Location, location, location, continues to be our theme. In order to understand this passage from John that we just heard we must put it in its context, so we need to consider the story that precedes it. The story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus must have been curious about Jesus but because he is a Jewish leader, he could not be caught going to see Jesus, so he comes to Jesus by night. It’s pretty clear that Nicodemus doesn’t fully understand what is going on or who Jesus is. That is true in most of John’s gospel. Remember, Nicodemus hears Jesus speak these unfamiliar and foreign words about being born from above and wonders out loud about what that could even be about. Nicodemus is astounded and asks Jesus how these things can be. And with that question, you and I hear these very familiar words we hear today, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” And, I am not even going to talk about those most familiar words, because really, there is so much more to hear in this reading.
Firstly, God gives Godself, God comes into humanity so that humanity may live. And secondly, that this is the time for discernment because the light of the world is shining bright. This is some really exciting news.
In John’s gospel there is much language about ascending and descending. We see and hear that theme depicted in artwork and in poetry throughout history. But what is it that John is trying so hard to get across to Nicodemus, to the disciples, to us? Incarnation, God in our midst, Jesus in flesh and blood, is all about how God stoops into our lives and our hearts to raise us up and call us into relationship. And how different this is from before Jesus, when God was literally in a box, in the ark of the covenant, God is now in flesh and blood. This is what John’s language is all about. God descends, God comes to humanity for the sake of love, to bring humanity back to Godself. God comes to humanity in flesh and blood to bring new life. This is Jesus. This is the Word; this is God’s language of love.
But there is a price to pay even for God. All incarnation, Jesus, you and me, all flesh and blood dies. That is the story we embark upon each Holy Week. That is the scandal of incarnation. And this is what John means with eternal life. The arc of John’s story is all about incarnation and continues to resurrection and ascension. Jesus returns to God for the purpose of preparing our place with God. So, the story goes to and through the cross, but the story does not end there. The eternal life that God offers through the flesh and blood of Jesus is relationship and love. There is a place prepared for us.
You see, God makes the first move, God reaches out to creation in love, God becomes flesh and blood so that humanity may not be alone in this human journey. God knows it’s hard enough alone, so God in flesh and blood accompanies us on this journey. But because God in Jesus is flesh and blood, Jesus dies. But we are not left alone, God moves among us, Jesus accompanies us, the Spirit envelopes us. However, John makes it clear that this is not a transactional relationship. It is an unconditional relationship. This is the part that is so hard to wrap our minds and our hearts around. This isn’t a check off the boxes kinda deal. This is an all encompassing no matter what kinda deal.
The hard part is that we live in a world in which we must run faster, work harder, make more money, be beautiful, have the most stuff in order to be valued, or loved, or feared, so that we can get the reward. That is not God’s love in Jesus, that is a lie. Eternal life is what God offers us here and now and in response we go out and love our neighbor, and our family, and those whose reality we cannot know.
And that brings us to the second part of what John is trying to tell us here. My friends, the Light comes into the world, this is the time, there is no other. You see, the here and now of eternal life is a critical promise for us today, not just a future time or place. This is a moment of discernment. A closer translation of verse 19 rejects judgment in favor of discernment. So, it reads, “this is the time of discernment because the light of the world is shining bright; and we choose to ignore what’s being revealed.” Discernment means deep listening to God’s call to us, deep listening to what God would have us be about, deep listening to the love that sustains us. The Light of the world is shining bright, and it is time to deeply listen to what God is revealing now. The light is shining bright, this is the time of revelation. Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark, Judas betrays Jesus in the dark, Peter denies Jesus in the dark. The problem is that they all saw the light, but were afraid. The light comes into the world, but people continue to hide in the dark.
Let’s bathe in the warmth and the love of the light. You see, living in the light is about telling the truth. Throughout my many years of ministry, I have taught about what I call the four marks of ministry. Showing up, listening, telling the truth, and letting go of the outcome. Do you recognize these in this passage of John? They are there, showing up is about being really present in your relationships and listening deeply to those who are present with you.
That brings us to telling the truth, where we find ourselves today. Living in the light is about telling the truth and hearing the truth about all of our earnest goodness and all of our stupid mistakes. And telling the truth seems to be really hard these days. Telling the truth and hearing the truth in these days means that we must do some things differently. It means we must let go of our need to be right, and instead we must listen deeply to the lives of those we differ from; those who are immigrants, those whose skin color is different from our own, those whose gender and preference we just don’t get; those whose experience with sexual bias or even violence is outside of our particular box.
Jesus calls us to listen deeply, and to love deeply. And in the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega, God’s light shines in the darkness, God’s love walks this earth, and God’s love wins. When we are low, sprawled on the floor, in the trench or the gutter, God reaches out and raises us up, Jesus walks by our side showing the way, and we carry the light and the love we have been given to all those we encounter.
