The Light Has Risen: Yeshua and the Darkness Has Not Overcome It

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2)

The prophet Isaiah presents a dual reality. Darkness covers the earth, yet at the same time the light of the LORD rises. This is not a promise that darkness will immediately disappear, but a clear call to rise and shine within a darkened reality. The light is not a reaction to darkness; it is a divine initiative. It appears because this is its nature.

In Scripture, light is inseparable from truth. It reveals, exposes, and distinguishes without partiality. For this reason, light is not always comfortable. Where darkness dominates, truth spoken without favoritism unsettles accepted systems, power structures, and religious appearances. Light does not bow to status, tradition, or human authority.

This context illuminates the miracle Yeshua performs in Jerusalem during Hanukkah, as recorded in John:9–10. Hanukkah is a feast of light in the midst of darkness, of faithfulness to truth in the face of coercion. It is precisely during this season that Yeshua opens the eyes of a man blind from birth. This miracle is not merely physical healing; it is prophetic. The opening of blind eyes reveals the very purpose of light, the ability to see truth.

The man whose eyes were opened grows stronger in his faith, while the religious leaders refuse to acknowledge the truth revealed before them. Here it becomes clear that the struggle between light and darkness is not an external struggle, but a struggle of the heart and the willingness to receive truth. Yeshua speaks without partiality and makes clear that the light cannot be controlled by human authority.

In this context, John the Beloved declares Yeshua to be the light of the world, as written in John 1:4-5: “In him was life, and the life was the light of human beings. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Yeshua declares: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Yet Yeshua does not keep the light to himself alone, He passes the responsibility on to His followers. The Messianic community is not only a receiver of light, but a bearer of it in the world. The light of Yeshua is meant to be revealed through the lives of believers, through their actions, their words, and the testimony of their lives.

Yeshua himself makes clear that His purpose and calling continues through His disciples, with even greater power: “Amen, amen, I say to you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

This is not about exalting the human being, but about the continuation of the calling. The community is called to be a vessel through which the light continues to act: to heal, to release, to open eyes, and to bring hope. Just as a small jar of oil gave light for many days, so a faithful community can illuminate an entire reality.

Hanukkah reminds us that a small light can endure against great darkness. John reminds us that eyes that are opened change reality. Yeshua's light lives in a community that walks in His Way.

The light has risen yet the darkness still exists. The question that remains open is whether the community of believers will agree to carry the light of Yeshua into the world, without fear and without compromise.

Happy Hanukkah Hanukkah Sameach Happy Festival of Lights