John 1:9, 11-14, 17 (NRSV) 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 5:24 (NIV) 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Jesus does not answer all our questions about life after death. Much of the mystery remains, but we can believe Jesus has told us and shown us what we need to know. Eternal life is found by truthful living. Truthful living means betting our life that Jesus is right. It means pursuing our way through this world in accordance with His directions, living out of a sense of trust and obedience. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ, the true Light … that enlightens everyone.
Have you had the experience of being grasped by the truth, of finding direction for your life in some unexpected way, of having a higher wisdom overrule what you would normally do, of having an answer given to you when you had all but given up? It can happen in a moment of beauty or of pain, in the midst of a busy day or in absolute solitude, and we know our life has been touched with the truth. The truth of Jesus often comes to us as an unexpected guest, but it never comes as a complete stranger. Truthful living is offered to everyone as a gift, but not everyone accepts or desires that gift. Why the refusal when acceptance could bring only good? It is because our commitment to self-will runs deep. I suspect that we can look upon the love of God and still turn our backs, still live in the shadow of self-deceit, and still bring harm to ourselves and even to those we love. We have a choice. We can and we do refuse the truth that gives us life.
In regularly obeying the truth we find in Jesus we find what John calls the true life. We can be pouting, fussing, complaining, rightfully angry, shading the truth in our relationships, or simply ignoring the truth in order to save something when all the while we know that the truth is what is needed most for our own spiritual health. It is scary to consider how many chances we have each day to refuse the true light, but it is hopeful to realize how many opportunities are ours to accept the true light and to make decisions according to the light Christ gives, generously and abundantly.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope April 26, 1992
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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