The days feel shorter now that the late afternoon is dark. More and more lights pop up in the streets near and in homes. Especially at this time, the contrast between light and dark is palpable. It is an excellent time to reflect on the deeper meaning of light and darkness, as John so beautifully depicts in his Gospel. In John 3 and 4 we see how Jesus brings light to a world that often lives in darkness, and how He opens the hearts of people regardless of their background, status or history.
John 3 and 4 together form an impressive diptych that makes the theme from the gospel's prologue concrete: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not seized it.” (John 1:5). These two chapters describe two encounters of Jesus that at first glance appear to have nothing to do with each other, but which in their very contradiction reveal the heart of the gospel.
The first conversation
The first conversation takes place between Jesus and Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and teacher of Israel. He comes to Jesus in the night; that time of day is not accidental. In John's gospel, night is often a symbol of darkness, unbelief and misunderstanding. Nicodemus represents the high-minded religious leaders of Israel. He knows the scriptures, but he does not understand the spiritual reality Jesus is talking about. Jesus explains to him that a person must be born again of water and Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. For Nicodemus, this is a mystery. His knowledge and status prove insufficient to grasp the mystery of God's renewing work. As the conversation progresses, Nicodemus' voice becomes quieter and Jesus' voice more powerful. Eventually Nicodemus fades into the background. Only much later does he reappear, first hesitantly at a discussion in the Sanhedrin and later at Jesus' burial. His path from darkness to possibly budding faith remains unfinished but not without hope.
The second call
The second conversation takes place in full daylight. Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. She is in every way the antithesis of Nicodemus. He is a man of distinction, she a woman without position. He is a Jew, she a Samaritan. He comes in the secrecy of the night, she meets Jesus in the openness of the midday sun. In the culture of the time, it was unusual for a man to speak publicly with a woman, certainly not a Jew with a Samaritan. Yet Jesus begins a personal and theologically deep conversation with her.
The woman does not appear to be a shallow-thinking conversationalist. She asks questions about the proper place of worship and speaks on behalf of her people when she says: “Our father Jacob gave us this well.” She thus shows knowledge of tradition and of the difference between Jewish and Samaritan beliefs. Jesus reveals Himself to her as the giver of “living water,” that is, eternal life that comes from Himself. He knows her life history, which has been misunderstood by many. The text does not say that she is a sinner, but rather that she has lost several husbands. It may be that, according to levirate marriage, she married again and again within the family to continue her husband's name. In this sense, her situation is tragic rather than morally suspect.
When Jesus brings her life into the light, she does not flee. She recognizes His insight and begins to suspect that He is a prophet. Then, step by step, her faith grows. She speaks of the coming Messiah and hears Jesus say: “I, who speak to you, am I.” That moment marks her transition from darkness to light. She becomes the first witness to Jesus in Samaria, and her words bring many to faith. The village listens to her testimony and invites Jesus to stay. For two days He stays in their midst. With this, John confirms that the light is not limited to Israel, but also shines in Samaria, among people who until then were outside the community.
The location of this encounter is significant. In the Old Testament, several important encounters take place at a well. Abraham's servant met Rebekah before Isaac, Jacob met Rachel, and Moses met Sephora. Invariably, the source becomes a place of new covenant relationship and future. John shows Jesus appearing at Jacob's well as the new Bridegroom making a spiritual covenant with a new people. The motif of the wedding echoes earlier in the Gospel, at the miracle of Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding. John the Baptist even calls Him the Bridegroom. In Samaria, this symbolism comes to fulfillment. Jesus meets the woman at the well, she tells home what happened, and He is invited to stay with them. What often ends in marriage in the Old Testament is fulfilled here in the spiritual marriage between Christ and all who believe in Him.
The light that conquers darkness
Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman together represent the broad spectrum of humanity. One is learned, the other simple. One seeks in the hidden, the other is found in the full light. One is left in confusion, the other grows into a witness. In Nicodemus, we see how the light shines but is not yet grasped. In the Samaritan woman, we see how the light is received and bears fruit. John uses these contrasts to make it clear that the gospel transcends all boundaries: those of lineage, status and gender.
The diptych of John 3 and 4 makes visible what it means that the Word became flesh. Jesus comes not only to the lofty religious leaders, but precisely to the excluded, the woman without a voice. In Him comes the light that overcomes darkness, and whoever receives that light becomes a witness to the new life himself.
