For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

- John 3:16-21 

 

 Yesterday we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  My study Bible comments on this verse that to show the reason the Son must be crucified ("lifted up" in verse 14; see yesterday's reading above), Jesus declares God's great love not only for Israel, but for the world.  It says that this single verse expresses the whole of the message of John's Gospel, and indeed, of salvation history.  This is the message of God's love, expressed through Jesus Christ.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.   And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible explains that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  Thus, we can reject this gift, and become condemned  through our own rejection.  

Truth and light are concepts central to John's Gospel.  They are images of Christ's being, and also of His action, and the grace which leads us into the Kingdom.  Light and truth are synonymous; they are images of spiritual truth, a desire for the good, and that which leads us into truth should we desire it.  For this reason, John's Gospel is the more mystical or spiritual of the Gospels, the one that conveys how grace works to infuse our lives, through that light and truth, and our desire for it, our response to it.  It's important to understand that while Christ in the fullness of His truth and light is always present, our lives unfold through time.  We, therefore, have time to repent, to change our minds, to grow and to mature.  We have time to change, to seek to desire the light where in the past we ourselves may not have sought it or desired it.  And growing in this light is a journey, a process.  As we can see from the Gospels, the disciples grow in their faith, just as Nicodemus, a perfect example, grows in faith and conviction and understanding from his first appearance in this Gospel (see Monday's reading).  What constitutes acceptance and desire for this gift of light and truth is something that only Christ judges, for we are not the Heart-knower, not the Judge.  In chapter 5, Jesus reiterates what is written here in today's reading:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).  But He goes on to explain that because He is the Son of Man, He is given authority by the Father to judge; and even so, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (see John 5:24-30).  We are assured that the depth of our hearts is seen and known, for Christ's sight penetrates us in places even we don't know ourselves.  As life unfolds, we may "walk in the light" with Christ (see John 8:12, 11:9-10, 12:35).  We will find a deepening of this process; perhaps there will be things we need to review or retrace, or new obstacles within ourselves to contend with.  It is not a one-time choice but an everyday, lifelong reality in which we are met with this offer of the light that illumines our way into faith and its growth, its deepening, and its work within us.  We should keep in mind that, as the text reads here, to be saved is to enter into His kingdom, for an everlasting life, and so that He may give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).   For His light and His life, we need to accept the grace He offers, and its work in us.  Let us remember that Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit and Baptism, the birth "from above," and these are Christ's words which explain His mission into the world.