When I was a young man, I was a spelunker. There is an expansive cave structure not far from where I lived so caving was easily accessible. I had a blast.
My friends and I had carbide lamps we strapped to our heads. We wore old shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes. That was the extent of the sporting equipment needed back then. Now, wisely, people wear helmets, gloves, and special clothing. They use RF devices to communicate with each other and to keep track of where everyone is at.
For us, we’d check the weather to make sure we wouldn’t be caught in a flash flood. Then we’d go spelunking! We took on some intense caves. One of them had a low ceiling entrance which required us to crawl on our backs in the water, keeping our heads raised so we wouldn’t be drowned. And, it had large holes scattered across the flood that would drop to lower levels.
Occasionally, my carbide lamp would go out. When that happened, I was in absolute darkness surrounded by life-threading cave structures.
I usually think about caves when I read the words of Jesus in John 12:35-36, Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
What comes to mind when I read this passage is my carbide lamp. It was life to me. If it went out, then I was totally helpless. This is the way the lost exist in this world.
The lost are in this dark, treacherous world completely surrounded by death traps and the others of this world have no light. But, we that have been saved are the children of light. We don’t just say we have the light but people see the light within us. Some have become comfortable in the dark and wish to stay there, but a few will see the light and call for help.
We, like lamps in the darkness, show God’s light. And we are commissioned by Jesus to present the Good News to the lost. For those that accept the Gospel they, too, will become children of light and shine in their world.