²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

and does not come to the light,

This expression describes what is worthless in the previous phrase. Not to come to the light is worthless from an eternal point of view.

lest his deeds should be exposed.

The thrust here is not “evil deeds” but pointless deeds. There is no word for “sinful” or “evil” here.

“Exposed” means to bring to light. Some do not want to be convinced of something that they value and want to maintain. They do not want to be exposed for their worthless lifestyle. Light reveals or detects what is in the dark. God’s “light” exposes the evil or worthlessness of people’s lives.

PRINCIPLE:

Just as natural light shows what is unseen, so Christ as light exposes people for what they are.

APPLICATION:

People living in the dark do not want to be reminded that their lives are worthless and have no purpose.

There are those who are hopelessly confused about God’s purpose for them. They are completely alienated from God in their whole being. They are therefore futile in all their attempts to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.

Man has a faulty view of himself. Many feel that they are good persons and maybe even religious, so that this ipso facto makes them acceptable to God. From God’s viewpoint, man is not innocent no matter how good he may be. He stands condemned because he is not as good as God is good. Jesus is the only way to resolve man’s problem with God.

Light exposes the vanity of the lives of non-believers. It demonstrates they have no ultimate purpose or meaning worth living or dying for. People who reject Christ as their Savior have a major vested interest in their rejection of Him—they love their worthless life more than the truth of who Jesus. is. These people will avoid the light as much as possible. If they listen to a gospel presentation, they do it with a mentality of being shut down to the truth. They do not want to expose themselves to their life and the wonder of who Jesus is. They are like some insects who scurry into dark places when exposed to the light.

God places responsibility squarely on the shoulders of a person’s volition. People reject Christ because it is their motive to do so. They do not want their values exposed.