Close Reading Analysis

John 3:16 - 21 (ESV)

16 For God so loved the world, [a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not

perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in

order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but

whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son

of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness

rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the

light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true

comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

And men loved darkness rather than light. - John 3:19

The first page in The Gathering Storm quotes this verse from John. The book depicts a

battle between good and evil, the darkness and the light. As Katerina Alexandrovna navigates

Russias dark history with the Vladiki, a powerful force of Russian vampires, she must discover

who she can trust and who is against her. She learns that the Montenegros love darkness. They

are sneaky, deceitful, selfish. They looked only to benefit themselves as blood drinkers, ignoring

the wellbeing of the imperial family and others around them. Although Katerina is asked to use

her gift of necromancy for evil, she makes a choice to use it for good. She exposes what she sees

as her weakness in the light, and it helps her to defeat it. She no longer is alone to struggle, but

has a community that comes around her to support and encourage her to use her gift for good.

Because, as she realizes, her gift can only be evil if she lets it.
 The reference (title) for this text indicates that the passage comes from the Bible, the

book of John located in the New Testament. It is written in third person, by a man named John

(son of Zebedee) between A.D. 70 and A.D. 100. The passage tells a story. The first time I read

this passage, I tried to get a general feel for the message and characters. I found that there are

three key players - God, His Son, and whoever. God and the world have an interesting

relationship. In verse 16, it says that For God so loved the world, but it also talks about the

world being condemned because people love the darkness. This passage indicates that we live

in a world that is drenched in evil. Stained with mistakes, hatefulness, and lies, humanity

deserves to perish. God, being perfect, cannot interact with the darknesses and was cut off

from the world that He loved. So, God finds a solution. He sends His only Son to the world. His

Son is able to offer a second chance, a chance to move out of the darkness and choose light. God

shows His persistence in this passage, His desire to have a relationship with the world.

The second time I read this passage, I looked for themes. I felt that the key theme is the

worlds desperate need for Gods Son. Sent to the world to build a bridge, to mend a broken

relationship between God and His people, he gives a second chance, a chance to choose life over

death, a chance to not perish. As verse 17 says, God did not send His son to judge the world, to

punish us as we deserve, but rather to save us because He loves us. Whoever believes in him is

not condemned, meaning that choosing to believe in Him and His ability to save eradicates the

judgement for our sins. But, those who do not believe in Him have already been judged,

whoever does not believe is condemned already, because they have not chosen to rebuild the

relationship through Gods Son. People are sinful, their works were evil, and that sin has

corrupted the world, filling it with the metaphorical darkness.

 In my third reading, I wanted to find connections. The metaphors of the light and

darkness, I felt not only connected to the book, but to life in general. When we feel ashamed

often our first instinct is to hide, and it is much more difficult to be spotted in the dark. We do not

want others to see what we have done or we try to play it off like it does not matter. We are often

afraid of the light because it would show all of our mistakes and weaknesses. Those who

choose to accept Gods Son want to come into the light, for then people will see what God has

done in them - so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. Not

that they are perfect or that they have it all together, but that God has taken the sin in their life,

washed it all away, and given them a second chance that is undeserved.

While The Gathering Storm is not a religious story, it shared themes from this passage

such as the metaphors of darkness and light, the battle between good and evil, and the fact that

we all have a choice. It is easier to hide in the darkness, just as it would have been easier for

Katerina to use her gift for evil purposes, but it does not provide everlasting fulfillment. We are

all born with sinful nature and weaknesses that tempt us to run and hide in the dark. But

according to these texts, we can only truly be saved when we choose to step into the light.