Fourth Sunday of Lent (B)

 

March 14, 2021                                                              

Readings:

First Reading: 2 Chronicle 36: 14-16, 19-23

Psalm 137 “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!”

Second Reading: Ephesians 2: 4-10 

Gospel reading according to John 3: 14-21

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Homily:  The Love of God

In this Gospel, John mentioned the name Nicodemus.  Who was Nicodemus?  Why did he want to meet Jesus in the night?  Nicodemus was a Pharisee.  “In many ways the Pharisees were the best people in the whole country; they were what was called brotherhood.  They entered into this brotherhood by taking a pledge that they would spend all their lives observing every detail of the scribal law” (cf. William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, “The Gospel of John,” (1985), Vol. 1, Ch. 1-7, p. 120).   It was the scribes who worked out of these regulations from the Law of Moses (the First Five Books of the Old Testament); it was the Pharisees who dedicated their lives to keeping them.  “Obviously, however misguided a man might be, he must be desperately in earnest if he proposed to undertake obedience to every one of the thousands of rules.  That is precisely what the Pharisees did.  The name Pharisee means the Separated One; and the Pharisees were those who had separated themselves from all ordinary life in order to keep every detail of the law of the scribes” (ibid., p. 122). As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin (a court of seventy members and was the supreme court of the Jews). 

Nicodemus overcame his prejudices enough to come to Jesus.  He wanted to see and talk to Jesus in the evening.  As a good and respected Pharisee, it was not good for Nicodemus to see him by other Pharisees talking to a dispossessed and wandering prophet, whom they disregarded and called “false prophet.”  So, when the night came and Jesus was still in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, he met him.  “It was by night that Nicodemus came to Jesus, for the rabbis declared that the best time to study law was at night undisturbed.  It may well be that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night because he wanted an absolutely private and completely undisturbed time with Jesus” (ibid., p. 124). This might be a sign of caution, too. In the beginning of this gospel, first Nicodemus called Jesus as rabbi (or teacher), he also recognized that Jesus came from God due to the signs he performed, “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” (3: 1). Nicodemus discussed yet did not understand the meaning of Baptism of water and the Spirit, although it was well known throughout the Near East. Maybe he was joking with Jesus and made him laughed when he responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Then Jesus conferred to Nicodemus about the new birth (born again), “. . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit” (3: 5).  Again, Jesus explained to Nicodemus of the lifting up of the Son of God as Moses was lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert and those who believed in him.  “Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘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’.” (John 3: 14-15).  As we still recall, on the one hand, when the Israelites were still in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt, they became impatient, grumbling of hunger and thirst, demanding to return to Egypt, did abominable things against the eyes of God, and sinful act of worshipping idol (calf made of gold).  God sent his serpents and let them bite the Israelites until those who rebelled against God died.  Then, when the remaining Israelites realized their sins, they begged Moses to deliver them from the bite of the snakes.  And God commanded Moses to mold a bronze serpent and those who would look at it will be saved (Numbers 21: 9).  On the other hand, if we recall how Jesus was crucified, hung on the tree of life, saved us from our sinfulness.  All of this is because of his love for us.

This is how God loved us, by sending his Only Begotten Son into the world.  “’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’.” (John 3: 16).  God the Father started loving us, and Jesus is the extension of God’s love to all creatures.  Because God is love, He wanted to share this love to us through Jesus’s example.  If we love Jesus, we also love God who sent him to the world.  God is acting not for his own sake, but for ours, not to satisfy his desire for power, not to bring a universe to heel, but to satisfy his love.  If we believe that Jesus came from God, we will not perish but may have eternal life.  What is this eternal life that Jesus promised?  This was the second time Jesus mentioned eternal life (Jn. 3: 15 and 16).  “The main idea behind eternal life is not simply that of duration [or length of time].  Eternal life is of certain quality of life, to enter into eternal life is to enter into possession of that kind of life which is the life of God.  Clearly a man can enter into this close fellowship with God only when he renders to him that love, that reverence, that devotion, that obedience which truly bring him into fellowship with him” (ibid., pp. 128-129). 

This love of God brings salvation to those who believe in his Son whom He sent, and punishment to those who do not believe in Jesus, the Son of God.  “’For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him’.” (John 3: 17).  Awhile ago, John told us that God loved us those in the world and a little later he was talking about the condemnation of the world and those in the world.  “’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 Son of God’.” (John 3: 18).  Anyone who believes in the Son of God will be saved, but anyone who does not believe in Jesus will be condemned.  The guarantee of our salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.  He is the light that God the Father sends to this dark world.  And the one who lives in darkness does not want to be exposed to the light for what he is doing is wicked.  Jesus told Nicodemus the verdict or judgment, “’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 exposed’.” (John 3: 19-20).  While he is exposed to the light, and all his deeds are righteous, he lives in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ.  “’But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God’.” (John 3: 21).  He enjoys the light of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father.  How about us, are we living in the dark of the night or in the light brought to us by Jesus the Christ?  Are we like Nicodemus who is searching the light in the night?