Quasars

The brightest things in the universe are called Quasars. Some Quasars are so bright that they are thousands of times brighter than the combined luminosity of every single star in our Milky Way Galaxy put together. Quasars form at the heart of certain galaxies and at the heart of Quasars are supermassive black holes. The pull of black holes is so powerful that not even light, which is practically weightless and by definition the fastest thing in the universe, can escape from it. But the black holes at the hearts of Quasars pull matter into them so quickly and powerfully that all of the little bits rushing to get to the center of the black holes are pushing and shoving and rubbing against each other so violently that the resultant fiction releases heat and light so intense that we can set it from over thirteen billion light-years away. It doesn't seem to make sense that something that takes on the burden of a whole galaxy and descends into such utter darkness that not even light can escape it is nevertheless the brightest thing in the whole universe. In the same way, it doesn't make sense that Jesus Christ can take upon Himself the burdens of all of God's children, descend into the very deepest abysses of Hell into a blackness and evil so deep that no light nor any goodness can possibly escape, and yet, Christ can nevertheless emerge victorious and triumphant and shining brighter than all of the stars in the heavens put together. Just as a supermassive black hole is the reason that Quasars shine so brightly, the supermassive burden of all of the sins and sicknesses and pains and afflictions of all of God's children is the reason that Jesus Christ's brightness and glory defy all description. He has experienced each and every way that a heart can break, that a soul can be crushed, that faith can be shaken and hope snuffed out and love strangled, and so He has bought with a dear, dear price His intimate experience and unmatched insights and unlimited power to fix and mend and heal and cleanse and sanctify and exalt all of that pain and suffering and evil and blackness. He has swallowed all of the pain in the universe and by so doing He is able to radiate healing and love and light to fill the immensity of space and to be seen and felt at the most distant edges of the universe. Christ shines the brightest because He has swallowed the most darkness. As we follow in His footsteps and take the tiniest of sips from the cup which He drained to the dregs, and endure the smallest semblance of what He had to endure, so much the brighter will be our glory for the pain and the anguish and the darkness which we had to endure.