1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “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.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
So, here we are at the second Sunday in Lent and we turn to the Gospel of John. While this is my favorite of the four gospels, it has verses and passages that I find difficult or confusing; often more so due to how they get interpreted and used. Indeed, the end of this passage is one of those.
Likely written in the late first century for a mixed community of believers in Ephesus (Turkey) who are working through issues and questions of identity as believers in Christ, the Gospel of John is thought to have been a source of encouragement in difficult times and during times of persecution. In this gospel, according to Mark Allen Powell, Jesus tells, shows, and is what God is like. John is about pointing to Jesus, to God.
For me, the verses I struggle with are 16 and 18. John 3:16 is often the verse named as a favorite by many Christians:
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.
The verse is often truncated to the first half, or simply written as “John 3:16” on signs in various settings. It brings to mind the story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, as in God gave, sacrificed God’s only Son. Paired with verse 18 (not included in the lectionary reading), the message is that salvation from eternal damnation is avoided by believing in Jesus:
Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
I suspect this has been material for fire and brimstone type sermons in conservative communities. For many it may also be words of reassurance…”I believe, thus I’m saved.” In last week’s musings, I highlighted that the restoration of right relationship with God is for “the many”. There are no qualifiers on who “the many” are, as there is in this verse.
In between these two verses sits verse 17:
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
So, is the Son’s purpose to condemn the world, or to restore or “save” the world? Or could someone read these three verses as Jesus does not condemn but God does?
The chapter opens with the story of Nicodemus, going to see Jesus under the cloak of nightfall, of darkness, to seek answers from Jesus and in which Jesus speaks of needing to be reborn of water and spirit. It is understood that having this conversation after dark, means there’s little chance that Nicodemus’ peers among the Jewish leadership will see him. Of the 21 verses, 15 are the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. The remaining verses are narration. The passage ends with the following verses speaking to being in the dark or the light (which are also not included in this lectionary reading):
19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
To be in the dark can also be understood a number of ways…not seeing, lost, confused, hiding. To be in the light can also mean to see, to know where one is, to understand, to be visible. There are times to stay out of the light and be in hiding for safety’s sake, or one can be confused and lack understanding because the speaker or situation is unclear or knowledge is missing. Here John writes of evil being in the dark, which implies that goodness is in the light. That is a binary which has created problems, to be explored another time.
The judgment here is on actions and deeds which are evil, the doers staying in the dark so as to not be seen. John wants to reveal God through Jesus, to liberate and transform people so they live in a life-giving way. I do not ascribe to the idea that Jesus came to condemn the world, but rather to show us another way of living, a life-giving way.
We humans do a pretty good job of condemning ourselves through our actions, decisions, and way of life. Right now, here in the United States, it can be hard to recognize where we are. The days are metaphorically darkening. Decisions have been made that are making life difficult and causing harm to children, the sick, the poor, the immigrant, the trans-person. “Life-giving” seems to be reserved for the privileged and wealthy.
Yet, it is not just those who have the power to make the broader decisions who are condemned by their actions, but all of us in our daily lives. Do we make decisions for our actions based on convenience with little to no regard for costs to others or the environment? Do we blame victims of powerful individuals or entrenched systems, making excuses for what others do to them? Are we living in ways that are life-giving for all or just for ourselves and those we like?
In later chapters, while implied but not explicit in this chapter, John calls Jesus the light of the world. The Good News is Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to show us another way. By telling and showing another way of living, Jesus brings us into the light. Now we know. By continuing to choose ways that are life-draining for ourselves and others, we are condemning ourselves.
We are condemned by our life-draining ways, by our sins, not for our sins…we condemn ourselves to brokenness and that of our neighbors by the way we live. Jesus invites us into another way of living…an abundant life for all, now, not just after death.
What does the abundant life for all look like?
- Abundance means…having more than enough
- Thriving means…to flourish
Unfortunately, the abundant life is understood by some as blessings in the form of stuff, money, or position; also known as the prosperity gospel. Believe in Jesus, pray fervently, work hard and you will not be condemned but have eternal life.
No, I think John is trying to tell us that if we come out of the darkness, we will see another way to live such that having more than enough should make it easy to share with others so they may thrive…whether that means the essentials, resources, power, or rights.
We condemn ourselves to our brokenness and that of our neighbors by the way we live. Jesus offers an alternative way. By telling us and showing us, Jesus is communicating what God is like, giving us another way of living. And John is pointing to God through Jesus.
Having looked at verse 16 in the original Greek, I leave you with this suggested rewriting:
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.
For this is how much God loved creation: that he gave his unique son so that all who trust in him are not lost but have a way of life forever.
Come into the light.
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