What color is the grass at night?

As I continue in my Inductive Bible Study course on the Gospel of John, I find that the majority of my mind's time is focused on this portion of Scripture. An interesting theme that is found in the Gospel of John is the concept of light and darkness.

This makes me think back to my Physics course in high school. I loved that class. We learned things that surprised us and intrigued us. One thing that stuck with me since that class is how light works. Allow me to explain.

I often ask people the question, "What color is the grass at night?" The common response is something along the lines of..."Green...duh!!" Well...I am sorry to burst bubbles here (not really), but green is the wrong answer. No object, whether grass, a car, a book, water, etc... has a color. They simply reflect color.

There is an inevitable stat that you are bound to hear at some point that red cars get more tickets than any other color car. Some would call this prejudice toward red cars by police officers. Some would even call this auto-racism. The fact of the matter is this...the radars that are used by police officers operate with a red laser beam. That red beam travels to the travelling automobile and bounces back. Based on the pigment in the paint of the car the beam will travel back to the radar at various strengths. Since a red-pigmented car reflects red, it is easier to get a reading from a red car. Have you noticed that black shirts are hotter than white shirts? That is because, white pigmented shirts relfect all colors while black absorbs all colors thus holding the heat.

I have tried numerous times to explain this concept to loved ones but to no avail. Sometimes people just want proof. I have even seen people go out with a flashlight to check the color of grass. I hope that this sounds as stupid to you as it did me. In case it does not, just to let you know, adding light to an object will cause it to reflect some of the light...so the grass appears green. So, there is really no way to "prove" this concept.

It is simply a fact that is supported by scientific facts of how light and pigments work. The presence of light is what makes things take on color. The absence of light brings darkness which eliminates color.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus (or the Word) is described as the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." (John 1:9). The presence of Light give every man color. Jesus brings life and fills the void and darkness of our souls. It is only by this light that we are able to become who we were created to become. God created grass to be green, but it is only by the presence of light that makes this possible. God created each of us to be something, but it is only by the presence of the true Light that this is possible for us.

One of my favorite verses now is John 1:5 which says, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." You will find many different translations of the Greek here, such as; understand, comprehend, overcome, conquer, etc. The importance here is that Light is in contrast with darkness.

Throughout the Gospel of John there seems to be a "battle" between the Light and darkness. You see this played out. Those who believe in Jesus have the Light while those who do not walk in darkness. The darkness is trying to overcome the Light (as seen in John 1:5). Here is where the similarities with grass break down. The light from the sun will give way to the night sky on a predictable cycle. Jesus however, has conquered darkness. Darkness will never "overcome" the Light. This is extremely important! Jesus Christ has come to this world to give Light to every man! A Light that darkness cannot drown out.

On a final note, when Jesus was placed on the cross, one of the things that happened was that the sky turned dark. As Luke puts it, "It was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining." (Luke 23:44-45). I may be stretching things a bit but there was darkness when Jesus died. It seems that darkness has won at this point. However, we know the rest of the story. Jesus lives! I imagine that when Jesus walked from the tomb, the sun was shining bright because Light overcame darkness. And, it is by this Light that we are able to have life...because the true Light gives us color.