“It is amazing that the evangelist St. John is able to discuss such sublime and weighty matters in such plain and simple language. He wants to say the Son of God draws so close to men that He is their Light. And this Light is far different from that which all the irrational animals perceive. The cows and the pigs, to be sure, also enjoy the universal light of the sun by day and the light of the moon by night. But man alone is endowed with the glorious light of reason and intellect. Man’s ability to devise so many noble arts and skills, his wisdom, dexterity, and ingenuity, all are derived from this Light, or from the Word, who was the Light of men. Thus this Light, Christ, is not merely a light for itself; but with this light He illumines men, so that all reason, wisdom, and dexterity that are not false or devilish emanate from this Light, who is the Wisdom of the eternal Father.” Martin Luther, Sermons on the Gospel of St John, in Luther’s Works, vol. 22, p. 30. [Emphasis Added]
While preaching on John 1:4, Luther explains the significance of human beings made in the image of God. Notice that Christ as the Light illuminates humanity and provides all intellectual, artistic, and even mechanical gifts.
