Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-12
The Light – Continued
The Bible says in effect: When you have peeled away layer after layer of things as they appear, you come to the heart of things as they are and you can call it by no better name than light.
Light is the answer to darkness in the moral and spiritual realm just as much as it is in the physical. You can’t cast out darkness with darkness, you cast out darkness with light. Truth is the answer to falsehood, justice is the answer to injustice, love is the answer to hatred and self-centeredness, and only gentleness can bind up the wounds that cruelty inflicts.
It is not strange then that Jesus was identified by a star and that we still speak of Him as light.
There is a tradition that states the wise men, who were likely among the most prestigious persons in Persia, combining in themselves the roles of scientist, statesman, and priest, went home, gave away their great wealth, and became preachers of the gospel of the Prince of peace. They felt He was the answer to their darkness. True or not, the analogy is fitting.
Focused Light
The star that identified Jesus led somewhere. It was not diffused light that shone everywhere but nowhere in particular. It was light that was focused, that shone somewhere in particular. Where did it shine? Over a thing as tiny and small as a baby. The wise men followed the star and “behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9).
We are tempted to follow a star with diffused light. We like to believe everything but nothing in particular. Such faith makes no demands on us. We take from it what comfort and meaning it can give, but it puts no yoke on us. And, what is worse, such a faith has no real power. It doesn’t change life and doesn’t make us agents of change.
The sunlight when mildly diffused will warm your hand. But catch it in a concave lens, focus its rays, and it will burn your hand. You can set a piece of paper on fire with such concentrated sunlight. The same is true of faith. If it is to be powerful, it has to be focused. It has to be concentrated.
Jesus was born into a world of many gods and many lords. Paul, speaking of the religious situation of his world and contrasting it with the uniqueness of the Christmas faith wrote: “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). The religious situation was a diffused one. You could believe in as many gods as you wanted to. But not so with Christian faith. It was focused on one God and His mighty action in Jesus Christ. Like the star of Christmas, it shone in a face.
The Pantheon in Rome is the best preserved building of the ancient world. It was a great architectural and engineering feat from the beginning and was erected as a temple to all the gods. It was indeed a temple of diffused religious devotion. Several hundred years passed, and the temple to all the gods became a Christian church. It was stripped of all its altars save one, and that one was dedicated to Jesus Christ. The diffused religious situation was transformed to a concentrated devotion centering in Jesus Christ as Lord.
The most ancient confession of Christmas faith was not, “the many gods are lords,” but “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The star had led to Him, and the church has never been able to forget that.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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