Darkness, life, light

Nicodemus was an honoured man. He didn't have anything to hide. Yet he came in darkness to meet Christ. 'Darkness' deserves our special attention, for it is very significant. In the beginning there was darkness . God said; "let there be light." There was order, the cosmos. Creation was sign of God's goodness, beauty and love. The same light radiates in us and on us.

In the words of prophet Isiah we have a wonderful expression, "the people who sat in darkness saw a great light." It was a time of invasion, insecurity, captivity, and bondage. They were in darkness devoid of god's glory. They also interpreted it to be the outcome of their own sin, another expression of darkness.

St Paul uses 'death' to expression the lightless-ness of our life, a life that has not known Christ. Being in Christ we have life or grace. St John imagines the same as an error if we don't know Christ, since he is the truth. When we know Christ, the truth, we have light.

What is that light and life?
The light and life that we receive is the gospel. The gospel is that 'God so loved the world, and sent his only son. Anyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Those who sit in darkness see a great light as Christ is being lifted up on the cross. Even in the most unjust death, he poured out love for all humanity. It is that love that we need to see on the cross. Jesus does not ask for pity on his suffering and bleeding image and take pains and burdens for ourselves. The light that radiates over those who sit in darkness of chaos, captivity, bondage, sinfulness or error is the experience of the love of God. Only the love that comes from God can clear our chaos, heal our pains, fill our areas of lifelessness with grace, nurture our life with virtues. As he is being lifted up, the light of God's unfathomable love spread over our hearts, our societies. Then, as John wrote, we come to light, and all know that we do the things of God.

In chaos, God makes his voice resound, and transform our life into a life of beauty, goodness, and love. In the unique life of each one of us these chaos and beaty are also significantly unique. It is there the Son of man being lifted up that the light may shine on many more around us.

The focal point here is that God makes the light shine over us to console us and to lead us forward. God gives life. Often we prefer to believe a theology of condemnation, and we call it humility, repentance, and act of conscience. Our focus is on God's wrath, curses and punishment. That is against the light of Christ. As St John stated, "though light came to the world, they preferred darkness." "They are condemned already," not by God, but by their own refusal to receive light and life.