The themes of “light” and “darkness” run throughout the pages of holy Scripture. Very early in Genesis, on the first day of creation, after God has created the heavens and the earth, He says, “Let there be light”; and then He separates the light from the darkness, calling the light, “day,” and the darkness, “night.” On the fourth day, God creates lights in the heavens: a greater light, the sun; and a lesser light, the moon; and the stars – all to give light to the earth, and to separate the light from the darkness. Later, God gave His people His law; of which the Psalmist says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105)
In the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John the Theologian, speaking of the Word, the evangelist says, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:4-5, 9)
In the reading today from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we hear more about this theme of the light and the darkness. The evangelist tells us that the prophesy of Isaiah was fulfilled by the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ after His baptism in the Jordan and 40 days of preparation in the wilderness: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
The “great light,” the fathers tell us, is the Gospel, the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. The law, we are told, was also a light, but a lesser light: as King David said, it could shine so as to point out the path we were to follow, but it could not, by itself, illumine us – that is, fill us with light – for light casts out the darkness; light, in effect, destroys the darkness. The law, as a light, was greater than the darkness; but it was an external, and in order to be transformed, something more was needed – and provided for us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The fathers also tell us that the “shadow of death” is sin. Sin is the likeness, the silhouette, of death. Dead in Adam, dead in our sins, we could not comprehend the light, the life of men. But Christ illumines us; after someone is baptized, we speak of that person as being the “newly illumined servant of God.” We have light within us; although when we sin, we turn from light once more to darkness; and the only way to overcome the darkness is to turn back, once more, to the light – by repentance and confession of our sins.
This is the message that our Lord, the Giver of light and life, preaches: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We tend to think of a kingdom as being a place: the kingdom of Great Britain, for example. But the fathers tell us that the kingdom of heaven is not a place, it is Christ; and it is the life of virtue – but that is saying the same thing, for we can only live the life of virtue by being in Christ. We enter into Christ by baptism; we remain in Christ by repentance, and by perseverance in the life we learn from His Church: prayer, and fasting, giving, struggling for the virtues, caring for each other, caring for those around us in the world. When we live in this way – in humility, rather than pride; in simplicity, rather than filling our lives with possessions; forgiving, and asking forgiveness of others; yielding to others (and not just on the highway!), and considering them to be more worthy than we are; and praying for those we may happen to see sinning, as if the offense was our own – when we live this way, we are drawing near to the kingdom of heaven, near to the angelic life, near the life of our Lord Himself. If we live this way, we will find the rule of the kingdom has been established in our hearts. We will find in our hearts and minds the peace of God, which passes all understanding, and which no earthly power can disturb. We will find love for our enemies, and for those who hate us.
And if these things are not yet the hallmarks of your life, do not despair; but examine your life, and find the places in your being that have not yet been brought into the light, but remain in darkness. Then take these into the light by prayer, by repentance, with fasting and prostrations, and see if God is not as good as His word – for the light that is our life, the light of Christ, will overcome the darkness.
Brothers and sisters, let us pray that God will make us bearers of His light, and allow us to shine forth in a world of darkness, that we may show forth the life of Christ in us, and by doing so, may guide those who have not yet come to Him to turn from their ways and seek Him; to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.
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