John 1:1-5, John 20:30, I John 1:1-10
Audio File is at the end of this text.
How do we teach truth? How do we get young people to listen and learn? We have to say it over and over and over again. This is where we find John today. Most believe that John, the disciple, an eye witness to Jesus' ministry, wrote both the Gospel of John and the letters, 1, 2 and 3 John. He was an old man when he wrote and was seen as an elder writing to his spiritual children.With the Gospel we have the story of what he saw with his own eyes. He recounts the preaching, teaching, healing, death and resurrection of our Lord. With the letters we have strong advice on how we are to think and live as followers of Jesus.
The Gospel reads kindly and sweetly. The letters are as if he is exasperated and wagging his finger at us. He is like the parent telling the same child over and over, "I told you you must eat your vegetables." Just like our children tend toward the chips when they need the broccoli, the members of the early church were tending toward sin and away from Jesus. John's frustration is because he knows they know the truth as they have heard it. They were just like the child who knows they can't get up from the table until they eat the broccoli. You lecture your children, John lectures us. 1 John 2:1 says, "I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin."
John has a theme: light.
John 1:5
"The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out."
1 John 1:5
"God is light, pure light. There is not a trace of darkness in him."
What happens when all the lights go out? You're in a big space, maybe a huge wear house or office building and you're alone because you stayed late to get some work done. You hear a bolt of lightening strike and all the lights go out. You don't smoke so you don't have a cigarette lighter but you remember that there's a candle and matches in the restroom. You find your way there by clinging to the walls and remembering how to go since you've gone this path dozens of times. It's unnerving to be in this big space alone in the dark. You tell yourself as long as you can get to the candle you are going to be all right. The candle will be all you need.
You kick over someone's trash can that was sticking out from a desk. You're flailing your arms and knock over files, you're running because you don't know what can happen next in all of this blackness.
You feel the metal plate that is on the door going into the restroom and you push in. It is even darker in the restroom since there are no windows offering any residual light. You grope around and find the sink and recall that the candle is to the right of it. There it is. Now, how about the matches? Where are they? Fortunately this office has some very thoughtful people who are good at keeping supplies handy. You strike the match, light the candle and breathe a deep, deep sigh of relief. You aren't going to die alone in the dark in this storm.
Groping around in the dark is what John sees followers of Jesus doing and he is yelling at them! You have access to all the light in the world. You have free power and you will not receive a bill in the mail for it. You can have the God who placed the sun, moon and stars in the heavens inside your heart and mind and he will shine a never-ending stream of brilliance ahead to guide your way. What is wrong with you people? Take the free gift of light and stop flailing away in the dark.
Our nature is to feel our way slowly in the dark. God says, don't feel your way. Choose light.
