March 22 Gospel

Fourth Sunday of Lent

John 3:14-21

"Those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that thier deeds have been done in God" John 3:21

There are some very familiar words in this passage.
John 3:16 is the 'gospel in a nutshell' - a succinct expression of what the coming of Jesus into the world is all about. It is this verse that is trumpeted freely - and it is one of the verses that can add weight to the criticism of the Christian message being all about life in heaven, ' pie-in-the-sky' faith. The message of John 3:17 - a message of grace - is often overlooked, but the concluding verse just seem to be ignored.

The theme of light versus darkness runs throughout John's gospel. Here we find that contrast again. Those who do evil hate the light. If they came to the light their actions would be evident to all, and they would be exposed for what they are.

There are some things that we would all rather not expose to the world - and it is right and proper that the intimate relationships of marriage are not exposed to all. But our lives should be open to others - at least to some degree. In the area of sexuality those whose proclivities are outside the acceptable norm often move away from where they are known to indulge in their depravities. Those unable to do so try to keep their activities secret by means of deception and threat.

On our journeys over recent days there have been articles about corruption in South Africa and Tanzania. In South Africa the police chief proclaimed his innocence, and appealed for his challengers to bring forth the information so he could face them in court. In Dar Es Salaam the accused did not turn up at court, and could not be found.

For me there are two causes for sadness in these events.
The first is that in economically underdeveloped countries some people take advantage of positions of power to steal funds that can make life so much better for their people. Even when they are well provided for themselves, they take advantage of their position for greater personal gain. It is an on-going issue that is not confined to underdeveloped countries. In Australia it was revealed that some government staff received increases in pay at the same time as he Prime Minister was calling for wage restraint in tough economic times. Maybe they earned this pay increase, maybe they deserved this reward - but it was in stark contrast to the fire fighters (some of them volunteers) who will receive verbal acclamation and public praise, but will no get any extra money for risking their lives to save the property and possessions of others.
While not on the same scale as the alleged fraud in Tanzania the underlying motives are closely aligned - I deserve more for what I do, and my financial reward is more important that the 'public interest'. At least in Australia it was transparent, even if ill timed.

My second sadness is that innocent people, accused unjustly, are tainted and stained by accusation alone. It is my prayer that when the light shines brightly innocence will be seen by all, and the motivation behind false accusations will be brought to light.

At Lent, he challenge for disciples of Jesus is to live transparent lives, to invite the light of Christ shine not only upon our actions, but also on our motivation as well.