John 3:16-21 | Geertgen tot Sint Jans | The Light has come into the World

John 3:16-21   The Light has come into the World

The Nativity at Night, Painted by Geertgen tot Sint Jans (1465-1495), Oil on panel, Circa 1490 © National Gallery, London Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son. On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painted Panel This is one of my favourite Gospel readings. John masterfully writes about light and darkness. For so many of us, our faith starts and grows the most in moments of darkness. Why is it that dark times can become pivotal moments that mark our lives and even shape our future? Not sure there is an adequate reply to this question. It is often only after these times of trial that we can get some level of understanding and begin to see how God was present in those moments… moments in which He expands our hearts. Good comes forth from those moments; purpose becomes clearer… Today’s reading celebrates and rejoices in Christ’s victory over darkness… as per our Gospel ‘the Light has come into the world’… Our painting, set in darkness, at night time, is a captivating scene where we see rays of light emanating from baby Jesus. The bright, divine, shining light bursts out from Jesus and illuminates the gentle face of the Virgin Mary, who is leaning over the crib beside the enchanted angels to the left. The ox and donkey peer out of the darkness; Saint Joseph discretely stands in the background. The shepherds and some sheep are setting up for the night up on the hills, gathered around a fire. They gaze up in awe at the angel of light in the sky above them. Whilst this painting tells the traditional Christmas story, it is a most appropriate painting for our Gospel reading of today, illustrating masterfully how the divine light emerging from the Newborn, lit up the world’s darkness… by Patrick van der Vorst