Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 - 2nd Week of Easter - Wed
[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. [John]
We are back to the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus. Remember that Nicodemus has come to Jesus by night. Nicodemus is also a Pharisee and a member of the governing Jewish council, the Sanhedrin. Several characteristic elements of the Gospel According to John are introduced (although hinted at in the 'Prologue'). The first is the "light and darkness" contrast. Contrasts of this kind appear throughout the gospel, e.g. light/darkness, above/below, sight/blindness. A second element is that of 'judgment.' The Greek word is krisis, from which we get our own word, "crisis," but in Greek it has a kind of "do or die" urgency to it. The coming of Jesus is a moment of judgment. The gospel passage today says, "And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil." Light, sight and faith go together.
In our increasingly secularized world, the darkness seems less a matter of disbelief than massive indifference. Even among those who are faithful, Easter and Christmas just become annual celebrations. Jesus is born and he dies. We celebrate those along with Santa Claus and Easter bunny and take faith for granted. There is nothing of the excitement in the Acts of the Apostles, where today we have a jail break! What (or WHO)is really at the center of our lives? The darkness of indifference is hard to understand when so many will say "Sort of..." in response to the question, "Do you believe in Jesus?" Nicodemus represented the conflict between synagogue and new faith. We may be approached by an equivalent person, one who feels the stirring of faith that may have weakened through indifference. How do we shine a light to them? AMEN
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