Zechariah broke his silence with a prophecy about the coming Messiah. Luke 1: 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, [1]
The Bible has much to say about light and darkness. These are familiar images to all of us, and God uses these images to describe spiritual things. Darkness represents the ignorance of divine things, ungodliness, and immorality. Zechariah also uses the term “shadow of death.” We know shadows are dark, and we can’t avoid death in this sinful world. Death is feared because what is on the other side is humanly unknown. We can only overcome death with the eternal life that Jesus gives.
Other Prophecies of Light Coming to Darkness
The book of Isaiah is called the Gospel of the Old Testament because he speaks of Jesus so much. He makes several comments about the light of the Messiah shining into dark places.
Isaiah 9: 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.[2]
Isaiah 42: 16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.[3]
Jesus is the Light of the Word
Zechariah’s prophecy comes true through the words of Jesus Himself. John 8: 12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.[4]
The Gospel of John doesn’t contain the nativity story. John introduces Jesus differently. Jesus is called the Word and the Light. John 1: 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it[5].
Light always overcomes the darkness. Light pours in if you are in a light room and open the door to a dark closet. The darkness does not pour out.In the same way, the Light of Jesus overcomes the darkness. We can trust that Jesus and His Light win the victory.
To learn more about a light in the darkness, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/even-in-silence-god-is-at-work
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.