God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. It is the will of God that all be saved. However, Jesus warns us that we must accept the salvation offered to us, nothing is forced upon us. The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light. If my experience is typical it’s not so much that I choose the darkness, like the old cartoon villain Snidely Whiplash tying Little Nell to the railroad track. Rather, I am accustomed to being where I am and how I am and moving toward the light will require that I change, that I act in new and different ways. Change is hard and so I slouch in the rut in which I find myself. It’s not so much that I like the darkness. The inertia built into the daily grind of life inhibits my ability to move toward the light. The Risen Jesus shows us a better way of compassion, kindness, generosity and forgiveness.
