M-G: 2.5.16 // Sunflowering, Part 1 of 2

When I was visiting the University of Alaska at Fairbanks years ago, I went outside to look at the horticultural projects. I was amazed at the size of the plants where the sunrise was ~06:00 and sunset ~23:00. I remember there was this one head of cabbage where its leaves were literally covering a tractor tire! The sunflowers were impressive in their own right. They were about the size of vinyl LP records. The colors were rich and radiant. It was truly amazing. 

The fascinating thing about sunflowers is their ability to track the sun. This is called positively phototropic. During daylight hours they are continually calibrating toward the light and capturing all the sunlight possible until the sun takes a brief nap, and the long days of summer sunbeams return from their slumber. When morning breaks the sunflowers sing for joy as they begin their perpetual positioning during the daylight to receive as much of the light as possible; sunflower is a descriptive term and an appropriate name for them.

The key word in John’s Gospel is the verb, “believe” (Gk, pisteuo). The various verb forms of believe occur 98 times in his Gospel. The noun form is not found in John; neither is the word “faith” (Gk, pistis, a blood-relation to pisteuo). John’s Gospel is kinetic, more than just verbal; it is active. It is a book that the Lord’s half-brother James would have loved – “You say you have faith? I’ll show you my faith by my fruit” (Jas 2:18, free rendition). James believed that faith without fruit was dead (Jas 2:26; cf. Lk 13:6-9); John was on the same wavelength; true belief manifests itself in believing. It is not about faith and works but a faith that works. A tree is identified by its fruit (Mt 12:33). If we claim to be an apple tree, there should be apples. No apples mean there is a serious spiritual problem.

Believing is “sunflowering,” the new verb in town. It is positively phototropic spiritually, acting out our belief like the sunflower tracking the sun. We are chasing the Son by constantly calibrating to the light of God’s Word and continuously capturing (receiving) as much light as possible (cf. Jos 1:7-8).

One of the themes in John’s Gospel is light and darkness. Darkness is not just the absence of physical light, but this darkness John is talking about is in the spiritual realm where unregenerate man lives and is comfortable; it is being negatively phototropic or moving away from the light. This darkness is a place where it is said that men “loved (Gk, agapao) darkness rather than light” (Jn 3:19) while just up the street in the same chapter the same verb is used of God who “loved” (Gk, agapao) the world (Jn 3:16)! Other instances of agapao behavior associated with the lost are found in Lk 11:43, “loved the best seats,” Jn 12:43, “loved the praise of men,” 2 Tim 4:10, “loved this present world,” and 2 Pet 2:15, “loved the wages of unrighteousness.”

I thought to myself how can this be? No man has God’s love (agape) until regeneration (Rom 5:5)? How can a lost man who has not the Holy Spirit in his heart express God’s love? And yet, here we read of men who loved (agapao) darkness; these words of John are Spirit-inspired! The object of their love is directed toward self and darkness. So, why did the Holy Spirit choose to employ the verb agapao with the deeds of evil men?

First of all, theologically as well as spiritually, lost men do not possess God’s love (agape, noun). The Holy Spirit must reside in the heart (Rom 5:5; Rom 8:9; cf. Jn 5:42). The closest thing a lost man can do to reflect the nature of the love of God (agape) is to give his life for the life of another. We often hear of this in combat situations where a soldier sacrificed his life for his brothers-in-arms; no greater love than this can be expressed for another (cf. Jn 15:13; 1 Jn 3:16). 

But if this one who gave his life for another is without Christ, he will not be in heaven for by grace are we saved through faith and not of works, even something so sacrificial and noble as giving one's life for another. Good people do not go to heaven, only the redeemed. The soldier giving his life for others illustrates the love (agape) of God, but unless the Holy Spirit lives within that person who died, there is no hope of life eternal. Christ in the heart is our hope of glory (Col 1:27), and the word “hope” in the NT always carries the idea of expectation, certainty, anticipation, and never uncertainty.

Second, this love (agapao) for darkness by fallen mankind, darkened by sin and unbelief (“because their deeds were evil,” Jn 3:19 cf. Jn 15:22-25), is hostile to the invasion of the true light of the Logos (Jn 1:5). This continuous shining is viewed by the darkness as a hostile invasion of its territory. It resists and wars against the Light and His luminaries (us, cf.Mt 5:16; Jn 15:18-20).

Third, the usage of agapao with evil men was not because they were intentionally pretending to have “the love of God” in the cited references above; this is obvious but needed to be said of them.

These men were definitely not sunflowering (Jn 1:11). They were being negatively phototropic, moving away from the light with an agape-like affection. It is an intense and determined desire, willing to sacrifice for the darkness at high costs. There is a major difference between possessing God’s love through regeneration and a desire that is analogous to God’s love (agape). It is hazardous to our health to underestimate the intense hatred here reflected by the usage of agapao with fallen man since we are God's light-bearers. 

You can see the hatred intensify the closer we get to the passion in John's Gospel! The tension between the light and the darkness is at the breaking point! This is thick spiritual darkness enveloping lost men and strong and powerful affections toward the darkness because their deeds were and are evil. God so loved the world; lost men so loves the darkness because of sin and unbelief (2 Cor 4:4). This affectionate desire for the darkness is very powerful but not unstoppable or unconquerable. Though such a quality of affection is deeply rooted, only the power of God can uproot it.

Evil is not an entity. It is actually a choice to disobey the Creator. Anything contrary or outside the will of God is evil. You may see that differently and disagree with me. You do have the right to be wrong! Whenever believers disobey God’s will, they are acting evil, which is contrary to the will of God. Outside the will of God are the temporal things, those things that are passing away (1 Jn 2:16-17). Within the will of God reside the eternal blessings of gold, silver, and precious stones qualities of obedience.

Are we positively phototropic chasing after Jesus or are we negatively phototropic running away from the true Light? Sunflowering is a passion for the true Light, continually calibrating to the teaching of Scripture and capturing the countenance of Christlikeness in our talk and walk (Psa 89:15; 119:105; Jn 8:12; Eph 5:8-10). Never stop sunflowering until the Son says, “Come up hither! <><

To Part 2