This theme of light really is of great importance to John. It is as
if he expects people to be very slow to understand and he must use
this themes a thousand different ways so we will finally see the
light and know that Jesus is the light.
Does a lack of comments mean that it is easier for us to picutre the
poison snakes from Numberrs than it is to see the cross lifted high.
Does it mean to me that \i see the poison and concentrate on it to
the point that \i do not lift up my head to see the cross? \A
challenge to think about.. retired USAF Chaplain
"Hair of the dog"? The wilderness wanderers stare at a
representation of death and pain and find healing. We stare at a
Roman killing apparatus, the cross and find life! There goes God
again, making something out of nothing...Maybe Joseph's words to his
brothers come back into play here too, "What you meant for evil God
has made for good". bc in MT
Talk about making something out of nothing! Our lectionary group
enjoyed noticing how this happens in both the Old Testament and New
Testament lessons for this Sunday. NOw who in the world would think
that after spending a good bit of time and energy stepping carefully
around dreaded and dangerous snakes, one would find spiritual
insight and renewal in looking up at an image which mirrors the very
terror they have been living with? But then, isn't the cross like
that? A dreaded instrument of torure and punishment, it becomes a
symbol of our hope in the very one who died upon it...for us. Rev.
She in NC
A few random thoughts while preparing for Sunday: Snakes. They are
everywhere. Back in the Old Testament book of exodus, the people of
Israel ran into snakes in their desert travels. But they weren't the
last ones to do so. The snakes are still with us, but today they are
often walking on two legs. We meet them in our workplaces, in our
neighborhoods, in political life, and even sometimes within the
close circle of our own family and friends. Have you ever been
bitten by a snake of the two-legged variety? I have, and I'd be very
surprised if I were the only person listening who could say that. In
my family we had a great-uncle David a couple of generations back,
whom we would all just rather forget about. But I'll bet I'm not
alone. It may be that some of you might also have a two-legged snake
or two slithering around your family tree. ... But more to the
point: There are even more devious snakes at large, and they are the
kind that I find, not out there, but rather in here. In my own mind,
my own heart, my own conscience. ... Snakes. They lie low in the
grass and they sneak up on us unawares. Some of them bite, some draw
blood, some spread poison and leave wounds. Snakes like that are not
to be trusted. They make our lives miserable. ... Now I'm actually
an animal lover, and I'm sure there are others among us who would
want to protest that snakes are important in God's world, and are an
essential part of our natural environment. Well, I agree. That's
true, of course. But poor beast! The snake has somehow become a
biblical and literary symbol, too. Beginning in Genesis, where the
serpent embodied all that is evil, and tempted Adam and Eve into
sin, snakes have acquired a larger-than-life identity in our
culture. ... The snake stands not only for Satan and sin, but also
for everything that causes woundedness in our lives. Each one of us
has an area of need in our lives; and when we are injured at those
vulnerable points, we say that the experience is like getting a
snake bite. It's painful. ... -AL, Lexington, KY
The light that John refers to here in vs 19 is like a searchlight
that reaches out to bring light so that one can see in the dark. It
is as John refers to earlier, "The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness does not overcome it." This light is a verdict handed
down tht the light has come and some people hate that light because
they would rather not face it, but look into the darkness instead.
I'm rambling here, but it is early. Joy
It's interesting to me how this passage starts off by saying: "all
you have to do is believe" and then ends up talking about deeds
having been done in God. I never saw that in this context. I have to
admit that as a good Protestant I have preached this passage in
light of the first emphasis of belief in Jesus and ignoring the
second aspect of deeds. Or is belief in Jesus itself supposed to be
a deed done in God? Sorry about the confusion; just trying to make
sense of it. . . Chuck
Snakes...historically and in the Old testament snakes negative
symbols but what about the positive symbols...in matriarchal times
they were a sign of healing.Marian
I was reminded that the healing emblem
for the medical profession is the symbol of the snake intwined on
the staff... same image for this weeks' Hebrew Bible reading and the
gospel. Sacred images infusing the secular ...which reminds me,
stream of consciously, of the annual Red Mass at St Louis Cathedral
New Orleans for the Louisianna legal profession....Kairos
Saved by grace...
Deeds are the evidence for salvation...
Does that work (no pun intended)?
Rick in Va
I recently saw the movie "The Green Mile". I can not help but think
of it as I read this text. John Coffee(and I am not spelling it
right) was what we used to call in the '60's a "Christ-figure"
innocently dying so that others might live - even too long. He was a
healer. He saw injustice. The film maker used the contrast of dark
and light through out the movie. How do we use this example without
revealing the ending for those who have not seen it? The electric
chair and cross work. I need to sharpen the example of a man who
usually did only good but was executed. There was one scene in which
he uses violence to destroy evil. If others of you have seen "THe
Green Mile" I would enjoy dialogue about using it as an example or
metaphor for this week's Gospel.
Caroline in CT/USA
John Coffee's (just like the drink) death provided no salvation. He
provided salvation through helping and healing others. To that
extent, yes, I saw him as a Christ-figure.
Light exposing the deeds of darkness: what about the contrast of
John Coffee and the sadistic guard? Who was really in darkness? As
well, this particular guard's threat to expose the deeds of the
other guards.
The movie served for me to illustrate the sacredness of life and how
horrible it is to lose it. Great movie.
John near Pitts
Thanks, The Green Mile does provide a great framework for the themes
of this week's scripture. Manzel
Yes, light and darkness are central to the gospel of John. In the
Green Mile, there are many contrasts of light and darkness but also
of life and death. Life itself is enlightened, glorified and shown
to be sacred yet death too is revered as a good part of creation.
Each execution was horrible, tragic and just plane wrong. Even
stomping on a mouse was an atrocity. That very scene made all life
seem more sacred. But death, in its own time was to be welcomed and
there John Coffy was ahead of us. We need not try to make John Coffy
more into the image of Jesus but in appreciateing John Coffy we have
a new depth of understanding Jesus. The inoscence of John Coffey and
his abscence of malice in contrast to reputation or public personan
is so striking. One cannot help but love John Coffy for his purity
of heart, his abscence of malace. Yet this giant image on the silver
screne is but a flickering candle in comparison to the radiant Son-
shine of the one Crusified for us who could say from the cross,
"father forgive them for they know not what they do" ! Manzel
Insightful Friends—
I see here a fun twist on the old expression "hotter than Hell."
Apparently, the place of heat and light is in the presence of
Christ. This would fit with the portrayal of the innermost circle of
Hell in Dante’s Inferno. There, Satan is forever imprisoned in a
mountain of ice which never melts because it is so far removed from
the light and heat of Christ’s presence.
Have you ever been in a place where the light is too bright? About
30 years ago, when I was an Explorer Scout, our High Adventure Post
used to do 3 or 4 survival training outings per year. One of them
was out in California’s high desert. In the summer. One of the first
orders of business was to either find or construct some shade. The
heat of so much direct sunlight was unbearable. Though it was years
ago, I vividly remember the experience of seeing myself under such
stark, searching light. My skin was either too burnt or too pasty.
My body seemed too thin and puny (sigh, those were the days). My
face, reflected in the pocket mirror (useful for signaling or
shaving), was streaked with dried sweat and grime. My features
seemed misshapen and misaligned. All in all, under that broad
expanse of light and heat, I was profoundly aware of just how small
and inadequate I was, how ill-equipped I was to handle the simple
task of surviving in that bright, unrelenting light.
There were, of course, other fears in the darkness. Most of the
denizens of the desert are nocturnal. But there again, my greatest,
deepest fear arose from the light–– this time from the light of
myriad stars. Under the light of those stars, light that had
traveled billions of miles to fill up my desert night, I felt
utterly worthless and insignificant. And there, at the age of 17,
completely exposed and stripped of all pretensions, is when I really
heard the sheer power of God’s Good News, proclaimed by Jesus,
whispered by the Holy Spirit: "Yes, you are a small, insignificant,
flawed little creature. And I love you more than you can begin to
imagine."
"And this is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but the
people preferred darkness." Small wonder. Light shows us just how
flawed and helpless we are. The desert did not judge me, nor the
blazing sun, nor the night sky. I judged myself by their light and
was found wanting. So it is, I think, with that last judgment. And
yet, thanks be to God, the light came into the world not to condemn
the world, but to save.
For more insight into this week’s text, I strongly recommend "The
Great Divorce," by C. S. Lewis.
Blessings, Steve in Orange
As I read this passage along with the Ephesian passage, and try to
put it into the Lenten perspective (esp. self-examination), it is
the word "grace" that keeps jumping out at me. Grace is always
there. The snake that Moses lifted up in the desert was there for
the people to see. The cross of Christ is there, now, for us to see.
Grace is there. Forgiveness is there. Before we even ask, we are
forgiven. But, we must turn away from the world (flesh) to see it.
We must accept God's grace. It is there for the taking. Pastor Mark
in IL
For Lent I'm doing a series of services called "Pressure Points
(felt needs) of Life." For this Sunday, the topic is "The Long
Journey--when life/job/marriage gets boring."
I'll point out that the journey for Israel made no sense whatever. A
journey that should have lasted 3 months lasted 40 years. What must
have been the frustrations of the people as they struggled with
their feelings of faith, loyalty, heritage???!!!
In our society, we have what we call "mid-life crises." That's when
we've lived 40 years, and when we think we should have the feeling
of satisfaction and fulfillment, we feel empty and meaningless. And
we think if we had a different job, a different wife, a sports car,
we'd feel better. Those are the snakes that can kill us! Destroy our
very reason for living!
But right in the middle of that struggle for meaning and fulfillment
is that sign of God's love: the cross. It's the sign of death, but
to us a sign of life. In the middle of our pain, our boredom, our
lot in life comes the message that Jesus is the one who hung between
earth and heaven to join us to our God. From the perspective of the
cross, we see things differently. There's a divine perspective. A
God-view of life. A God-purpose for our struggles and pains.
In January we visited our son in Phoenix and saw our 4-month old
granddaughter for the first time. I'll never forget the feeling when
I picked her up and the first thing she did was give me a great big
smile! This old grandpa heart did a million flips! It was then that
I realized why I was patient with my son when he was growing up. God
was using me to build character and strength in my children so that
they could pass it on to theirs.
It's easy to get lost in the wilderness, and to feel like there's no
point. But there is. Some day we'll see it! Looking to the sign of
love will keep us faithful and focused, and will give us the
strength to persevere.
Clarence in Iowa
A couple of early week thoughts.
When I was a child, one of my important task around the house was to
hold the light. My father, a very patient man, was not much of a Mr.
fixit. As he would struggle to repair things I was often brought in
to hold a flashlight for him. (I heard a comedian comment not long
ago that if they had invented those snake lights that shine where
you point them he'd have never met his father) I was young and
easily distacted, and I remember the light wandering with my eyes on
occassion around the room and away from the project at hand. I can
still hear the harrummmph from under the sink or the hood of the car
as my Dad encouraged me to return the light.
I learned that when a person wants the light nothing else will do.
As a newly wed, I had not yet adjusted to sharing my life with
another. On a few occassions my morning person happiness and the
light I turned on with a happy "Good Morning !!" were met with a
very similar harrrummmppphh from my dazed and unhapy bride.
Again, when people do not want the light - they really do not want
it!
I am also intersted in looking at the way God takes the cause of our
pain and often transforms itr - by grace - into a sign of
redemption.
More as we bake our way through the week.
New York Sheepdog
Adam Clarke's commentary on N.T. on v 16
Such a love as that which induced God to give his only begotten son
to die for the world could not be described: Jesus Christ does not
attempt it. He has put an eternity of meaning in the particle, "so"
and left a subject for everlasting contemplation, wonder, and
praise, to angels and to men. The same evangelist uses a similar
mode of expression, 1 John 3:1: Behold, WHAT MANNER of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us.
Adam Clarke on v 17:
For God sent not, etc.—It was the opinion of the Jews that the
Gentiles, whom they often term the world and nations of the world,
were to be destroyed in the days of the Messiah. Christ corrects
this false opinion; and teaches here a contrary doctrine. God, by
giving his Son, and publishing his design in giving him, shows that
he purposes the salvation, not the destruction, of the world—the
Gentile people: nevertheless, those who will not receive the
salvation he had provided for them, whether Jews or Gentiles, must
necessarily perish; for this plain reason, There is but one remedy,
and they refuse to apply it.
Clarence in Iowa
Adam Clarke on the pericope:
This is the end of our Lord’s discourse to Nicodemus; and though we
are not informed here of any good effects produced by it, yet we
learn from other scriptures that it had produced the most blessed
effects in his mind, and that from this time he became a disciple of
Christ. He publicly defended our Lord in the Sanhedrin, of which he
was probably a member, John 7:50, and, with Joseph of Arimathea,
gave him an honorable funeral, John 19:39, when all his bosom
friends had deserted him.
Clarence in Iowa
It strikes me a little odd that with Nicodemus expressing such
interest in spiritual things, Jesus did not call him to be one of
the disciples.
Clarence in Iowa
As Clarence noted, this piece is a part of Jesus' discourse to
Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. In chapter 19, when Joseph
asks for the body of Jesus, it is noted that he was "a disciple of
Jesus, though a secret one" (19:38). Vs. 39 also notes that
Nicodemus first came to Jesus by night. Could this discussion of
light and darkness be directed at Nicodemus (and other secret
disciples) who has "seen the light" but will not live in the light?
Seems like an often repeated theme in human history. We know God, we
know of God's salvation, we believe in God, but we continue to
stuggle with allowing God to rule in our lives. While Nicodemus and
Joseph may have hidden their discipleship publicly, they were
faithful privately. Too often in today's society, we are public with
our discipleship (church, language, jewlry, t-shirts), but our faith
is hidden, even from ourselves. I see two actions of Christianity:
seeing the light and living in the light. If we want to put this in
theological terms, it may be liken to salvation and santification.
This leads us right back to the earlier conversation of works vs.
grace. We are saved by grace that in our sanctification we may do
good works.
Just some rambling thoughts...JRinBigD
I am interested in seeing how we respond to what has become the
sacharinne sentimentality surrounding John 3:16.
This passage of scripture is part of Jesus' response to the
question, "How can this be?" How can one be born anew. Simple
answer: Believe that the light has come into the world for our
salvation.
My working title for this week's sermon is "This littlle light of
...ours."
Sun City Rev
Sacharinne sentimentality . . . a tough challenge, since I am
preaching from John 3:16 as well. Two challenges I have found:
1. "World" is kosmos in the Greek, and I don't think it's a stretch
in the translation to insist that the emotional interpretation of
"God loved *me* so much . . ." is way too small. Over in the
discussion section they are refering to The Green Mile, and the
image of John Coffee feeling everyone's emotions makes for a good
image of God loving the world.
2. At the end of the verse, "perish" is in the aorist, and "have"
eternal life is in the present. From my word search through John
(using Hermeneutika, an excellent computer Bible program that let me
search on the Greek root and print the results in English), both of
these distinctives are relatively consistent through the gospel. So
the death we suffer is past, present, and future, and the eternal
life is now--today. I haven't figured out how to illustrate this
well yet, but it draws us away from a focus on what happens when we
die.
I'll be (briefly) walking through the verse, phrase by phrase, as a
sermon outline.
Thanks for the good thoughts again this week. While reading Raymond
Brown again on this text i was taken back when he stated that "the
best attested readings" suggested the definite article "the" only
Son rather than "his" only Son in v.16. Is there anything to this?
Not that it would affect my preaching on this text, but sometimes
these seemingly little things are there. Deke of the North
v 14 again re-emphasizes the significance of covenant history
breaking forth in the life of Jesus. This recapitulation faith
vision opening up the present to the past or the past to the present
is especially needed in this age of information explosion, future
shock, dead tradition, and institutional emptiness because of the
contemporary eschatological milieu wherein the chaos of change
victimizes. We need the "serpent wisdom" especially in Jesus the
Christ to bring the new being/life which is victorious over death.
We need to see clearly the cause of our dead being. We need to see
the serpent Jesus bearing our death as his own especially in the
Sacrament of Holy Communion. PaideiaSCO in north GA mts.
A member of my congregation asked people where he worked,"Who
said..Jn 3:16?" it has been taken out of context so much, that
almost no one knew. i am going back and including nicodemus (i'll be
out of town on father's day). we imagined how the pharisees used to
stay up late at night discussing scripture and theology (before T.V.)
and could "see" nicodemus coming in from the dark, into the light.
didn't the hebrew people have to acknowledge their sin before they
pled for help from the snakes? They admitted they had turned against
God, and now God provided a way for them to turn to God and gaze
upon life. a lenten theme seems to be that in confessing our turning
away from God, we can turn to the cross, the symbol of our
salvation, of life.
when you come in to the light, the streaks and dirt show, only then
do you realize the need to clean.
thanks for your comments. blessings, rachel in tn.ms
