What is the implication of John's discussion of light as it relates to human beings?
John's discussion of light is rooted in human beings being created in the image of God. Being created in the image of God gives human beings the unique capacity to reflect God. According to Samuele Bacchiocchi, "the image of God is associated not with man as male and female, or with an immortal soul given to our species, but rather with humankind’s capacity to be and to do on a finite level what God is and does on an infinite level" (paragraph 22). Human beings are part of – and a reflection of – God's light, but God is the true Light.
What is the implication of John's statement that people did not understand the light? Why might he have used the word understand here when he could have used other words?
John spoke of "understanding" in the sense of comprehension. For example, Jesus used parables throughout His ministry. Those with understanding comprehended the meaning behind the parables, whereas those without understanding did not. Just because someone can see, hear, or otherwise perceive something does not mean they understand it. John's use of understanding implies a deep, comprehensive knowledge.
What does John mean when he talks about the world?
John is referring to the world in a couple of contexts. First, he is referring to the physical world and everything in it. Second, it refers to the world system. That is, the political and social systems in place in the world then and now.
What does it imply when John says that God came to his own?
This is two-fold. First, it means God came to the world, humanity (as a whole) in particular, which is His creation. Second, God came to the Jewish people, who are His covenant (or chosen) people.
How can young people murder each other without remorse?
I chose this question because it hits fairly close to home for me. If you peruse the news stories on Cleveland.com, you will see at least one murder story a week. Most of these stories involve teens and people in their twenties, either as victims or perpetrators. Although I will try to keep race out of the subject of this post, a large percent of these murders involve young, African-American men.
What does this page reveal about our culture’s attitude toward human life?
Part of this trend of young people murdering each other is the fulfillment of prophecy, as Paul detailed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV):
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
This verse provides a litany of symptoms. The cause however, is this: human life is no longer seen as beautiful and valuable. To expand on that statement, no one sees others as valuable save him or herself. Think about what Sagan said in the first week, that nothing in the universe has any intrinsic value relative to anything else. Secular humanism teaches that man is no more than an evolved animal. We see this sort of behavior in today’s business world, where people move up the corporate ladder at the expense of their co-workers and families. We see the consequences of this mindset play out on the evening news every day.
Basically, it all comes down to one fact: Human life is not valuable.
Is there any dissonance between what we believe and the way we act?
I think there is a huge dissonance between what we believe – or what we say we believe – and how we act. Many corporations promote work/life balance, but ask workers to work overtime and sacrifice energy to get that next project done. Gang members are taught that they are all brothers, unless one of them goes against the flow, then he is nothing. Many Christians are not immune, either. They preach “love thy neighbor,” yet they do not practice it.
Are there underlying questions and assumptions behind these current issues?
There are several underlying assumptions, yes:
Most young people murdering others tend to be black. This is not the case, particularly with cases like T.J. Lane.
Most young people who murder others are bullied or abused. Although this is true in a few cases, such as the T.J. Lane case mentioned above, some come from good homes with caring parents.
The killers come from poor or low-income families. Again, true in some cases, but not always. Take the Menendez brothers as an example.
This post was part of my homework for Indiana Wesleyan University in response to a recorded lecture Harold Kushner gave. If I can find the YouTube video, I will edit this post to include it. Specifically, my response to this video had to answer the following questions:
How important is this problem for you?
What do you think of Kushner’s answer to the problem?
Have you found other ways to address this issue?
This was my response to the video:
Parts of this video were hard for me to watch, particularly the portion about the young man who was killed by a drunk driver and buried on what was supposed to be his wedding day. I had not thought that speaking in such a manner was teaching people – even subconsciously – to hate God.
The problem of good people suffering needlessly is – I suspect – important to everyone in some degree or another. I’ve had to deal with it when I lost my job last year and earlier when a friend committed suicide. The question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is a fundamental question, even if it is the wrong question.
I liked Rabbi Kushner’s three-fold approach:
The natural world makes no distinction between good and evil. This is something I had not considered when I’ve asked myself that question.
How do we respond to someone who is suffering? Simply say "I'm sorry" and be there for them. I can attest to that being the most appropriate way more often than not. One of my friends is currently going through a rough time due to an incorrect medical diagnosis that resulted in a drug regimen that’s probably caused more damage to his body than it was intended to fix. I do not know what to say, so I just let him know I'm there and listen as he vents his frustration and hurt.
Sometimes the "why" is not a question, but a cry of pain. That bit reminded me of a quote by John Hagee in his book, Day of Deception. On page 155, he says:
Hey, it’s all right to say, "Things are not going right. We're in trouble." It's all right to say "I'm hurting." It's all right to say, "I'm a Christian but I still need somebody to pray with me or I'm going to lose control."
It's also okay to be angry at God. It's okay to have doubts. What matters is how you react to those doubts. I remember an episode of Reba where her son-in-law refused to go to church because he lost faith in God. She told him her story, ending it with "He [God] waited for me when I was mad at Him." Despite being on a secular television show, that brought home a truth for me: God waits for us. We may struggle, but God struggles with us, helps us through it, and waits for us.
I went through and skimmed the book of Job. I will certainly be reading it in-depth. Job 35:1-8 brought home another point: God will do just fine, no matter what we do. If we sin, we don't injure Him, we injure ourselves.
One part I had trouble with was that Satan orchestrated these tragedies against Job. I would say, "But why would God let Satan do that?" The answer – if it can be called that – came to me via two ways. First, I re-read the beginning chapter and noticed that God had Satan on a leash, so to speak. God kept Satan from attacking Job's health, then later kept Satan from taking Job's life. The second was Bob Larson's book In the Name of Satan. In this book, Larson detailed some of his encounters with the demonic. He illustrated that demons exist to destroy what God created, and that includes human beings. Many times, he noted, demons perform evil acts just because they can. However, they are still subject to God. It may not sound comforting, but I took a measure of solace in that.
Another additional reading that helped me through a difficult time was James Dobson's book, When God Doesn’t Make Sense. The book helped me realize that even though I am going through tough times, God is with me and I need to trust in Him.
Hebrews 13:8 says that God "is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 1:12 states that "You [God] remain the same, and Your years will never end." Yet He brings change, as written in 1 Corinthians 15:52: "at the last trumpet . . . we will be changed." Romans 12:2 states "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind."
So this is where I'm struggling in my faith: a God who thrives on change, and drives change, yet is unchanging.
