The Good News About the Bad News
The Good News About the Bad News
A Dark Backdrop for Bright Gospel Light
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When was the last time you were in a place that was so dark you couldn’t see your hand right in front of your face? No lights of any kind, not a glow of anything?
Being in a thick darkness is a weird experience because, normally, we can turn off lights in a house and still see something. Thick darkness, however, can be disorienting. And if this darkness wasn’t something you were striving for, then any glimmer of light is welcomed, any glow that will cast an outline of your surroundings.
One thing is for sure: if you’re in deep darkness, even the sight of a candle is bright. A candle might not seem bright if you’re already in a room full of light, but darkness is a perfect backdrop for even the smallest light to shine.
Now, think of a different setting. A person lays a dark cloth on a countertop and then places a big diamond on top. Suddenly the brightness and beauty of the diamond are visible in a clearer way. The dark backdrop, in this case, causes the features of the diamond to stand out.
Whether we’re talking about a dark room or a dark cloth, they are the kind of backdrops against which light and beauty are more clearly noticed, welcomed, and appreciated. This observation is true not only for physical things but also for spiritual things. If the gospel is true, then this news ought to be known and believed by everyone. The mercy of God toward sinners should be the cause of constant joy and praise and thanksgiving.
One way to savor the good news of the cross is to think of our sinful condition as the dark backdrop for the diamond of saving mercy, or as the dark cave for the blazing light of grace. In order to see how and why the cross of Jesus is good news for sinners, we must become aware of our need for a Savior. We must have some sense of our sinful condition. We must reflect on the state of our corruption due to sin, and we must remember that our many transgressions deserve the righteous judgment of God.
In Psalm 53, the sinner is corrupt (53:1), lacks spiritual understanding (53:2, 4), has fallen away (53:3), and doesn’t do what is good (53:1, 3). The deepest problem with the fool is the heart’s rejection of divine authority (53:1). The fool wants to be God. Our sinful condition, which we are born into, is a nature bent away from true worship. We are dead in our trespasses, we are drawn to the deeds of darkness, and we desire what is dishonorable to God. The problem of sin has affected every faculty of our being.
Our sinful estate is bad news, and thinking about bad news isn’t pleasant. But here’s the good news about the bad news: by remembering the horror of sin, and by reflecting on our helpless and spiritually ruined estate, we are able to celebrate the rescuing grace of God all the more. The bad news reminds us that we have no valid boast in our righteousness. Our boast must be in the cross, in all its blazing glory.
In Isaiah 9:2, the prophet says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” What an image! A land of deep darkness sounds like a foreboding setting. What a relief, then, when “a great light” shines upon those in the land.
We find out later in Isaiah 9 that the shining light is the birth of a promised son: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isa. 9:6). This is the Davidic king, the Messiah. The Messiah’s arrival is like dawning light in a world of deep darkness.
Jesus knew the backdrop into which his words and life were shining. He said, “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).
The gospel is light that shines because the gospel is about Jesus, and he is the light of the world. We need the truth about our need for Christ so that we can understand the great love of God for us. We need the bad news about our dark heart so that we can exult in the shining light of grace upon it.
I’ve never heard the diamond illustration before, but that’s a good way to describe the “bad news.” The gospel (like a diamond) is beautiful on its own, but its “full” beauty isn’t clear until put against a dark backdrop. Thank you!