Rev. Roland J. Wells, Jr. - Pastor

Epiphany 5 - February 9, 2003

Lessons: Psalm 52:1-5; Ephes. 5:8-15; John 3:17-21

"Light Versus Dark"

Introduction:

It seems to be a function of the natural world to see things as pairs. You have a left eye and a right eye. You have left hand and right hand. There is male and female. North and south. Democrat and Republican. Left brain and right brain, thinking and feeling. Offense and defense. Labor and management; officer and enlisted. Day and night. Left and right. Good and evil. Past and future. We are surrounded by a universe full of A versus B.

God created a universe of pairs, of opposites, of contrasts. Literature, politics, history and science are filled with these themes. And so is the Gospel of John. As we continue to introduce the Gospel of John for this year, another main theme in understanding John is to recognize his use of pairs of opposites. John's Gospel is full of forks in the middle of the road. Either A or B. Turning points, a bifurcated world.

I) Light Versus Dark; Truth Versus Evil

Our Gospel lesson ends with these three verses. Jesus says:

[19] This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

We have two pairs here- light/darkness and truth/evil. The message of this section is carried by these pairs-

This is the verdict, the judgement- like a pencil breaking, bingo. Light has come into the world. And a big part of humanity LOVED darkness. This is a fascinating word. The word here is, unexpectedly, actually AGAPE- men were deeply committed, sold over, hopelessly in love with darkness. As much as God loved people, some people loved darkness that much. This is a profound statement. They loved darkness. They lined up with darkness because their deeds were evil. They were used to evil. They kept on in the way they were habituated. This is an awful and horrible mystery. Some people want to line up with evil. Jesus describes it: Everyone who does evil hates the light.

Now we collide with another reality. Two of the words used here are also terms and titles used in John's Gospel for Jesus himself. Jesus says he is 'the Light of the world' and 'the Truth.' In fact, the way John's Gospel works, every time John uses the word 'Light' or 'Truth,' these are also referring to Jesus himself. "Light' and 'Truth' are names for Jesus. Let's read the text again:

[19] This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Back in the summer of 1985, Brenda and I went with a youth group to a national youth gathering in Denver. On the way there, our group stayed with hundreds kids in a school in Ft. Collins. The kids had activities until midnight, then everybody sacked out in the main gymnasium. At midnight they shut the lights off. There was about a 60 second pause, and a gradual scream rose from the gym. The lights were quickly turned on. When the lights had been shut off, thousands of cockroaches had come out and began crawling over the kids. That's when the scream arose. When the lights go off, all sorts of interesting things crawl out. That's what Jesus is saying.

Evil people become more and more repelled by the Light, because, like cockroaches, their deeds will be seen in the Light. Remember, Jesus is the Light. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." We have two pairs here- light/darkness and truth/evil. Light and Truth are Jesus. Standing against him are darkness and evil.

II) More 'Pairs' in John

This pair structure is critical to the understanding of John's gospel. This week I read through all the 'red-letter' parts of John's Gospel one afternoon.. In that scan, the pairs I recognized were: light-dark; above-below; truth-lies; know-not know; free-slave; see-blind. As you think of the Gospel of John, I think you can recognize the amount of baggage those pairs carry.

John's worldview is characterized by these pairs of opposite. If we go to his first letter, I John 5:12, it pretty well lays out how John understands the world. It's pretty simple. John says, Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

That's what it comes down to. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Your on the side of light and Jesus and good. Or you're on the side of darkness, evil and the cockroachy things of life. There aren't a lot of greys here. There aren't a lot of options. There isn't a continuum of many degrees of good and bad. It's black and white. It's good and bad. It's death and life.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

It may not be fashionable in our relativistic day to talk in such primitive terms. But life in 2003 is still full of A or B. You're either pregnant or not. You either have strep throat or you don't. You are either employed or unemployed. You are married or not, paid your taxes or in default; alive or dead. But there is an even more important pair of distinctions: Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. As complicated as life is, it is good we can make the most important thing in the universe simple. Life and death are simple. Are you of Light or darkness? Truth or evil? Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

III) Where Are You?

So the question now needs to move away from a nice clean, uninvolved theological question. This is the way John understands the world. This is how John presents his Gospel. That's fine. But what about you?

Where are you in this? Are you on the side of Light or darkness? Are you on the side of Truth or evil? Christ's invitation comes to you, and you can come alive in the Light, or go scurry under a rock with the cockroachy things. This question comes to you daily. You are challenged to be a light person. Or a cockroachy thing. To live in the Light is to live a life of daily repentance and discipleship. To live in darkness comes naturally. It's easy. It's popular. But you're still living like a cockroach.

God did not create you to be a cockroach. God created you to live in the Light. To live in freedom, wholeness and community with God's people. He created you to live in fellowship with the living God. To know the power of God's Spirit. To live in relationships that are full of forgiveness and grace. That's life in Jesus. That's what it means to be a Christian. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Jesus calls you this morning to 'have' the Son. To 'have' the Son is simply to say "Jesus, I want to follow you. Come into my life, forgive my sin, and help me to follow you." It's simple, it's profound. That call is here this morning. It's coming to you. Jesus stands before you this morning and stares you in the eyes. He asks you to come into the Light. He is the Light. This is the call. It's simple. It's for you. Amen.

Ep 5 - 2/9

Psalm 52:1-5

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?

Why do you boast all day long,

you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

[2] Your tongue plots destruction;

it is like a sharpened razor,

you who practice deceit.

[3] You love evil rather than good,

falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

[4] You love every harmful word,

O you deceitful tongue!

[5] Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living.

Ephes. 5:8-15

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord. [11] Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. [12] For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. [13] But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, [14] for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

[15] Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,

John 3:17-21

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. [19] This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."