The scientific explanation is pretty simple, and to be honest, beautiful. When the sun hits the raindrops falling through the air the light is bent like through a prism. Higher wavelengths are bent more than longer wavelengths, so the different colors of light are separated so we see a rainbow.
The rainbow was put in the sky as a promise the world would never suffer the same fate again. That commitment was made to humanity, the entire plant and animal kingdoms, and to the planet itself.
I was reminded the other day that water is the symbol of death in the Bible. That comes from the flood, crossing the Jordan, and so many other things. It marks the end of something, implying the beginning of something new.
That’s what baptism symbolizes - the end of your old life, and the beginning of your new life in Christ. Joshua crossed the Jordan, and a new era started for Israel. The flood destroyed human civilization and started a new one.
What struck me is that Jesus is the light of the world. He created everything that has ever been made.
Rain is little droplets of water falling to the ground. In other words, bits of death are all falling out of the sky. Each drop could represent an individual person.
But what happens when the light of the world hits individual droplets of death? A rainbow.
A promise that death won’t happen again.
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