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Fourth Sunday of Lent (B)
The gospel of John portrays Jesus as the divine Logos, coming into the world to bring light, life, and love. These few verses mention all three and thus are a microcosm of the whole Gospel (though love is not developed here but in chs. 11 on).
Start from v. 21 and move upwards in the text. The Son has come as the light of God and thus exposes evil as evil and also chases back the darkness. But humans cling to darkness in order that their evil deeds not be exposed. But those who desire truth come to the light which shines forth their deeds as of God.
Coming to the light is possible because of God’s love-initiative to give life (vv. 15-17). God loved the world and gave his Son to bring life to those who believe. These receive life now and into the future. This is eternal life, both qualitative and quantitative (cf. 17:3). It sets people free (8:32) and releases humans (us) from condemnation (v. 18).
What is the gift, the event, that makes this possible? Yes, God gave the Son, but also the lifting up of the Son (v. 14) is crucial. For through this event the gift of life is proffered to all who believe. Echoing the Moses/serpent narrative, the “lifting up” saves humans from perishing from death. In John, the lifting up is at once both cross (17:1-5, 26) and glory, suffering and reconciliation (cf. 12:32)
How then should we who have believed live? As children of God (1:12) we extend the light, life, and love of Christ. We witness to Christ, our Savior and Source. For those who have not yet believed, we invite you to Jesus as God’s light to dispel your darkness; as God’s Life to save from sin, unbelief, and death; as God’s love to welcome you into the new creation (13:34-35).
Willard M. Swartley
The majestic and rousing worship themes in Ephesians 1 provide the backdrop against which one can understand the ethical reminders in Ephesians 2. To Jews and others used to synagogue routines the opening blessing in 1:3-14 would have been reminiscent of the “berakah” ascribing praise to God for the blessings of creation, redemption and sustenance. However, such expressions of worship might have startled non-Jewish citizens of Roman Asia accustomed to hearing eulogies honoring the emperor as the chief benefactor who supplies rich benefits to his adoring people. In Ephesians 1 adulation is voiced toward the God of the universe who has graciously intervened in Jesus Christ, who has called into being a people whose future inheritance is sealed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. The grandiose vision of the exalted God of the universe gives way in 1:15-23 to a personal prayer in behalf of the church, a prayer for wisdom and hope and power. For those who believe, the panorama of God’s majestic power is breathtaking. The story of Jesus Christ features his resurrection from the dead and his exaltation above all powers and authorities and names … including the power and authority and name of Caesar. And, whereas emperors rise and fall, and empires crumble, Christ’s dominion is established not only in this age but also into the age yet to come. God’s power is made known to all the powers through the church. And what is the church? The church is Christ’s body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (1:23). The pageantry of Caesar and his deputies is trumped by the humble and often fragile communities of faithful saints gathered for worship and fellowship and mission in the name of Christ in Asia Minor and throughout the vast Roman Empire!
Ephesians 2:1-10 reminds the readers that what God has done for Christ in raising him from death (1:20) is replicated in the church, whose story also includes a transformation from death to life. What message might this text have for the church during the season of Lent? Three movements within the gospel drama in Ephesians might be highlighted:
- This story features their rescue from the forces of death and sin and their transfer into new life as participants with Christ in his resurrection and exaltation. The way of life characteristic of the present age is graphically portrayed as a living death: You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived (2:1-2). The plight of all humanity is painted with a universal brush: We were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else (2:3). During Lent it is appropriate to reflect on our humanness, our fallen nature, our sinful inclinations, which, when left unredeemed, lead to death.
- But the good news of the gospel is that there is salvation for all those who accept God’s mercy and love as demonstrated in Jesus Christ: For by grace you have been saved through faith (2:8). God’s grace is the hinge that opens the door to the future! It is through faith that the dramatic divine reversal comes. Even during the season of Lent with its emphasis on self-examination one needs to rehearse the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ!
- Good deeds are also important, although salvation is not the result of works (2:9). Salvation does issue in obedience among those created anew as part of the new humanity: For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works (2:10). Even these good works, viewed within the cosmic narrative of God’s sovereign activity in creation and redemption, are declared to have been created beforehand to be our way of life (2:10). Genuine belief is evidenced in doing good. And, as the next section of the letter makes abundantly clear (2:11-22), in Christ there is also a social transformation. Through the cross of Christ a wall of hostility has come tumbling down. Jews and Gentiles, two peoples previously separated from each other by many generations of animosity and ethnic pride, are now united into one new humanity, one body (2:15,16). The result is peace, not the Roman peace attained through warfare and domination but the peace of free and open and equal access in one Spirit to God through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Jacob W. Elias
