John 3:32

The Baptist is not done.  “The One sent from heaven,” he continues, “Well, He perfectly describes what he has personally seen and heard in heaven.  Surprisingly, no one seems willing to accept what he has to say.” John 3:32 EFP

You have to keep focused when reading these passages because it is easy to lose track of who’s talking.  Both Johns seem at times to speak of Jesus in similar terms.  This is one of those passages.

John, the apostle, makes a reference about the Word earlier in the Gospel.  He says, the Word “came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11)  In chapter 3, he again makes reference to the world loving “the darkness more than the light.” (John 3:19).  In this verse, it is John the Baptist, who describes a group of people, including me, who choose to ignore heavenly realities in favor of earthly ones.  Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, comes to earth to communicate heavenly news of salvation.  Humanity closes its collective eyes and ears to the life and light-giving truths in order to cling to the darkness.

Why?  Maybe the darkness is cozy, or perhaps it allows us to be satisfied with our squalid condition under cover of night.  Perhaps it’s just too far-fetched for our scientific minds to digest.  It is John who says his message is intended to be a witness to the heaven-sent evidence that can only be grasped through faith, which can only be attained through the workings of the Holy Spirit.  One reality remains in this paradigm:  Life only comes from above and the only way to have access to Him is through a new birth experience.