In the time this text was first written, one would expect the many gods of the dominant culture were at best indifferent to the world, or even hostile. If one of these gods was assessed as showing favour on anyone it was because of the favour that was first shown to god. The central claim of Christianity is that “God so loved the world…” The primary actor is God, not humanity. And God, as revealed through Christ, loves the world with a deep abiding love. This is where we get our energy to spread such good news; to spread God’s abiding love for the world. God didn’t come to condemn the world but to save the world through him. God loved us first. Our love is a response to that first, perfect love.
John beautifully uses the metaphor of light and darkness. We have been reading about Nicodemus these past few days, a man who is often in the shade, looking at the light but afraid to step out into it. This, of course, stands in contrast to the woman at the well, in the blazing light of day. Just imagine, a rejected Samaritan woman portrayed as being in the blazing light while a religious man was lurking in the shadows and afraid of commitment. Jesus was deeply controversial in his day, obviously, and remain so today if we allow him to illuminate our path.
The light has come to fully expose God’s love for the world, yet many prefer the security of the darkness, and the Church is not immune from the darkness. Jesus unequivocally speaks about judgement because of this human tendency to go it alone, to do it my way, to hide in the darkness of self-sufficiency. The judgement comes when we choose to hide all, or some of our life, from the light of God’s self-giving, healing, restorative, salvific love.
What are you hiding from? Jesus didn’t come to condemn you, but to save you from that which you are hiding from in the darkness. Go, talk to a priest, and hear the words of restorative love God delights to speak into your life.
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