Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter, April 14, 2021

John 3:16-21

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

These words come at the end of the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus, but because the Greek text does not feature punctuation, which was only developing at that time, it is not easy to tell whether these words are those of the Lord or John’s own commentary on what the Lord has just said.  Most scholars agree that these are John’s words.

“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.”  While this verse is familiar and appears very simple, its implications are enormous.  First, we see that God loves the “world”, which contrasts with how Jesus often uses “world”, which is as that which is opposed to heaven.  This tells us that the world’s failings and even wickedness cannot prevent God from loving it: our own wickedness cannot keep the Lord from loving us, though it will keep us from experiencing his love and receiving his mercy.  However, not only does God love the world, but he “so loved” the world that “he gave his only-begotten Son”.  The Greek word translated here as “he gave” has many meanings, including “to offer”, “to command”, “to pour”, and, significantly, “to utter” — since from all eternity the Father spoke the Word.  “Gave up” actually works better here than simply “he gave”, since the Father’s will was that his Son “empt[y] himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man” (Philippians 2, 7).  This tells us what kind of love the Father had for the world: it was not merely the regard of a Creator for his creation, or a love that would be repaid in kind, but a thoroughly gratuitous love which benefitted the lover in no way but benefitted the receiver in every way.  The verse reveals God as One who is much more even than all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent: he is our Lover, and his love is infinite.  

“So that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  This part of the verse reveals the prime benefit of his love for us: that all who believe in his Son might have eternal life.  This means to take firmly into hearts what the Son teaches us, to obey his commandments, and to persevere in our faith in him. By doing this, we open ourselves up to his mercy, which leads to eternal life.  By refusing to do this, we close ourselves off from the life he so much wants to give us and turns us towards the darkness of eternal death.  We see this eagerness to give us life in the next verse: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”  Despite sins worse than those that brought on the great Flood, Almighty God continues to love us.  And yet, as John reflects, “The Light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to Light, because their works were evil.”  Despite all the signs of God’s love, manifested in the beauty and order of the natural world as well as in the words of his Prophets and the Life, Death, and Resurrection of his Son for our sake, there are many who reject him, preferring the darkness of their self-absorption to the light of love.  The irrationality of such a choice seems baffling, and would be hard to believe if it were not for the examples we see of it in the Scriptures, as in the very determined hatred of Judas and Caiphas, who were given multiple opportunities to turn away from their homicidal hatred of Jesus, and refused.

“But whoever lives the truth comes to the Light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”  The saints are those who “live the truth” revealed by the Lord Jesus, that is, the truth of the surpassing love of God, and who respond with joy to it.  This response shows itself in devotion to prayer, to penance, to alms-giving, and to giving themselves to God as they have seen God giving up his Son for them.