Tuesday 27 June 2023

Psalm 57:1-3, 7-11

Background

Today’s passage flows from yesterday's conversation about the ‘birth from above’ available through the Spirit (John 3:1-15), though the dialogue with Nicodemus fades into the background as the writer reflects more broadly on the significance of Jesus.

The text begins with perhaps the most well-known verse in scripture, John 3:16. The verse summarises the central claim of the gospel; God loves the world so much he ‘gave us his only son’ so that we who believe might know true life. In light of the previous verse which speaks of Jesus being ‘lifted up’ (3:14) – and in light of the centrality of the cross within the gospel as a whole – John has in mind God giving us Jesus not just in his life but also in death, a death that leads to forgiveness and freedom. The verse emphasises too the unique identity of Jesus – he is the ‘only son’, the one who exists in a unique relation to the Father. The world God loves is the unbelieving world made up of all who have turned from God.

The following paragraph emphasises that God’s purpose in sending Jesus was to save the world, not to condemn it (vs 17–21). Salvation comes among those who believe "in the name of the only Son of God", that is, those who trust and accept that Jesus is who he says he is. For those who do not believe, they are "condemned already". In fact, the judgement is revealed in the way that people flee the light in favour of the darkness. If we are away from the light, we can do what we wish rather than what God desires, while those who come to the light are open to transformation, witnessing in the light that their deeds are done ‘in God'.

John makes a clear distinction between those who trust Jesus and those who deny him. For John, what we make of Jesus makes all the difference.

To Ponder:

• How is your own understanding of the gospel shaped by John 3:16?
• In what way do you see Jesus as a ‘light’ who illuminates people’s deeds, whether good or bad?