-John 1:5
Think about light...and darkness. Even a tiny, tiny light looks bright if we're in total darkness. Even the strike of a tiny match can look bright against a backdrop of dark. So how is it that the darkness that pervades this world didn't comprehend the Light when He arrived?I think the answer lies in the nature of that darkness. Satan is behind the darkness in the present world. And the idea that God would Himself come to earth not as a King or a Judge but in the form of a tiny baby would be totally incomprehensible to Satan. Satan's sin was, originally in the first place, deciding that he would be like God. He wanted the glory, the worship, and the praise that belongs only to the Creator, not to any created being. The idea that God the Son would set aside, for awhile, that very glory and venture to earth in a humble form, acting out of love for His creations probably never even occurred to Satan even as a remotest possibility. It would be a completely foreign concept to him.
So the darkness did not comprehend the Light that came to earth in the form of a man. Fully God...but fully man, as well. An act of love like that was so unusual and inexplicable that it took the kingdom of darkness completely by surprise.
As followers of Jesus, we ought to be imitating Him and the way He came to earth. Obviously, we don't imitate the actual act of incarnation. But we ought to act...out of love...in ways that are so surprising that the dark is taken off guard. When we pour out the love of Christ on other people and seek to do His will, it ought to make us act in ways that leave the powers of darkness reeling with confusion. In addition, forgiveness, love, and compassion exhibited in situations that logically call for anger, strife, and indignation should leave unbelievers scratching their heads and wondering, "Where did that come from?"
The darkness shouldn't be able to comprehend some of the actions the we take if we are walking in His light.
Unfortunately, often the darkness doesn't comprehend our actions, but it's for an entirely different reason. Sometimes, the darkness doesn't comprehend our actions because it doesn't even notice our actions. If we as Christians look, act, and behave like everyone else around us, then the darkness isn't going to notice us at all. Darkness inside of darkness doesn't show up at all. If we watch the same movies, go to he same places, indulge in the same pleasures, have the same pass-times, and generally act in the same manner as non-believers, then we look just like the rest of the darkness.
We shouldn't completely cut ourselves off from the world and live in seclusion because then we won't reach anyone with the message of God's love for them. Honestly, though, that's not a problem for most of us. Most of us are very in tune with the world, and it's past time for us to quit living so in tune with the world that we're not just in tune...we're playing the exact same notes.
