John 3: 16-21, God's Love and Light

Jesus has explained to Nicodemus that he needs a spiritual birth. Like the ancient people of Israel in the desert, Nicodemus needs to look at the "Son of Man" as savior, just as the Israelites looked at Moses' bronze image of a snake.

It is not clear in the original text where the words of Jesus end and the commentary by the gospel writer, John, begins. I think the commentary probably begins in the prior passage and we now have John elaborating on the meaning of this spiritual birth and "looking on" the serpent staff.

John 3: 16-18, God's love
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

The appearance and gift of the "Son" is intended to create an eternal kingdom, one founded on God's love. The goal of the Messiah is not condemnation, based on failure of the Law, but is instead salvation towards this eternal life.  What does this take -- to "believe in the name of the Son."  This concept will be repeated and expanded throughout John's gospel.

Condemnation comes not from failure to follow the  Law, but from failure to trust in the solution, the Messiah, Jesus.

John 3: 19-21, God's light

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Why would anyone not follow the Messiah?  Because people "love darkness."  Harking back to the Fall of humankind and long story of rebellion throughout the Old Testament, the reader is to see belief/unbelief as a battle between light and dark. Those who wish to hide their deeds seek darkness; those who are honest and willing to be changed, they seek the Light offered by God.

Implicit in this (and appearing in the other gospels) is a statement that God sees plainly, that sin and evil cannot stay hidden. If that is true, why should we try to hide things that will eventually be revealed anyway?