19"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21"But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
It's pretty commonly understood, I think, that we sinners can often fail, yet hate our own behavior. Didn't Paul say something to this effect?15For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)
I definitely see how while we are in the depths of our sin we avoid the light. In fact, when I have trouble praying, I take it as a sign that there is some sin or distraction in my life coming between me and God that I need to eliminate. But I don't know that everyone who does evil hates the light. Some of us who do evil hate the evil, even as we do it.
2 comments:
As with many of John's writings, there is a literal interpretation and a metaphor to be considered. The metaphor is clear that Light represents Jesus in this passage. In 1 John 1:5ff John says "God is Light." It sounds like you are assuming that Light represents righteousness or something like that. I think that the Light has more to do with truth.
If Jesus is the Light, let us ask why evil people hated Jesus. They didn't hate Him because He was good. They hated Him because He exposed their sinfulness. They are afraid of being exposed by "the Light." That means that they don't want to admit that they are doing anything wrong.
Some people go to great lengths to deny their faults and develop a variety of psychological disorders trying to delude themselves. That sounds like a problem with the Truth, not the moral code. In fact, those very same people would assent to a moral code in cases in which they were the victim. (Imagine a man who cheats on his wife and makes excuses for his behavior, but quickly appeals to the Law when he finds out his wife or lover is cheating on him.) The point is that the Light exposes the truth of who we are. Look at 1 John 1:8! He says if we deny our sins, "the TRUTH is not in us." Everyone who does evil wants to avoid being caught. They won't admit that they are wrong, but rather offer some reason why their action doesn't betray the moral code. Being good has a lot to do with being dedicated to reality and truth. At least, that is how I see it.
The literal interpretation has to do with the fact that it is much easier to sin in the dark than in the light. Why do crimes occur mostly at night? Why do teenagers like to make out in movie theaters? Jesus is calling Nicodemus out on his actions. Notice that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Why did he do that? He was a well-known ruler among the Jews. He was a Pharisee- -a very prestigious position. I think he was afraid of being seen with this rebel-rousing upstart. Jesus calls it like He sees it.
Interestingly, this is not the only time that we see Nicodemus in the gospels. You might wonder whether Nicodemus responded positively or negatively to Jesus's little sermon here in chapter 3. Did he walk away discouraged like the Rich Young Ruler? Or did he see the truth in what Jesus said and join the revolution?
on being found...
the picture I see in my mind when reading this post and comment is one of a wretched little (insert your gender here) naked, dirty, living destitute in a pit of filth. And when Jesus lifts the manhole cover, shedding light, exposing her wretchedness - he is overwhelmed with joy. He has pity on her wretchedness, so much so that he no longer sees it and when she looks in his eyes...neither does she.
I am glad I found your blog, Peter. I am at bethkolar.com
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