03.18. Light Which Lighteth Every Man.

Light Which Lighteth Every Man.

John 1:9. The beloved disciple had heard our Lord describe himself as "the light of the world," and the thought of Christ as the great illuminator, the source of light and goodness, was one on which he loved to dwell. In the prologue of his Gospel, the Apostle John refers to the Word who in the beginning was with God and was himself God, and tells how that Word was revealed to men and rejected by men.

It is our purpose now to note but one verse of John’s beautiful introduction. In the Common Version, John 1:9 reads as follows:

"That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." The text of the Revised Version renders a little differently:

"There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world."

Many translations and interpretations. The verse is capable of diverse translations and interpretations. It is ambiguous in that the phrase "coming into the world" may agree either with "light" or with "man." This will yield at least four possible and legitimate views. (1) Taking "coming" in agreement with "man," we may have (a) the view of the Common Version: an emphatic way of stating that no man is independent of that light, which "lighteth every man which cometh into the world." The redundancy of this expression is perhaps the chief objection to it. There is no difference of meaning between "every man" and "every man which cometh into the world." (h) The phrase might mean "lighteth every man as he cometh" (R.V. margin). "It would be hazardous on the strength of this phrase to make the moment of birth the time of one’s illumination by the true Light. If on the other hand "coming" be in agreement with "light," the best rendering is (c) that of the text of the Revised Version. It is true that even here a certain ambiguity persists, for those who thus related "coming" to "light" have not agreed as to whether the interpretation is "was destined to come," or "was on the point of coming," or "was in the act of coming." (d) The sense might be "which lighteth every man by coming." This last is not a very probable meaning; for, as Westcott remarks, "the context does not call for any statement as to the mode of the action of the light; and the light illuminates by ’being’ as well as by ’coming’." When Christ is described as "the true light," the word "true" is used in opposition to that which is imperfect or incomplete. The word "marks the essential nature of the Light as that of which all other lights are only partial rays or reflections. "Christ is the true, the genuine, the perfect light, just as he is ’the perfect bread’ (John 6:31), and ’the perfect vine’ (John 15:1), not that he is the only light, and bread and vine, but that he is in reality what all others are in figure and imperfectly."

It is difficult to say how much of John’s prologue refers to the pre-incarnation days, and how much to the Son of God in the days of his flesh. Some discussion has taken place regarding the allotment of John 1:9. Many believe that the marginal reading of the Revised Version sets forth the truth, "the true light, which lighteth every man, was coming into the world," i. e., when the Baptist was giving his witness the true light was dawning on the world. Moffatt emphatically expresses this view in what is an interpretation rather than a translation: "The real Light, which enlightens every man, was coming then into the world." There is no "then" in the original. Some modern commentators translate "the true Light . . . was coming into the world," but "was" and "coming" are so far apart in the Greek text that this is a very doubtful rendering. The fight of every man.

Whatever difficulties of interpretation and translation exist, one outstanding thing appears, viz., that the Apostle John claims for the Lord Jesus that he is the Light "which lighteth every man." This is the constant statement in all the varied translations. It is the glory of this truth which makes us choose the text as a basis for our study. That every man who ever lived or will ever live on earth is indebted to him whom John calls the Logos or Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us, is one of the greatest truths of the wonderful prologue to the fourth Gospel. The true light "lighteth every man." The passage has been grossly misapplied, as if every man by nature had in himself light enough to know God and come to God apart from the revelation in the Gospel of Christ. Not only is there nothing in the passage or context to warrant this, but the thought is utterly opposed to the teaching of the prologue itself as well as of the rest of the book. It is the only begotten Son who has declared the Father, whom no man hath seen (John 1:18). "I am the way, the truth, and the life," said the Lord Jesus; "no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).

Partly, I think, because of the erroneous and extreme view to which reference has been made, many others have been kept from giving the apostle’s words their due weight, and have hesitated to speak of that light as lighting "every man." Yet, surely there may be light in man without its having a brilliancy sufficient to so light his pathway that he will be kept from stumbling or have no need of the light of the Gospel of Christ. The comment of the late Bishop Westcott may be quoted: "The words must be taken simply as they stand. No man is wholly destitute of the illumination of ’the Light.’ In nature, and life, and conscience it makes itself felt in various degrees to all." The Apostle John claims that, wherever in the world there is light, it comes from the Word. All men, in so far as they are illumined, are lightened by the true light of God. Intellectually, light is knowledge; morally, it is purity. Wherever there is knowledge and purity, it has its source in him who is the true light." As Christ is the Spring and Fountain of all wisdom," wrote Adam Clarke, "so all the wisdom that is in man comes from him; the human intellect is a ray from his brightness; and reason itself springs from this Logos, the eternal reason." When we think of the true deity of Christ, that, as John says, "the Word was God," and that "all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that hath been made," we shall not wonder at the boldness with which the apostle traces all human light and knowledge back to him as its ultimate source.

"Dependent on him," says Alexander Maclaren, "are the little lights which he has lit, and in the midst of which he walks. Union with Jesus Christ--’that light’--is the condition of all human light. That is true over all regions, as I believe. ’The inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding.’ The candle of the Lord shines in every man, and ’that true light lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ Thinker, student, scientist, poet, author, practical man all of them are lit from the uncreated Source, and all of them, if they understand their own nature, would say, ’In thy light do we see light.’"

There is another sense in which men to-day, even rejecters of the Gospel, are indebted to Christ the true light. There is not a single inhabitant of our land--blatant sceptic as well as humble believer--who is not indebted to Christ. This is obviously true so far as his enjoyment of the privileges which Christianity has secured to men. The difference which Christ has made has affected for the better the external conditions of our lives. We may go further, and say that a man internally as well as externally may be benefited by the Gospel which he refuses to accept. He may unconsciously be its debtor as to character. There is a well-known sentence in "Sartor Resartus," in which Carlyle, through Professor Teufelsdrockh, says of his time of gloom, "From suicide a certain after shine (Nachsehein) of Christianity withheld me." R. E. Welsh pointedly remarks, "In the sterling lives of good sceptics we often see this ’after-shine of Christianity.’ The very qualities which set them in favorable contrast with many nominal Christians run back their roots, not to unbelief, but to the ethics and the diffused spirit of Christ." The very goodness of character, then, which, contrasted with the failures of weak Christians, is made an excuse for rejecting Christianity, should often rather lead to the acceptance of Christ who really is its Author. The thought of John in our text, however, carries us further back . He speaks not of Gospel light and benefits, directly or indirectly received, but of Christ as the source of all light and knowledge whatsoever.