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John 20:1 – While It Was Still Dark
Fear of the dark is common among children and to a more limited number of adults. The darkness is not what is fearful but rather the possible or imagined dangers concealed by the darkness. Some suggest that the fear of the dark is a natural phase of child development, and that it rarely appears before the age of two. Of course, darkness was the natural atmosphere for the first nine months of life prior to birth, so that makes sense as to why there is no fear of darkness in newborns and that it is a developed fear. But there is a general unawareness in infants too.
When this fear becomes pathological, there are technical names for this phobia: nyctophobia (from Greek νυξ, “night” and φοβια, phobia), scotophobia, from σκότος – “darkness”, or lygophobia, from λυγή – “twilight” and achluophobia.
Some researchers, beginning with Sigmund Freud, consider the fear of the dark as a manifestation of separation anxiety disorder. I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, although some would suggest I am psycho. But I wonder if there is a much simpler explanation for being afraid of the dark. In the dark, we feel a loss of control. Not knowing what is lurking about in the dark frightens us because we like to control our environment. As children grow, they learn that there is no real difference between lying in a bed with the light on or off. The doors are locked; there are no monsters under the bed. Everything is under control. As adults we still try to control our environment.
Conversely to fear of natural darkness, Jesus says (John 3:19) people love darkness because their deeds are evil. Here, darkness and light are more metaphorical, although there is a physical application too – darkness conceals, which is why more crimes and other sins are committed after dark (1 Thess.5:7). Why do people stay in the dark and love the dark? So they can do whatever they want in secret; so that their sins are not exposed. Part of this secret lifestyle I believe has something in common with the natural fear of dark found in children – the need to control. When we sin in the dark, we are in control our decisions; we are our own masters, lords, and gods. The gospel call is not calling us out of our own darkness into our own light, but rather from our own darkness to God’s glorious light. God’s light is God in control.
This self-deception, instead of self-control, leads us to believe that in the dark we are in control; being darkened in our own understanding (Ephesians 4:18).
Darkness ultimately represents our separation from God. Darkness is when we are far away from hope, rescue, freedom, safety, knowledge, and more. Darkness is a theme throughout the writings of John. Darkness has many synonyms, none are good.
John 20:1-18, begins, “Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark” (v.1). “Why does Mary come when it is dark?” is a different question than, “Why does John record that Mary came at when it was dark?” I am learning that there is a difference between the uninspired motivations of the characters within the Biblical narrative, versus the inspired motivation of the writer of the Biblical narrative. For example, we know the motivation of Peter in denying his Lord – fear. We also know the motivation of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in recording this incident was something other than fear. Theirs might be more closely akin to grace, forgiveness and fulfilled prophecy.
Mary does indeed come while it is still dark, which is her choice. In other words, she started to come to the tomb before daybreak. But John chooses to record her visit, and specifically included that she came when it was dark. Why? Mark (Mk.16:2) informs us that the sun had risen by the time she actually got to the tomb, but for the purposes of this study we will focus on the words, “while it was still dark” because that is John’s focus.
We could say that John was simply reporting the straight, simple, literal facts. I certainly think there is symbolism intended by John in mentioning that Mary came when the sun was not shining. Darkness and light are themes within the gospel of John. In 3.2 a member of the Jewish ruling elite comes under cover of darkness to see Jesus. In 4.6 a woman at the bottom of the societal heap meets Christ at high noon, and it is the Samaritan woman, not the Sanhedrin ruler, who comes off looking better after an initial encounter with Jesus. There are several implications in all this that I think John wants us to see. Within the gospel of John, there is a continual contrast between light and darkness, night and day (1:5; 3:2,19; 6:17; 8:12; 9:4; 11:10; 12:35,46; 13:10; 19:39; 20:1; 21:3). Many of these are theologically intrinsic to John’s story telling.
Yet even in the seemingly innocuous events taking place at night, such as Nicodemus’ visit; Jesus walking on water; Judas’s betrayal; the empty tomb that Mary finds; the fishing story – night and darkness carries the theme that the darkness is the opposite of Jesus, His presence or purpose. Jesus even contrasts light and darkness in His discourse to Nicodemus.
And yet, there is another way these words might be interpreted, metaphorically. After all, the writers of the New Testament as well as Jesus himself, often used the imagery of darkness and light to signify something else. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark, literally and metaphorically. Darkness could refer to a world without Christ, a world without hope, a world of sin and death, a world where God’s promises had been forgotten and God’s people felt forsaken – isn’t that how Mary felt? Darkness is much more than the absence of sunlight. Darkness is a spiritual condition in which the presence of God is no longer felt. But the darkness disappears with the rising of the sun. And yes, we could revise and spiritualize this, “the darkness disappears with the rising of the SON.” Even further we could personalize this, “MY darkness disappears with the rising of the SON.” Amen, amen, there was The Light.
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