I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
–John 14:6
Many of our Christmas traditions use light to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why do we use light to symbolize Jesus? How is Jesus Christ like light?
Light offers us direction. Imagine you are the pilot of a jumbo jet. You are charged with the safety of hundreds of passengers. You are trying to land your aircraft weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the middle of the night, in the middle of a driving rainstorm. There is only one place you can land with guaranteed safety, and it is that narrow strip of concrete we call the runway. How in the world can a pilot in the darkness find the runway in a rainstorm? The lights, the beacons, lead him to that place of safety. Jesus is that beacon for us.
In the darkness of this world and the universe, Jesus says, “Do you want to land safely with God? Do you want to know Him forever and be in a relationship with Him forever? Then follow Me.” In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus is that light that offers us direction to God.
For more than 30 years, Motel 6 has used a famous catchphrase at the end of their commercials: “We’ll leave the light on for you.” Radio personality Tom Bodett ad-libbed the line in the recording studio in 1986, and the slogan became an instant and lasting success, winning a number of advertising awards and becoming one of the most recognizable radio ad campaigns in recent history. Something about that sentiment of welcoming hospitality strongly appeals to people. The image of traveling in an unfamiliar place, perhaps at night, and needing a place to rest safely, and then seeing that someone has left a light on for you at Motel 6, encourages you to come in.
“We’ll leave the light on for you.” That is what God says to each of us. He says, “It does not matter where you are or how far you have wandered away, I am looking for you. I am waiting for you. I am longing for your return home.” And the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the light that shows us the way home.
What does Christmas mean? Above all else, it means that whatever you have done, wherever you are, and however long you have been away from God, God has left the light on just for you, and that light to lead you safely home is Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion is excerpted from “The Night Before Christmas” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2017.
Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.lockman.org)