“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” – Isaiah 9:2
In 1960, Theodore Maiman created the first working laser at Hughes Research Laboratories. He took ordinary light and did something remarkable: he aligned all the photons to travel in the same direction, at the same wavelength, in perfect phase with one another. The result? A beam so focused it could cut through steel, yet ordinary sunlight—millions of times more powerful in total energy—merely warms the same surface. The difference lies in coherence and focus.
The gospel works the same way. When the message of Christ crucified maintains its focus, when believers align around the cross rather than human wisdom or personalities, something happens that scattered religious activity can never achieve. The light penetrates. The kingdom breaks through. Lives change.
The Source of Our Light
The psalmist declares “The LORD is my light and my salvation” before expressing a singular desire: to dwell in God’s house, to behold his beauty, to seek his face. This establishes the foundation. The light we carry originates in God himself. The psalmist asks God to continue revealing his face, to remain present, to sustain the relationship. This passage teaches us that spiritual light comes through encounter with God, through seeking his presence with focused devotion. One thing. One desire. One face to seek.
The Promise of Light in Darkness
Isaiah prophesies about people walking in darkness who will see great light. The prophecy speaks specifically about Zebulun and Naphtali—border territories, mixed populations, places of shame and oppression. God promises to lift burdens, break yokes, shatter the oppressor’s rod. The light Isaiah describes brings liberation, joy like harvest time, relief like victory. This light shines precisely where darkness seems thickest. The promise reveals God’s pattern: he directs his saving power toward those who sit in the shadow of death.
The Light Fulfilled and Focused
Matthew shows Jesus beginning his ministry in exactly those territories Isaiah named: Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee of the Gentiles. The prophecy finds its fulfillment. Jesus announces “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and immediately calls disciples with stark clarity: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They leave their nets instantly. No lengthy deliberation. No negotiation. The call requires immediate, focused response. Jesus then demonstrates kingdom ministry: teaching, preaching the gospel, healing. The light has arrived, and it demands a response that matches its intensity.
The Undiluted Message
Paul addresses the Corinthian church’s fragmentation. Believers align themselves with different leaders—Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ—creating factions that scatter the community’s focus. Paul responds by clarifying his mission: “Christ sent me to preach the gospel: with the cross as the power of God.” The cross appears foolish to those perishing, yet contains God’s power for salvation. Paul refuses to dilute this message with rhetorical sophistication or human wisdom. The focused beam of gospel truth—Christ crucified—must remain coherent. When believers add human wisdom, personality cults, or divisive allegiances, they diffuse the power of the cross like scattering a laser beam with a prism. The message loses its cutting edge.
Living in the Beam
The texts together present a challenge. God has revealed himself as light and salvation. He has fulfilled his promise to shine in dark places. Jesus has called us to follow with the same immediacy the first disciples showed. The question becomes: what scatters our focus? Which human loyalties, which appeals to wisdom, which personal preferences fragment the coherent message of the cross?
The fishermen left their nets—their livelihood, their identity, their family business. Following Jesus meant releasing what defined them to embrace a new mission. The gospel asks the same of us. We proclaim Christ crucified, even when it sounds foolish. We align with other believers around the cross, even when we prefer different teachers or styles. We seek God’s face with singular devotion, making his presence our one desire.
The laser’s power comes from alignment. Every photon travels the same direction. The gospel’s power comes from the same source: believers unified around the message of the cross, following Jesus without the divided loyalties that scatter our witness.
Points to Ponder
- What defines you more: your occupation, your preferred teacher, or your identity as a follower of Christ?
- Where do you see yourself sitting in darkness, needing God’s light to shine?
- How does Paul’s warning about divisions around human leaders speak to contemporary church culture?
- What would leaving your nets look like in your current circumstances?
- In what ways might you dilute the gospel message with appeals to human wisdom or cultural sophistication?
Prayer
Lord, you are my light and my salvation. You have shined into the darkness of this world through Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to follow him with the same immediacy the first disciples showed. Keep me focused on the cross, the power of God for salvation. Align my life with other believers around the gospel message rather than around human personalities or preferences. Let my witness carry the focused power of your truth, cutting through the darkness with the coherent light of Christ crucified. Help me seek your face as my one desire, dwelling in your presence all my days. Amen.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18
Josh Cehulik 