Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B)

2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23;
Ps 137;
Eph 2:4-10;
Jn 3:14-21

BIBLICAL-MISSIONARY COMMENTARY

The Joy of the Gospel-Light in the Darkness

“The Fourth Sunday of Lent is suffused with light, a light reflected on this ‘Laetare Sunday’ [‘Rejoice!’] by vestments of a lighter hue and the flowers that adorn the church” (Homiletic Directory no.73). In this context of joy for “the approaching Easter,” we immerse ourselves in a Gospel passage that holds significant meaning within the extensive discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee. Within this dialogue, Jesus articulates a pivotal declaration regarding God’s divine purpose for humanity: “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.” This statement, often referred to by biblical scholars as the Gospel of John in miniature, encapsulates the comprehensive theological and spiritual message that John the Evangelist aims to convey throughout his work. Furthermore, it serves as the focal point of divine Scripture, embodying God’s revelation through both words and actions for the salvation of humanity. It is not coincidental that Pope Francis reiterates this passage in its entirety in his message for World Mission Sunday 2024, underscoring the essence of God’s mission with authority. Today’s liturgical readings, then, also resonate and culminate in this revelation, inviting us to engage with its depth, albeit briefly, as there is much to unpack. Let us attentively immerse ourselves in the reading of God’s message, engaging both mind and heart, as we contemplate its three fundamental components: the boundless love of God, the mission of the Son, and the promise of eternal life for the faithful.

1. “For God So Loved the World”

Jesus’ proclamation to Nicodemus begins with this quoted declaration of God’s love. The phrase echoes the succinct yet profound statement “God is love” found in the First Letter of John (1Jn 4:8,16). St. Augustine, in his original and vivid interpretation, regarded this phrase as the essence of the entire Bible. If a catastrophic event, a universal fire, were to occur on Earth, resulting in the destruction of all but a single page of the Bible, with all lines being damaged and unreadable except for three words, “God is love,” the entire contents of the Bible would be preserved.

The verb “to love” for God in the original Greek is precisely agapao, which corresponds to the highest, most sublime, most intimate level of love. It involves the whole being of God, who loves to the point of being able to sing the moving divine words of the prophet Jeremiah, “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you” (Jer 31:3), or even the beautiful human (why not?) words of a famous modern love song (in Italian-Neapolitan): Te voglio bene assaje / Ma tanto tanto bene sai / È una catena ormai / E scioglie il sangue dint’ ‘e vene sai “I love you so much / Very very much, please know / It’s a chain now / that dissolves the blood inside the veins, you know (Caruso Song by Lucio Dalla). Moreover, within the context of the whole Gospel phrase, this “loving” emphasizes not only an inner feeling, a feeling from the depths of the heart, but also the concrete action of the supreme sacrifice of “giving His only Son”, regardless of whether the “loved ones” are worthy or not, ready or not, grateful or not, of such divine love. It is an active and practical love, “not in word or speech,” but “in deed and truth,” to use the expression St. John himself used to recommend true love among Christians, precisely following God’s example (cf. 1Jn 3:18: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth”).

The focal point of God’s love is the world – an encompassing term that denotes all of humanity and perhaps the entire cosmos created by God. It’s pertinent to recall John’s use of the same term to describe those within the world/humanity who, regrettably, reject Jesus as the sent Son-Word of God, as foreshadowed in the prologue: “He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him” (Jn 1:10). Yet, even amid such situation, as well as the multifaceted interpretations of the term “world,” the overarching action remains the profound love of God in Christ, akin to a guiding light that shines amidst the darkness, notwithstanding its rejection. “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1Jn 4:9-10).

2. “The only Son” Sent and Given

God’s profound love for the world compels Him to “give” His only Son. This act of “giving” encompasses not only the mystery of Christ’s incarnation as the eternal Word of the Father but also, especially, His sacrificial offering on the cross—a profound image highlighted in John 3:14-15 (i.e., immediately before the statement of Jn 3:16 we are reflecting on): “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” (Jn 3:14-15). This encapsulates the entire mission of the Son of God, who, according to the plan of God the Father, is also the Son of Man.

For those uneasy with the seemingly awkward parallel between Christ, the Son of Man, and the theologically unsympathetic figure of the serpent, it’s crucial to clarify that the comparison isn’t between these two figures themselves but between the action of being lifted up. In other words, the “as... so” structure here doesn’t imply that Christ is like the serpent (which is certainly a disconcerting notion!), but rather that Christ is lifted up, akin to Moses’ bronze serpent.

Furthermore, John the Evangelist deliberately employs the term “lifted up” in its various nuances for Jesus. It refers not only to the crucifixion but also to the resurrection and ascension, wherein Jesus is lifted up to the glory of God. Through this unique “uplifting” of Jesus (comprising crucifixion-resurrection-ascension), the gift of eternal life is realized for “everyone who believes in him.”

We must delve deeper into this seemingly perplexing act of God sacrificing His own Son for the sake of the world. It’s a mysterious mystery extolled in the famous hymn, the Exsultet, at the beginning of the Easter Vigil: O mira circa nos tuae pietatis dignatio! O inaestimabilis dilectio caritatis: ut servum redimeres, Filium tradidisti! “O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!” This may puzzle some: Did God not love His Son? No more than the world? If forced to choose between the Son and the world, whom would He select? It’s crucial to clarify that the Father didn’t compel His Son against His will for humanity’s salvation. Even the Son willingly surrendered Himself to fulfill the Father’s divine will, declaring, “I did not come to do my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.”

The narrative of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac serves as a poignant reference point here. In accordance with rabbinic tradition, during the sacrifice, Isaac, already an adult, possibly around 37 years old, comprehended his father Abraham’s intention to fulfill God’s will. In a profound display of faith, Isaac obediently accepted the divine plan, uttering the poignant words, “Bind [Hebrew Aqedah] me, Father!” This imagery resonates deeply with the portrayal of Jesus as the obedient Son at the moment of his supreme sacrifice on the Cross.

Moreover, as Jesus reveals, “the Father and I are one,” signifying that in the Son’s ultimate sacrifice, it is indeed the Father who sacrifices Himself for the world’s redemption. Thus, the mission of God the Father aligns seamlessly with that of Jesus the Son, both sent and given for the salvation of humanity.

3. “…

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”

The purpose of God’s mission in Christ, which encompasses the mission of both the Father and the Son for the sake of humanity, is always to grant eternal life to “everyone who believes in him.” Regarding this inclusive “everyone – the beneficiary of the divine mission – let us revisit the authoritative explanation provided by Pope Francis in his message for this year’s World Mission Sunday 2024, themed “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Mt 22:9).

Christ’s missionary disciples have always had a heartfelt concern for all persons, whatever their social or even moral status. The parable of the banquet tells us that, at the king’s orders, the servants gathered “all whom they found, both good and bad” (Mt 22:10). What is more, “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Lk 14:21), in a word, the least of our brothers and sisters, those marginalized by society, are the special guests of the king. The wedding feast of his Son that God has prepared remains always open to all, since his love for each of us is immense and unconditional. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have life eternal” (Jn 3:16). Everyone, every man and every woman, is invited by God to partake of his grace, which transforms and saves. One need simply say “yes” to this gratuitous divine gift, accepting it and allowing oneself be transformed by it, putting it on like a “wedding robe” (cf. Mt 22:12).

In this perspective, Jesus’ statement, which we are reflecting on today, serves as an invitation to all, to “everyone” who may be, to gaze upon Christ, the Son of God, lifted up on the Cross and now exalted to the right hand of the Father. It calls us to contemplate God’s abundant love for us, so that each one may simply respond with a “yes” to the free divine gift of life with and in God. This involves “accepting it and allowing oneself be transformed by it, putting it on like a ‘wedding robe’ (cf. Mt 22:12). May God grant us all this grace, especially in this time of salvation! “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead [from sins] and Christ will give you light” (Eph 5:14). Amen.