. The darkness is referring to evil, sin, Satanic lies, to unbelief, ignorance, anything that is the opposite of that which is Good, Holy, Pure, true or wise which comes from the light of the True God and Lord of all. Spiritually speaking, the darkness struggles to grasp hold of the light and to understand it. So great is the chasm caused by sin and Satan’s deep delusion upon the earth.
Sadly, this darkness is the natural state of mankind after the fall into sin. As you know, every man and woman naturally born, is born with sin, without faith in God but rather an inborn fear and dread because of that sin: a fear for oneself as our natural inborn instinct is to worship ourselves. We are born as those belonging to Satan, the father of lies, the author of evil, who so often seems to be ruling this world through the evil thoughts and deeds of men and women.
But God did not create humanity for evil, for death, for punishment, but for life, true life which comes through knowledge of His light, His love, His truth which is fully revealed in Jesus the Christ, born on Christmas in order to rescue those who have dwelt in darkness and under the shadow of death.
This is the great message of Christmas and Epiphany. The message that the light of God in Jesus Christ has come to save and redeem those could not on their own understand the light and cannot by their own strength flee the darkness of evil, sin, and unbelief. Jesus gives them faith and by it, the right to become the children of God and receive salvation in His name.
This movement from children of darkness to children of light is not a soft and easy thing without any shock, pain, or strong reaction. When the Lord bursts into the lives of people with the glory of His presence and His Word… It is much like a person whose eyes are used to the dark and are suddenly exposed to a bright spot light: there may be shock, confusion, fear, panic, there may even be rage. “What? What is this? What does this mean? How dare you?”
When the holiness of God and the demand of His holy Law meet sinful mankind, the reaction is swift. When the Law strikes properly to convert minds and hearts, it begins with an awe that inspires fear of punishment, a recognition of unworthiness before the righteousness of God. We see this in the reaction of the shepherds to the light and message of the angel. We see this in the reaction to the Pagan magi, who see the light of the Epiphany star and immediately ask: “What does this mean?” And moved by curiosity and fear of the celestial warning begin to search and finally come to the Truth of God’s Word. This Word of God moves them and their noble caravans to travel to the land of Jacob’s heirs, to Jerusalem seeking “He who is born King of the Jews”.
However, in Herod, we see how all too often, the world and the flesh as it rejoices in its evil and immorality, in its thirst for earthly praise, power, and self made security reacts negatively to the Word of God. This is the negative and often times violent reaction of the darkness to the light of God’s Law, not in a proper shock and humility, but rather doubling back in rage, wanting and trying to destroy and overcome the light to protect the darkness.
In Herod we see the personification of Satan himself, He hears of a rival, and wishes to hear more, yet it is not to worship, but to plot against, to gather information to destroy and rage against in protection of his own glory. Satan is also insecure, even as Herod is insecure, even as each human clinging to their sin is insecure. Why so insecure? Why such dread alarm at the Law of God?
Because they know, sinners know, deep down, that they are weak, they are sinners, that they are in the wrong, but do not want to admit it. It is one part pride, but it is also one part delusion in that pride, not wanting to face facts and reality. Unbelievers are escapists. They wish to escape the reality of their mortality, they know that they only have so much time on this earth before they receive a judgement for their brutish selfishness. Therefore, they now justify their brutality to other people as a defense against the brutality that they fear from others: expecting that all hearts of men and women are like them, and that if they show weakness, they will be overthrown.
The Law of God is therefore a threat. The Gospel is therefore even a threat. Jesus Christ coming to redeem is a threat to evil, to immorality, to cruelty, to selfishness, to pride, to self rule, to a culture and mindset of utilitarianism: That is, the attitude: “I will only tolerate you, if I have a use for you from which I can benefit, but if you are a nuisance, a responsibility I do not want, a drag upon my conscience, I will thrash out against you, dehumanize you, seek to silence or eliminate you.”
We see this even in our modern dehumanizing impatient political discourse. We see this in the terms used for unwanted pregnancies where unborn children whose lives are individual and precious miracles are called “blobs of flesh” or “parasites” and scientific terms which sound less like “one’s own offspring and child” even though it is the Latin word for it. I’m speaking of the word Fetus, BTW.
This is all the delusion of sin, of Satan, of the darkness reeling and thrashing against the goodness of the Lord in being anti-life and anti-light. This also explains the increase of persecution against Christianity that we see in Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, here at home and everywhere. Satan and those who remain under his power know that their time is short and they do not want to hear the Word of God, nor do they want others to hear it, because it is the truth and it frightens them, though it should comfort.
The Church in her calendar acknowledges that persecution and hatred is often the reaction of the world to the message of God’s Word in Jesus Christ. Dec. 26 was the feast day of St. Stephen, the first New Testament Christian martyr who was stoned for his confession of Christ. Dec. 27 is the feast Day of John the Evangelist who was persecuted and martyred in the sense that he was banished to the Island of Patmos. Today, Dec. 28, we commemorate what we call the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. The Church calls these young boys martyrs who bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ not with their mouths but with their sacrifice of blood. For their blood was shed as the price to be paid for the madness and jealousy of evil Herod who reacted violently to the Word that came to Him that Jesus the Messiah and king would be born in Bethlehem.
But the good news cannot be overcome, Jesus Christ is still king. Herod could not destroy what God had designed. The children killed for his vanity were redeemed and are alive with the Lord while Herod is likely suffering in damnation.
Could there have been forgiveness for Herod? Is there forgiveness offered even for those who actively work against God’s Word, against the value of life, against anything that contains the light of God in His Word of Scripture or in Creation? Yes.
That too is the good news. Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, the greater light which the star points and leads to. He came to overcome the darkness of all humanity’s corrupted hearts and redeem them from damnation by turning them to the light. He came to overthrow the spiritual oppression, the delusion, lies, and unbelief which the Devil tries to nurture. Jesus Christ overthrows the Devil’s plans to keep all in darkness. He is the Word made flesh. The light and life of mankind. Jesus took your sins and the sins of the world to the cross to receive our punishment, so that all who did and do receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
He continues today to undo and overthrow the darkness of unbelief and evil by sending forth the Light of His Word in faithful preaching and teaching, and the administration of His Sacraments where He continues to give and work belief, wisdom, purity, kindness, and love, by His power in the forgiveness of sins.
Therefore, come and bask in His light here. Be warmed by it against the cold of the dark and deluded world. Be emboldened by His Spirit, and be made wise men and women, in Him. He is the one who in the light of His Word gives us faith to boldly proclaim His name and truth even against the hate of the world, the flesh, and the prince of this dark world, Satan.
You are now God’s children: Children of the light… not to be ruled by darkness again but in Jesus Christ have overcome the darkness, and have been given the light and life eternal by faith in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas