Darkness has permeated all of mankind since the beginning. Genesis 3 tells us of the fall of man when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, breaking the very command of God not to eat of it. As Scripture states, “Eve gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Genesis 3:6d, 7). The problem with what they did by sewing fig leaves together is that they did this thinking that their own way was right. God had a different plan when He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). In other words, their way was not sufficient…it was not going to save them from their sin. Only God’s way will bring salvation to man.
John the apostle reveals to us who came in the midst of this darkness caused by the sinfulness of man when he writes, “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” (John 1:4, 5). The Logos–the Word–is whom John is speaking in these verses. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has come and brought life into this world as well as light. Life means that it is eternal life. When we think of life, however, we see that He is the One who created all things (cf. 1:3). Nothing that has been created came into being apart from the Creator who is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of life. There is no life apart from Him. In Jesus Christ there is life and all that is existing today is found in the source of life.
John also explains that our Lord Jesus Christ is also the “Light of men.” While there is permeating darkness in the world because of the sinfulness of man, our Lord Jesus Christ comes and illuminates the world by and of Himself. There is darkness but when the Light shines in the darkness, the world does not understand what it is He is doing. He is revealing the sinful darkness that resides with every man. There is darkness that cannot be erased by man because man does not understand in and of himself that he needs to be illuminated by the Light of men. This Light shows us truth and we know that all truth is found in the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 14:6).
The idea of darkness “not comprehending” the Light means they could not take hold of Him or seize Him. The darkness of men cannot extinguish the Light who is our Lord Jesus Christ. He permeates that which permeates this world: darkness. He is the One who comes and clears out the darkness, brings to light the plight of man because of their sin, and brings truth to man. There is no other way that the darkness of man can be extinguished except for the Light of men to come and to drive the darkness out through His very Person and Work.
Our Lord Jesus Christ: our life and our light!
D.J. Gorena 
