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

 

Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"), 6th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt

 

 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.

 

"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 to 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 3:1–21 

 

On Saturday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  Now when He 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."  My study Bible notes here that Nicodemus believed Jesus was from God, but his faith was still weak, as he was afraid of his peers.  So, he came to Jesus by night.  However, after this conversation his faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and in the end he will make the bold public expression of faith (together with another member of the ruling Council, St. Joseph of Arimathea) of preparing and entombing the Lord's body (John 19:39-42).  My study Bible also tells us that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem. 

 

 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?"  In the Greek of the Gospel, the word "again" in the expression born again can also mean "from above."  Both meanings are essential (as often happens in the Gospels), as it is a reference to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  My study Bible comments that this heavenly birth is baptism and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  This new birth is only the beginning of our spiritual life, and its goal is the entrance into the kingdom of God.   In Nicodemus' response, we see that he misunderstands, and asks how a second physical birth is possible.  This is a frequent occurrence in St. John's Gospel, my study Bible points out, and Christ uses such opportunities in order to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  

 

 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."   Jesus refers here to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation (born of water and the Spirit).  That which is born of the Spirit describes a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit; this is adoption as a child of God.  The wind blows where it wishes is a play on words in the Greek.  The word πνευμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  In the same manner, the Spirit moves where He wills and He cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas. 

 

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?"   My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are earthly in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures, not that they are "unspiritual."  But the heavenly things referred to here involve those ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father; they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time, and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  A person first must understand the ways in which God works among humankind before one can even begin to understand those things that pertain to God Himself. 

 

 "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."  My study Bible explains that Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  It says that this miracle-working image prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  It says that just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself. 

 

 "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."  In this frequently quoted verse, we're shown the reason why the Son must be "lifted up"; that is, crucified.  Here Jesus declares God's great love which is not only for Israel but for the world.  This single verse, my study Bible says, expresses the whole of the message of St. John's Gospel, and even of salvation history. 

 

 "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 to 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 notes here that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  So, therefore, we can reject this gift, and to become condemned by our own rejection.  

 

If we take a look at a specific words in today's reading, we may explore ideas that give us hidden glimmers of meaning.   We perhaps attain another kind of insight from Jesus' words.  Jesus explains, "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 to 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."  The root of the word translated as "condemned" is κρίνω/krino.  This word can mean condemned, but its more common meaning is to "judge."   It's the same word used in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).  So, perhaps one important meaning we can also take from Christ's words in today's reading is that the one who rejects Christ is in fact rejecting Christ's judgment (and guidance) in favor of his or her own instead.  This can work in so many ways; how often do we judge ourselves more harshly than the merciful Christ would?  Or perhaps the reverse is true, we excuse our own actions when in fact we should be finding and making the changes that Christ would ask of us.  In either case, it's the judgment of Christ that is rejected, and so a person is in fact judged by his or her own judgment, rejecting God.  It's an important aspect of meaning in this word to consider, for when we reject Christ's judgment, then whose in fact are we preferring?  And how does that judgment we make in so doing reflect upon us?  In fact, it is a rejection of the reality of existence, and of creation, for we create our own fantasy otherwise.  Whether too harsh or too comfortable, we miss the mark and we fail to come to Christ.  This is another sense in which we might "love darkness rather than light," for without Christ our understanding is darkened, partial, ignorant of the truth He would offer.  In all things, we are directed to Him.   Such a teaching is contained as well in the image of Christ being raised on the Cross, and its similarity to the bronze serpent on a stick raised by Moses in order to heal the Israelites from the poison of the serpents that bit their ankles.  So long as they kept their eyes on that raised sign, they were saved from the poison.  It is, in some sense, similar to the story of St. Peter walking on the water, requesting of Jesus that he be able to walk to Him.  So long as St. Peter stayed focused on Jesus, he was able to do so, but when he looked away at the wind, he became afraid and started to sink.  Jesus said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" See Matthew 14:22-33.  So our faith in Christ is a matter of focus and attention, but that includes following ("Follow Me"), acting in accordance with that faith.  This means for us that we seek Christ's judgment (for this is discernment) in all that we do; we seek His guidance.   In that oft-quoted verse from today's reading, Jesus teaches, "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."  But we don't often examine what it really means to believe, to have faith.  Both "belief" and "faith" in the Gospels are translated from the same word.  It more closely means to trust.  To believe, then, in this famous quotation of John 3:16, is not simply to agree with an idea, and nor is it an intellectual calculation.  It means to live in accordance with what Christ teaches, to follow Him, to live by His code and become part of His body, His family by adoption.  In the common understanding of the ancient world, to be a part of a nation, a group, an "ethnos" in the language of the Bible, was to follow a common code; it was not about heredity in the modern sense in which we understand DNA and lineage in this sense.  If we put all of these concepts together into one body of teaching, we come to understand a bigger picture of what belief actually is.  It is following Him. our full attention on Him at all times, His light and teachings and commands guiding us -- and moreover it means to put our trust in Him to the extent that we trust in His judgment before our own.  Perhaps Jesus Himself sets the greatest example to us all when He teaches, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).  For so we are to trust in Him.  So much so, that we live a new birth in the Spirit so we may be adopted as children and grow to be more like Him.