A Life Lived Captive to the Light of Jesus
Summer nights around the fire are one of my absolute favorite things in the world. Spring and fall nights around the fire are pretty great, too! This past summer, I studied Hebrews with a few friends, and we had our weekly gatherings and discussions around a fire pit on a friend’s beautiful deck. We had the best nights talking about Jesus’ superiority, the living Word of God, enjoying Christian fellowship, and eating yummy s’mores, of course. As we cleaned up one Monday at the end of the night, we walked in and out of my friend’s deck door, making several trips to carry our s’mores supplies, roasting sticks, etc. back inside. At the beginning of our gathering, it was still light outside, but now night had fallen. As we opened that door repeatedly, bugs flew into her house, attracted to the warm and inviting light inside.
It made me think of a few nights prior when a moth had maneuvered its way into my bathroom. I was up in the middle of the night at one point, and the bathroom light was the only one on in the entire place. That moth flew like a magnet into the light fixture over and over, seemingly unable to do anything other than go toward the light.
What if we, as followers of Jesus, were that attracted and pulled toward the light of Christ? And what if our lights for Him shined so brightly that others were that attracted and pulled toward us as carriers of the true light? What might that look like?
If you read the gospel of Mark from start to finish, you might notice several mentions throughout the book of people flocking toward Jesus. Here are a few, with my own emphasis added.
- Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. -Mark 2:13
- Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. -Mark 3:7
- Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. -Mark 3:20
- Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. -Mark 4:1
- When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. -Mark 5:21
- So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. -Mark 5:24
- During those days another large crowd gathered. -Mark 8:1a
- Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. -Mark 10:1
Crowds of people gravitated toward Jesus constantly. In Mark’s gospel alone, there are many other mentions of a crowd surrounding Him (in addition to the ones listed above), I only pulled out the verses that also include the actual movement of the people toward Him. Just like that moth simply could not keep itself away from my bathroom light fixture, people could not stay away from Jesus during His earthly ministry. Wherever He went, there they were.
If Jesus’ earthly ministry was happening today, would you be that attracted to Him? Would you drop what you’re doing and follow after Him to hear Him teach, to feel His compassion, and just to be near Him? We can only wonder what it would be like if He were with us in human form right now. One day, we will be near Him in our bodily forms, and just like the people crowded around Jesus, we will crowd around His eternal throne. John saw a vision of this, which he wrote down in Revelation.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” -Revelation 7:9-10
But until that day comes, let’s follow after His presence. Go to church every Sunday! I mean, every Sunday. Sit down and open up the pages of your Bible each morning. Turn to God in prayer throughout your day. Spend time with other believers—whether in a Bible study, regular coffee dates, or nights around the fire pit. Memorize God’s Word so it stays hidden in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to go with you when you step out the door to embark on the adventure of each day.
You are the moth, and Jesus is the light. Fly back to Him again and again and again. And then, be the light of Jesus that shines in the darkness around you. Ask God to help you be a bright, shining beacon for other people to crowd around, metaphorically speaking. Invite them to go to church and Bible study with you. Send an encouraging Scripture verse when your friends are struggling. Ask purposeful, penetrating questions that get people thinking from an eternal perspective. Host people in your living space. Be fiercely kind, compassionate and forgiving. Anything you do that stands out from the ways of the world is a way for you to be the light in the darkness.
So now, let’s return to those original questions from earlier… In thinking about that moth that literally could not tear itself away from the light…
What if we, as followers of Jesus, were that attracted and pulled toward the light of Christ? And what if our lights for Him shined so brightly that others were that attracted and pulled toward us as carriers of the true light? What might that look like?
God, I want your light to be so compelling that I’m drawn to it again and again and again. Please make your ways, your truth and your glorious nature be like a magnet that I cannot pull myself away from. And then, show me how to be a godly light who attracts others and points them to you. Help me be a light in the darkness. Amen.