“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that
everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have
eternal life.” John 3:16
We continue, today, to read from the conversation that Jesus had
with Nicodemus, the Pharisee who ultimately converted and is
venerated as one of the early saints of the Church. Recall that
Jesus challenged Nicodemus as a way of helping him to make the
difficult decision to reject the malice of the other Pharisees and
to become His follower. This passage quoted above comes from
Nicodemus’ first conversation with Jesus and is often quoted by our
evangelical brothers and sisters as a summary of the whole Gospel.
And indeed it is.
Throughout Chapter 3 of John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about light
and darkness, being born from above, wickedness, sin, condemnation,
the Spirit and much more. But in many ways, all that Jesus taught
in this chapter and throughout His public ministry can be summed up
in this short and to-the-point statement: “God so loved the world
that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes
in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This short
teaching could be broken down into five essential truths.
First, the Father’s love for humanity, and specifically, for you,
is a love so deep that there is no way we will ever fully
understand the depths of His love.
Second, the love the Father has for us compelled Him to give us the
greatest gift we could ever receive and the greatest gift the
Father could give: His own divine Son. This gift must be
prayerfully pondered if we are to come to a deepening understanding
of the infinite generosity of the Father.
Third, as we prayerfully enter deeper and deeper into our
understanding of this incredible gift of the Son, our only
appropriate response is faith. We must “believe in Him.” And our
belief must deepen just as our understanding deepens.
Fourth, we must realize that eternal death is always possible. It
is possible that we eternally “perish.” That realization will give
even greater insight into the gift of the Son, in that we will
realize that the first duty of the Son is to save us from eternal
separation from the Father.
Lastly, the gift of the Son from the Father is not only to save us
but also to draw us to the heights of Heaven. That is, we are given
“eternal life.” This gift of eternity is of infinite capacity,
value, glory and fulfillment.
Reflect, today, upon this summary of the whole Gospel: “God so
loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that
everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have
eternal life.” Take it line by line, prayerfully seeking to
understand the beautiful and transforming truths revealed to us by
our Lord in this holy conversation with Nicodemus. Try to see
yourself as Nicodemus, a good person who is trying to understand
Jesus and His teachings more clearly. If you can listen to these
words with Nicodemus and accept them deeply in faith, then you,
too, will share in the eternal glory these words promise.
My glorious Lord, You came to us as the greatest Gift ever
imagined. You are the gift of the Father in Heaven. You were sent
out of love for the purpose of saving us and drawing us into the
glory of eternity. Help me to understand and believe all that You
are and to receive You as the saving Gift for Eternity. Jesus, I
trust in You.
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Featured image above: Jesus Christ and Nicodemus By Matthias
Stom, via Wikimedia Commons
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