<p>3:19 <i>And this is the ground of condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light- for their works were evil</i>- Another reference to the prologue. But now &quot;the light&quot; is defined further as the lifted up Son of Man; perhaps the connection is in the way that a &quot;light&quot; was usually a torch, a fire lifted up, just as the serpent on the pole was lifted up. John is therefore speaking after the crucifixion; even after that, the Jews preferred darkness rather than to accept the crucified Jesus as light of their lives. Accepting Him there meant the new life, and an exposure of their works as evil. This is why people refuse the message of Jesus as light of their world- because morally it demands too much of them. Yet they excuse it as not getting the idea, misunderstanding, having genuine intellectual doubts. But here the Biblical reason is given, probing as it does to depths of the subconscious that are not knowable by the person themselves. The reason for not accepting the light is that men love darkness because their works are evil and they don't wish to have them exposed.</p><p>However, although these words are true of John's witness after the Lord's death, they are just as appropriate to the Lord Jesus, who was speaking them <i>before </i>His death to Nicodemus who had come to Him by night. Why by night? Because he feared openly demonstrating his faith. He would not come out in the light, because his works were evil.</p><p>The light coming into the world is parallel with God&rsquo;s son coming into the world in the cross see on Jn. 1:5,9. Men &ldquo;came to that sight&quot; and turned away from it (Lk. 23:48). Our natures likewise resist us concentrating upon the cross. Something in us makes our minds wander at the breaking of bread. There our deeds are manifested. Thus the breaking of bread naturally brings forth self-examination as we focus upon and reconstruct His death. There are our deeds reproved, and also made manifest. In murdering the Son of God, Israel showed how they hated the light; the same word is used in describing how &ldquo;they hated me without a cause&quot; (Jn. 15:25). John develops the idea in 1 Jn. 2:9,11, in teaching that to hate our brother is to walk in darkness; whereas if we come to the light of God&rsquo;s glory as shown in the cross, we will love our brother. The cross is the ultimate motivator to love our brethren; this was one of the reasons why the Lord died as He did (Jn. 17:26). The light of the cross is the light of all men in God&rsquo;s world (1:4). The Lord later associates His being the light of the world with following Him; and &lsquo;following him&rsquo; is invariably associated with taking up the cross and following Him. To follow the light is to follow Christ crucified (8:12). He there is to be the practical focus of our lives. Recall how the prologue states that His light is to be our life, we are to live life in the light of Him; and more specifically, in the light of the fact He died for us.</p>