The previous verse has just said that the life in Jesus is the light of all people. Since we sinned, said we could manage without God, we have chosen to live in darkness. But Jesus has come into the world, He is the light of all people, so His light shines in the darkness. Remember that verse 1 is a parallel on Genesis 1:1. In the creation we read that God said let there be light (Gen 1:3). And the darkness has not “understood” or “overcome” the light. The Greek word can be translated either way, and both contain truth.
The darkness does not understand who Jesus is. Listen to non-believers speak about Jesus and it will range from being a misunderstanding to complete rubbish. For instance, in the recent debates on so-called same-sex marriage some supporters of the idea have claimed Jesus on their side. Or they just see Him as a “good man” (though they rarely agree with much of what He actually said!).
But it is also true that the darkness has not overcome it. We see in John’s gospel the battle between light and darkness. Later John lived through times of great persecution, and the church has gone through many such times. These days Christians in the Middle East are experiencing terrible suffering. Yet these attempts to crush Christ have never worked, and they never will.
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