14-Sep-16

Gospel JN 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only 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.
Reflection:
Nicodemus was a good man. He had undoubtedly studied about God; he knew God as the Creator, the protector and provider of Israel.
But, Jesus wanted Nicodemus to not only "know of God" but to understand the extent of God's love for His people.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life."
What greater sacrifice could there be than to offer our own child?
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him."
We often think of Jesus sacrificing His life for the forgiveness of our sins. But, what about the sacrifice of God the Father giving His own son so that His adopted children might be saved.
Jesus wanted Nicodemus to see that God was not the God of thunder and judgement portrayed by the scribes and his fellow Pharisees.
He wanted Nicodemus and all of us to know the depth of God's love for His creation.
Love is a response emotion.
Jesus knew that if Nicodemus came to understand the depth of God's love for him, he would move beyond knowing God....to loving God in return.
The difference between knowing of God and actually knowing God is similar to the difference between reading about love and actually being in love.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love."
- - John 4:8