Like a silver lantern hanging in a midnight sky, a full moon possesses a gentle yet striking beauty, casting mysterious shadows while also inviting sacred reflection. Remarkably, these astronomical events occur worldwide every 29.5 days, albeit at different times throughout the calendar day. Few heavenly scenes captivate us so deeply. Nightly, regardless of their fullness, the rays of the Moon remind us that the dawn is coming.
What might surprise you, though, is the realization that the Moon emits no light of its own. Instead, Earth’s closest satellite merely reflects the beams of the Sun, creating the appearance of a natural glow. Each night when I look up at the pale luminary, I cannot help but think of what appears, at least initially, as an apparent contradiction in the teaching of Jesus.
In His second I AM statement within the gospel of John, Jesus famously identified Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). Yet, in His Sermon on the Mount, our Savior claimed that His followers are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). So, which is it? How can both these statements be true?
May I suggest that Jesus’ analogy is accurate in the same way we correctly speak of both the Sun and Moon’s light? The Old Testament prophet Isaiah frequently utilized the concept of light as a descriptor of the coming Messiah. He was to be a “great light” in a dark land (Isa. 9:2) as well as a “light to the nations” (Isa. 49:6). After His birth in Bethlehem, we beheld the glory of Jesus, knowing He disclosed the Father to us (John 1:14).
Thus, by linking Himself to the metaphor, Jesus was rightly claiming to be the Savior promised long ago. He is the unrivaled brightness of God! But, if this is true, why does Jesus proclaim that His followers are also the light of the world? Thankfully, He quickly explained, “He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life (John 8:12b).” In other words, Jesus celebrates that we can reflect the light which He reveals. Just as the Moon has no intrinsic radiance, believers lack even a faint glimmer apart from the glory of the Son. Ours is a shared glory and a borrowed appeal.
Both clarity and guidance emerge in light of this humbling comparison. First, the goal of our faith is not to make much of ourselves. Frankly, far too much of American Christianity reeks of self-centered narcissism. Simply peruse the best-selling book title lists and you might conclude that God’s primary agenda is to make you rich, healthy, and happy. Messages about denying yourself and taking up your cross (Matt. 16:24) in order to build God’s kingdom rather than our own (Matt. 6:33) rarely resonate with the masses.
Yet, just as the Moon does not compete with the Sun, neither should we seek to make ourselves known. The goal is that others would see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16). To succeed, like John the Baptist, we must decrease in order for Christ to increase in our lives (John 3:30). Our single ambition must be to reflect the glory of the Son in every place, every day.
Next, sanctification requires that we orient our lives to the Son as much as possible. Only one side of the Moon reflects the Sun’s light toward Earth, and in varying degrees. At times, only a sliver of illumination emerges because the Moon, from our perspective at least, angles away from the Sun. Likewise, Christians can sometimes go through periods of weakness, doubt, and struggle, decreasing the amount of God’s glory that glistens upon our lives (Rom. 7:14-25). Fortunately, the disciplines of worship, prayer, Bible reading, and obedience are divine means which transform us as the Holy Spirit works within us. Staying close to the Lordenables us to point other people to Him (2 Cor. 3:18).
Finally, the greater the darkness around us the more pronounced the light of Jesus will be. We seldom notice the Moon during the day because the rays of the Sun shower us. A pitch-black horizon, however, makes the reflection of the Moon all the more powerful. In a similar way, God calls His people to point unbelievers to Christ even as, or especially as, our world grows increasingly dark.
Light and darkness frequently contrast good and evil in the Scripture. Every Christian formerly walked in darkness before coming to the light of the Lord (Eph. 5:8). Jesus also explicitly warned that people love the darkness more than the light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). The evidence around us is undeniable. We shed innocent blood while applauding it as a justifiable choice. We devalue the sanctity of marriage while insisting that no one is at fault. We play identity politics under the guise of social justice. We deny our Christian heritage in the name of political correctness. Throughout the course of this month, we are told to celebrate perversion as a matter of PRIDE. We continually expect God’s blessings while simultaneously ignoring His Word.
No wonder the prophet Isaiah pronounced woe on those who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness (Isa. 5:20). As difficult as these times are, though, we do well to remember the light of our Savior, whom we seek to reveal, shines the brightest in the darkest places. Even as hostilities toward genuine, biblical faith grow, this world needs the witness of the church now more than ever.
Adam B. Dooley
June 3, 2026