John 1:6-8
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
I think we should first establish that the John mentioned here is not the author of this gospel, but rather John the Baptist. Maybe it’s just me, but for the longest time I thought they were one in the same. If anything, this can be concluded because John the Baptist and Jesus rarely crossed paths. John was sent ahead of Jesus to foretell the coming of Jesus and they met briefly when John baptized Jesus, however they were rarely seen together.
I like how John describes John the Baptist because it is exactly how we are to behave: as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. As believers of the Risen Christ we are to be a reflection of this Light. We are to show people the Light (notice I said show, not merely talk about). Sent from God, we are called to testify about the Light.
How often do we reflect the Light? When I think of reflecting the light I imagine those old candle holders that were used before we had electricity. There was a reflector that helped spread the light into the darkness. However, they had to be continually polished so that they could effectively shine the light the best they could.
Do you need a good polishing? How well do you reflect this Light? Do you reflect it at all? Maybe you are in the darkness staring at the Light, wondering if it is worth checking out. Maybe you’ve become so dull that you don’t think you could ever reflect the Light again. If it was up to us, you’re probably right. However, it is not up to us, but rather we are sent from God. I think we could all use a good polishing, let’s ask Him to make us shiny again!
