Christ's crucifixion, his "lifting up", to achieve "eternal life" for all who believe, leads John to reflect on God's love for humanity, a love which is so powerfully expressed in the cross. John's reflection is, as B.F. Westcott puts it, "a commentary on the nature and mission of the Son." Christ's death serves to rescue humanity from destruction, yet some still face destruction, but it is their own doing; they prefer darkness rather than light, death rather than life.

v16. Here we have one of the best loved verses in the Bible and this because it presents the gospel in a nutshell. In v15 Jesus states that it is necessary for the Son of Man to be crucified so that those "who believe in him may have eternal life." John now reflects on this truth and identifies its cause. God's love for humanity, not just Israel, has prompted the Father to give up his Son to the cross, so that whoever believers in the Son may have life eternal.

v17. Jesus, in like manner with the gospel, does indeed condemn unbelieving humanity, or more properly, reiterates the condemnation already hanging over them. Yet, this is not the purpose of Jesus' coming; Jesus is sent to save, not to condemn.

v18. Having stressed that the purpose of Jesus' coming is to save lost humanity, John now underlines the truth that belief in (trust in, reliance on) Christ is the necessary prerequisite for a person to escape condemnation. The person who does not believe confirms their condemnation, and this because they have ignored the salvation offered in God's unique Son.

v19. The final three verses are difficult to interpret, but there is a clue to their meaning and it lies in the phrase, "this is the verdict." The Bible commentator, Leon Morris, suggests that the "verdict" (judgment, condemnation) is likely referring to the process of judging, rather than the actual judgment. John is explaining how the process of judging works. All humanity stands condemned because of sin, but in Christ's coming that condemnation can be confirmed, or it can be reversed. It all depends on how we respond to Christ, how we respond to the light shining in the world. Condemnation is confirmed on those who love darkness rather than the light, who love darkness because "their deeds were evil." Of course, we all sin, but John is speaking here of habitual sin free from remorse or any desire to know God. Such a person loves darkness and so stands condemned.

v20. John goes on to explain why "those who do evil" fail to come to the light. His answer is that those who live in habitual evil hate the light because they fear that their evil will be exposed. They are happy in their evil and don't want their cosy world disturbed by the glaring reproof of Christ.

v21. Thankfully, there are some whose condemnation is lifted. "Those who do truth" ("lives by the truth") come to the light. John uses this phrase to offset "those who do evil." Many commentators suggest that such a person comes to the light because their life is worthy of exposure, but if that was the case John would have used a word like goodness, faithfulness or righteousness. No, although such a person is rightly under condemnation, they seek a way of escape and have discovered it an amazing truth, a truth they now rest on. The gospel proclaims this life-saving truth, a truth John clearly states it in v16. A person who rests on this truth comes to the light and is washed by the grace of God. Before the universe they proclaim that all this is "done through God."

Church notice boards and banners can tell us allot about the agenda of a church. There are the "come and join the FULL gospel church" versions which suggest superiority. There is the no message church, other than the service times, usually without notification if cancelled. The "you are unimportant to us" message is emphasized if the notice board is next to unintelligible. There is the embarrassingly dumb and unoriginal, "CH__CH, what's missing?" In Australia a local hotel replied with "P_B, what's missing?" There is the finger-pointing judgmental banner proclaiming that church attenders are going to heaven, but the rest are going to hell. Then there is the gospel, the light shining in the darkness.

The "light" is the love of God radiating in the person and work of Christ, a life-giving light to a lost and broken world. The gospel message is easily displayed on a church notice board. On commencing my ministry in a particular parish I tried the "Under New Management .... Same Boss" line. Even this little message has a spark of the gospel about it. God lives and loves unconditionally; how simple is that!

In his gospel, John ponders the impact of God's offer of "everlasting life." In a world facing destruction, there are those who come to the light, who believe in Jesus, who rest on the truth of God's grace in Christ, but there are also many others who hate the light and flee from it. John suggests that those who grip onto their selfish lifestyle do not come to the light because they fear the exposure of their life and thus, the loss of a life apart from God.

When we banner the gospel, many of those caught up in the push and shove of life will ignore, even flee the light, but some will be attracted to it. So, banner the gospel; something better than "Jesus Saves", given that we don't know what bank he used!

Create a banner design that serves as a light to the world