The Sunlight of Christ

The deck in the back looked inviting in the morning light. I grabbed my Bible and my journal and headed out to take a seat in the sun. With the temperatures in the upper 40s, the sunlight felt great hitting me straight on. I soaked it in and began my morning time with God.

My mind drifted to the sun and I wondered, why does the sun feel so good? It is a special kind of light and heat that warms both our body and our soul and gives us light to live by. It’s almost as if someone created it for those purposes. And we know that Somebody did.

Modern science tells us how special our sun is and how it relates to our planet. Without going into too much of that science, the distance of the earth from the sun is perfect. Scientists call that distance the Goldilocks zone because it is “just right.” The sun not only gives us light, but it also gives us the energy we all use to go about our daily life.

As science class taught us, plants produce energy by the light of the sun. Animals then eat those plants and store the energy in their bodies. We either eat the plants directly or eat the meat of the animals for energy. Either way, our life-giving energy comes from the sun.

The Prophet Malachi wrote, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (vs 4:2 NASB) As the great Christmas carol “Hark the Harold Angel Sings” tells us, Malachi was referring to Jesus as “the sun of righteousness.” (Many people think the song says “son,” but the original Charles Wesley version of 1739 says “sun” taken from Malachi.)

Why would the word of God use the sun as a metaphor for Jesus? Because Jesus gives us light, warmth, life and so much more. The Gospel of John says this about Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (vs 1:4-5 NASB) In John Chapter 8, Jesus says this about Himself, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. (vs 8:12 NASB)’”

Jesus is our ultimate source of light, life, and energy. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and exist.” (NASB)

An unwelcomed guest came by as I enjoyed the sunlight hitting me that morning. About 10 minutes after I sat down, a big cloud came and blocked the sun’s rays. The heat and light I so enjoyed were greatly diminished. And somehow, I suddenly noticed the wind as well. The wind was there before, but with the sun’s heat warming me I didn’t pay attention to it.

Often life and the decisions we make bring clouds that block our view of Jesus. When that happens, we sometimes notice troubles around us that we didn’t pay attention to when we enjoyed His light. To stay in the sunlight of Christ, the Bible calls us to stay in God’s word, stay close to other believers, stay in prayer, and live with gratitude. When we do such things the light of Christ will continue to bring us warmth, life, and joy.

Stay close to Jesus and enjoy His divine sunlight.