John 1:9
“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”Revelation 15:3
“They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!”
When the Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John, and the book of Revelation, he was completing the New Testament. In the passages above he was recalling what he heard as a young man and pointing ahead to a vision of the future. John was laying out the work of God over time. This is a progression. There are differing kinds of progression, so I want to be clear. The definition I’m using is, “The process of developing or moving gradually towards a more advanced state.”
Light is the starting point John uses. Without light, there can be no advancement in our sight. When our children were born, I did some research on their visual development. The first thing a newborn can perceive is light. They are very sensitive to it after leaving the darkness of the womb. It takes a couple months for them to be able to focus their eyes to track movement and see things clearly. As their eyes become accustomed to light and focusing on objects, children begin to form an attachment to the face of their parents. I remember reading in a baby book, that my face was going to be my children’s favorite thing to see (I was really happy about this!). At three to four months, children begin to observe facial expressions, and this skill will help them to develop the emotional skills needed as they learn to interact with others.
It’s vitally important for children to form a bond with loving parents who will protect and care for them. The Lord works in this same way. Once in the light, God’s children can begin to look into the face of the good shepherd. Seeing 
His face and learning from Him continues our development. He is the one a child of God looks to for care, protection, and direction. The goal of the good shepherd is to give, not take from His sheep. I know the goal of a good parent is to give our kids the very best. Jesus lives for the betterment of His people. He gave sacrificially of Himself to care for us.
Finally, as we look with John to the future in Revelation chapter fifteen, the progression becomes complete. Jesus, who began as the transforming light, then cared for us at His own personal expense, will one day become the wonderful King we praise.
When Jesus meets with the Jewish teacher, Nicodemus in John chapter three, He famously tells him, “You must be ‘born again’.” He also tells Nicodemus “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21).
It’s a tough starting point for an older man. Starting all over like a child with Jesus as your first light. Learning to see His face and follow Him. Seeing your shepherd and letting Him care for you. Eventually this progression will 
lead Nicodemus to see Jesus as the eternal King of glory and sing praises to Him, forever.
It’s a similar process to the progression of healthy eyes and happy families. The Lord has built this process into our very being. We go from the simple to the complex.
Jesus’ authority, teaching and presence illuminate and refute the empty religion used for the purposes of self-interest and profit. True light was needed for us to develop our eyes to see the good shepherd. This shepherd will one day be praised forever by those who were born again into His marvelous light.
My eyes took some time to adjust to the true light. Some days I struggle to keep my eyes on my Savior. But I’m growing in my enthusiasm when it comes to praising Him as eternal King. I hope you are too.
We’ve all got some growing to do when it comes to the Lord’s holy progression.
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