This week’s readings are all from John chapters 2-3. Click here to see a full listing of each day’s reading and the full chapters for this week. Full readings of each day’s smaller segments of the readings will be posted on this site during the week.
Today's Reading
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptized. 24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
How interesting that I rarely think about the value of the context before John 3:16! Even though it’s one of those that begins with a word connected it to the preceding section…
And the connection to this moment with Moses, is pretty powerful! Even though the people had been selfish and complaining, and suffering because of their disobedience, God offers a pretty simple way out: look up and be healed.
The offer of Jesus is just as simple (in a way): believe and enter into LIFE! Your past mistakes don’t matter, your heart matters. If you want to be made whole and you truly believe Jesus is the way, then you find it.
I guess that is sort of the catch—the lure of the various ways we are used to “acting in darkness”, ways our flesh prefers to stay hidden, can catch us up… Lord, help me to live in the light and to live out of your light within me instead of darkness.