Once in Darkness, Now in the Light—Lectionary Reflection for Lent 4A (Ephesians 5:8–14)
Ephesians 5:8-14 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says,
“Sleeper, awake!Rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”
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There is a common thread running
through scripture that contrasts light and darkness. It goes back to the first
creation story in Genesis 1, where the first act of creation involved the
separation of the darkness from the light, creating night and day (Gen.
1:3-5). In the prologue to John’s
Gospel, Jesus is described as being the light that shines in the darkness, a
light that the darkness cannot overcome (Jn. 1:3-5). Here in Ephesians 5, we
hear another word about light shining into the darkness. The message here
speaks of walking in the light rather than the darkness, with darkness serving
as a metaphor for life lived outside the ways of God. The author, who may or
may not be Paul, reminds the readers that once they lived in the darkness, but
now they live in the light.
Our reading from Ephesians is
featured on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, which is a season of introspection and
repentance. This year, Lent parallels the Islamic season of Ramadan, which
calls for the same kind of response to daily life, though Islamic fasting is
more prescribed than the Lenten one. This year, Lent also coincides with the
war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran. For some, this is a
battle between forces of light and darkness (depending on which side you’re one
will determine who is who). Considering the world situation, we need to have
some light shine into the darkness present in the world, the kind of darkness
that leads to the situations the world so often finds itself in.
As is often true with the Revised
Common Lectionary, the framers of the lectionary texts have chosen to excise
seemingly problematic verses. The reading begins in verse 8, but the sentence
begins in verse 7 according to the New Revised Standard Version Updated
Edition. If we include verses six and seven, we find these words: “Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God
comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do
not be associated with them, …” Verse 7 includes those problematic words “wrath
of God,” something many of us struggle with. What is the wrath of God? The
previous reading from Romans 5:1-11 also spoke of God’s wrath. If we posit that
God is love (1 Jn. 4:8), then what should we make of the idea that God might be
wrathful? Our response to this word has deep roots in theologies like that of
Jonathan Edwards, who famously preached a sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands
of an Angry God.” It is difficult to reconcile love and wrath, and yet we have
both in Scripture. But, in this case, we skip over the word about wrath, so we don't
have to deal with it. That might be unfortunate for two reasons. First,
considering the state of the world and the way people treat each other, perhaps
God has reason to be angry at our behavior as a species. After all, we pollute
and desecrate God’s creation and treat one another poorly. Then there are the
wars, which tend to get fought in the name of God. Secondly, by excising the
passage that speaks of divine wrath, we may find it more difficult to
understand Paul’s contrast between living in the light and darkness. That is
because God’s wrath is directed at the darkness, in which the readers once
lived. The darkness here most likely involves the pagan/polytheistic religions
of the Gentile Christians.
The next word is important. Paul (I’m
going to presume Pauline authorship while acknowledging that it is disputed) tells
the Ephesians that because they are children of light, they should live
accordingly. That is, because have experienced conversion to the way of Christ,
they should do what is good, right, and true. Sally Purvis provides a helpful
discussion of what Paul (or the post-Pauline author) has in mind here regarding
the experience of conversion.
At least for Paul and those writing in his name, there is no possibility of an internal, private conversion that does not enact goodness. In fact, there is no complete conversion that does not demand constant embodiment in the form of what Paul called “the fruits of the Spirit.” The lists of those fruits, behavior that exhibits the love of God in the world, in concrete ways and in concrete communities, vary from passage to passage, but they all signal that the reality of conversion is found in behavior. Our souls are visible in our actions. [Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (WJK Books, Kindle p. 86)].
So, Paul writes to the folks in Ephesus, reminding them that
in embracing the message of Jesus, they had chosen to separate themselves from
their old lives. Therefore, it's time to live according to the ways of God.
Paul isn’t trying to be legalistic. He just assumes that in choosing to follow
Jesus, people will live in ways that reflect his teachings. These involve
behavior, including the way they relate to each other. If they don’t follow the
ways of Jesus, then they walk in darkness, which is something God does not want
to happen. So, Paul advises his readers to discern what is pleasing to God,
that is, what is good, right, and true, rather than participate in the fruit of
darkness.
Since this is Lent, and the season
does invite us to look introspectively at our lives, and where necessary,
repent so we might receive forgiveness, it is worth pondering what darkness
entails. My sense is that what Paul is envisioning is akin to systemic sin.
There are systems existing in this world that are destructive to people’s lives
and the world itself. Might we speak here of the way the wars in Ukraine and
Iran are being waged? Might we think in terms of the ways anti-racist
initiatives are being turned upside down so that the people who have been
historically marginalized are once again facing marginalization? There is the
way immigrants are being treated, whether documented or not. The anti-trans
movement is another way in which people God created and loves face persecution
and worse. Might these all be considered elements of darkness? Should we not
live differently if we follow Jesus, who called on those with ears to hear to
love their neighbors as well as God?
But what happens under the cover of
darkness will be exposed when the light shines into it, making it visible. By
living in the light, we participate in God’s efforts to shine light into the
darkness, exposing what is contrary to the way of God, even if done in the name
of God. To walk in the light involves standing up for justice, especially for
those living on the margins. While we are called to join with Jesus in shining
the light of God into the world, it’s important to remember that darkness is
powerful. Therefore, we might want to heed this word of warning from Reinhold
Niebuhr: “It must be understood that the children of light are foolish not
merely because they underestimate the power of self-interest among the children
of darkness. They underestimate this power among themselves.” [Niebuhr, The
Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, University of Chicago
Press. Kindle Edition]. Niebuhr’s warning is appropriate considering the
tendency of some of those who seek power to be narcissists. We all have a bit
of the narcissist in us, which can be dangerous.
The
concluding word in our reading calls on us to wake up from our sleep, rise from
the dead. In other words, pay attention to what is going on around us. Most of
all, let the light that is Christ shine on our lives. That might be painful if
it uncovers behaviors that run counter to what is good, right, and true. But
isn’t that the point of Lent, look inward, discern what is a product of
darkness, and let it go.
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