Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - Wednesday in the Second Week of Easer
[Acts 5:17-26 and John 3:16-21]God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
It has been awhile since I turned on a sports event and saw the banner "JOHN 3:16" behind the goal posts or the bleachers in center field! One wonders how many folks put down their drinks and snacks, blew off the dust on the big display Bible and looked up the citation! I'm sure reactions have run the gamut from complete indifference to inspiration! The message, however, IS an important one and it begins the gospel scripture for today! It would be important to read the whole passage today because the last clause requires some thought. The phrase, "might have eternal life..." means not a future event beyond the grave but a present reality! In the Gospel of John, those who believe in Jesus are already experiencing "eternal life!" Scripture scholars refer to this as "realized eschatology." For our purposes the important thing is to understand the relationship to Jesus that is brought about by faith in him. Our tendency to think of eternal life as an ideal vacation in an ideal PLACE gives an entirely future interpretation to this. Critics and unbelievers have mocked this with the expression: Pie in the sky, by and by. The gospel simply states the truth: "Whoever lives the truth comes to the light,so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God." Faith in Jesus is not simply for some future reward. It is a shared and personal, present and future joy that can be precarious only if we allow ourselves to be distracted from living in the light of Christ. AMEN