At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 18:1-4, NRSV Bible with Apocrypha
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:6-7, Ignatius Bible
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5, Ignatius Bible
Last Friday’s post, a prayer for eternal life, takes me on a journey from knowing God to loving, trusting, and obeying him. It starts with knowing because how can I love him if I don’t know him?
I think the apostle John, “the one whom Jesus loved”, is all about helping us know God so we can love him, fellowship with him, abide in him. In this passage he lays out the basics: God is all light (all flame) – there is not a hint of darkness in him. He says to us essentially, “Children, if you sense darkness, that isn’t God; you will know him because he is the one who is all light, all good, all truth, all love.”
Grace and peace to us as we learn to know and love our gracious and good God.
dw
p.s. For any who want to look back at other posts on the theme of light and darkness, here is a guide:
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
— Matthew 5:14-16, NRSV Bible with Apocrypha
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12, NRSV Bible with Apocrypha
Jesus is all flame; he is the light of the world, the light of life for all people. Our desire to become all flame, as Abba Joseph puts it, is simply another way of saying we want to love Jesus so much we will follow him no matter what, just to be with him in his mission of truth, mercy, healing, provision, redemption, justice, and love.
I regret that I regularly and habitually focus on the ashes and not the light, as Thomas Merton writes; every time I do that, I forfeit an experience of the very best for something less than that. As Mary Oliver says, when I do that “there is something wrong, I know”.
Gracious God, in your mercy, enable us to follow Jesus more and more each day.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
Image – Rembrandt portrait of Jesus from wikiart.org
becoming flame 