Listen

“This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. All who do wicked things hate the light and don’t come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God.”

John 3:19-21

Think

If you have a problem with imagery that equates light with good and dark with bad, you are not alone. We must always challenge even the most traditional of metaphors, no matter where they originate. That said, doing our best to avoid reinforcing these assumptions, we can glean two valuable lessons: first, what we do matters to God, and second, God is the judge.

While God does not move us around like chess pieces on a board or leave us completely to our own devices, God does walk alongside us and care deeply about the choices we make in life. God’s intentions and hopes are our guide, and our choices matter to God.

This passage has been used to justify litmus testing people’s faith. Who gets to decide what is wicked? Who gets to determine what is “darkness” and what is “light?” Who gets to decide what is the truth? What is clear is that the judge is not us, but God.

At the end of the day, what we do matters to God, and God is the one who has the power to judge.

Bruce Reyes-Chow

Question to Ponder:

What are God’s hopes for us?

Pray

Inhale: God, you are here.

Exhale: Grant me the courage to live as you hope for me to live.

Go

Go forth into the world with justice and compassion in your heart.

Amplify voices of the long silenced.

Name strength in that which has been deemed weak.

Hear one another.

See one another.

Care for one another.

And love one another.

It’s all that easy.

And it’s all that hard.