Finding the Light
2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-12
(August 30)
Have you ever heard of the term "pulling the wool over their eyes?' What that means is that you are tricking someone, deceiving them, keeping the truth from them.
Many parents do this to their children at Christmastime. They tell them about this magical Santa that is watching their behavior from way up North. If they are good ... really, really good ... Santa will bring them something fabulous for Christmas.
Parents take their children to the mall and stand in the line for an hour so that their children can have a moment to sit on Santa's lap and tell him exactly what they are wanting for Christmas.
Then, a few years later, as the kiddos get a bit older, some bully on the playground tells them there is no such thing as "Santa". Their bubble is burst, their hearts are broken, and there is no turning back. The wool is no longer over their eyes.
Please don't get me wrong... I have NOTHING against the jolly old fat guy. In fact, he was my favorite for many years. Actually, I heard him on our roof when I was about nine years old, and nothing you say to me today or in the future will convince me that it wasn't him.
Suffice it to say, it was quite a letdown to be told there was no Santa. Are you kidding me? Where did all those fabulous presents come from if there is no Santa? Isn't it crazy just how far parents will go with this wool stretching? But it sure makes for beautiful memories.
Paul was struggling with some wool of his own. He had a clear message he was sending to the Corinthians, but there was evil that was pulling the wool over their eyes, keeping them from seeing the truth.
So many unbelievers "those who were perishing" (Verse 3), were allowing Satan to blind their minds to the light of the gospel. They were in total darkness with no light seeping in.
Paul, and his fellow teachers, were living a life of service by preaching that Jesus Christ is Lord. God gave them a light in their hearts to share this Good News, and they desperately wanted to share it with others.
While they were the holders and distributors of this light, it was not through their power, but through the power of God. Paul likens himself and the other teachers to "fragile clay jars" (Verse 7).
What did he mean by that? Many people in Corinth used clay jars to hold the wick for their lamps. They were cheap, costing only one or two copper coins. But they were also fragile.
Despite being fragile and cheap, they fulfilled their job of holding the candle wicks and bringing light into the room. Paul uses this imagery to illustrate the insignificance of himself when compared to the grandeur of the light he shared.
While he was just an ordinary, poor man, he preached an amazing gospel of light and power. This is just as God intended it to be so that all would understand the true source of the message was too powerful to be human, so it must be divine.
Paul speaks of the troubles that surround them. But we are not crushed. He tells of being perplexed. But not driven to despair. He talks of being hunted down. But never abandoned by God. He assures them they will get knocked down. But never destroyed.
So, when trouble comes, and you don't know what to do ... Jesus is there. When you fall down, he will help you back up. And when you are feeling lost in the darkness, with the wool pulled over your eyes, he will be there to show you the light. And then you will see the truth.