John 12:20-36

In our reading for today, Jesus talks about a seed being buried in the ground, in a dark place. Being in that environment allows the seed to “die to itself” and become something more. It is a miraculous thing for a seed to sprout, becoming something more than it was. Perhaps even more astonishing is that the plant knows which way to go toward the light when it’s time. Darkness was needed for part of the story, but for the next part, it needs light.

We, like that seed, are drawn to the light.  It is instinctual as breathing, written into the creation of the world. From the prologue of John’s Gospel, “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” (NRSVUE John 1:3b-5) Biblical scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer suggests that the last verse could be translated as “the darkness did not comprehend [the light].”  It is beyond the ability of darkness to understand on a fundamental level what the light is because it is something so other.

The same could be said about the difference between humans and God, but Jesus tells us in today’s reading, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” We are being asked to seek the light, like the Greeks did in seeking Jesus, and then take it a step further by believing in the light. The more we are exposed to the light of Christ, the more we recognize it, and even begin to comprehend it in some way, even if we only know we want to walk with Jesus.

We must also believe that the darkness will not overtake or consume us because we know the light. While it might feel at times that we will be swallowed up by suffering of some sort, we put our trust in Jesus, knowing he continues to walk with us, guiding our path especially in the darkest of times. Like that seed, we need Jesus’s light for nourishment and growth, which helps us discern the light and the path ahead.

Take a few moments to reflect on our reading today.  Even as we walk with Jesus toward the cross, we can absorb his light.  What challenges are you facing that need Christ’s light to comprehend? What habits or thoughts need to die and be left in the soil for you to head toward the light? What do you need to let go of in the darkness to seek the light?

These questions can be part of your spiritual practice every day. That is how we continue becoming children of the light (even if we need some darkness to get some rest!).

Meditation by the Reverend Canon Valerie Balling
Priest-in-Charge, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Medford
Diocese of New Jersey