The highway lay pancake flat before us, even as the evening light grew faint.  Trees stood tall, lining both sides of the roadway, mile after mile.  Our vehicle seemed to be alone on the highway, so the darkness settled in quickly because in this part of the world, even homesteads were few.  As I panned the road before us, I saw a tiny twinkling far ahead, and as our vehicle moved closer, the light grew larger.  With clarity, we saw the truth of the light source as we approached a crossroad, for there was a wire strung from one side of the highway to the other side, and centered above the road was a single light, offering “Just Enough” illumination to see both left and right as we passed near the light.  As the miles passed by, we experienced this discovery over and over, offering us “Just Enough” light to see.

This scene vividly remains in my mind from our summer getaway, when we took a long-awaited road-trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.   The darkness permeated.  The single light hung above as we passed by.  & This was “Just Enough” Illumination to see with clarity.

Months removed, I find my mind returning to this image again this morning as I read Saint John’s Gospel and first letter written to other saints.  Let’s unpack these two passages together to reaffirm:

JESUS PROVIDES “JUST ENOUGH” ILLUMINATION TO SEE THE LIGHT.

• Our life in Christ shines as our reliable light source.
• Our salvation through the precious blood of Jesus shines deep within us.
• Holy Spirit dwelling with us, the Light of God illuminates all the dark spaces.

As I sit here writing in the early dawn, before the rising sun illuminates the living room, the depth of Jesus’s love for humanity burns brightly in my heart.

• If we say we belong to the family of God and there remains unconfessed sin deep within us (dark spaces), then the Bible clearly proclaims:  “we lie and do not practice the truth; . . .”
• If we say God is our Father, we are afforded no reasons to not have fellowship with other believers, even those who think differently about the Bible and biblical items than we do because “we have fellowship with one another, . . .”
• We who believe in Christ’s atoning grace have been covered by Jesus, God’s Only Son; His blood “cleanses us from all sin.”

Recorded earlier in the Bible, the apostle John retells about a day when Jesus was near the Mount of Olives.  The day was early; He sat down in the temple to teach, and suddenly the morning was interrupted by the entrance of the religious leaders dragging a woman who had been caught in sin.  With authority, they announced her sin:  Adultery.  The leaders of the day knew the Law, how it commanded she be stoned to death, but their intent was not solely focused on the woman, for they desired more to trap Jesus, hoping to bring accusation against Him.  Deep down they wished to kill the Savior of the world.

Then we see in the passage how Jesus stood and stooped down to write in the dirt with His finger.  After the men’s great persistence and without looking at anyone, Jesus stood and said:

Jesus then stooped back down and began writing again in the dirt.  Slowly, as the truth of God settled in, the religious leaders realized they could not cast stones at anyone, for they were sinners too.  Not one, who stood that day in the temple with stones filling their hands, could throw a single stone at the woman, for they had unconfessed sins in their heart.

John’s retelling of the daily life of Jesus, reminds us how the Pharisees sought to trap the Teacher, but we hear the resounding authority of the Son of God.