Hope in darkness

At the top of my list of things to avoid is prison. The idea of ​​being locked in a narrow, barren cell in the dark, coupled with the fear of brutal violence, is an absolute nightmare for me. In ancient times, these were cisterns, underground cavities or wells that were used to store water. These places were often dark, damp and cold. In some particularly cruel cases, empty cisterns were used as makeshift prisons: "Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malkiah the king's son, which was in the guard court, and let him down with ropes. But there was no water in the cistern, but mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud" (Jeremiah 38,6).

The prophet Jeremiah, charged with the ongoing task of prophesying against Israel's corrupt practices and sinful culture, became increasingly unwanted. His opponents left him in a cistern that contained no water but only mud with the intention of leaving him to starve and thus bring about a death without bloodshed. Caught in this predicament, Jeremiah still held on to his hope. He continued to pray and believe and wrote the most hopeful scripture in the history of mankind: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will fulfill the gracious word that I spoke to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause David to spring up a righteous branch; He shall establish justice and righteousness in the land" (Jeremiah 33,14-15).

Much of the history of Christianity began in dark places. The Apostle Paul wrote numerous New Testament writings during his imprisonment. It is believed that he was imprisoned in the “Mamertinum Prison,” a dark, underground dungeon accessed through a narrow shaft. In such prisons, inmates were not provided with regular food, so they had to rely on friends and family to bring them food. It was in the midst of these dark circumstances that the brilliant light of the gospel arose.

The Son of God, the personified hope of humanity, came into the world in a narrow, poorly ventilated space that was not originally intended to accommodate human beings, let alone the birth of a child. The traditionally conveyed image of a comfortable manger surrounded by adoring shepherds and clean sheep hardly corresponds to reality. The actual circumstances were harsh and bleak, similar to the cistern in which the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned centuries before, awaiting his seemingly inevitable fate. In the darkness of the cistern, Jeremiah saw the light of hope - a hope that was focused on the future Messiah who would save humanity. Centuries later, in the fulfillment of this hope, Jesus Christ was born. He is divine salvation and the light of the world.

from Greg Williams

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