For God so loved
The Most Holy Trinity: John 3:16-18
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its saviour.
18 Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son.
Other readings: Ex 34:4-6, 8-9; Dn 3:52-56; 2 Cor 13:11-13
LECTIO
These few verses are among the best known in the Bible. For some, these words have opened the doorway into life as a Christian believer.
As we take a closer look at them it is actually not at all clear who is speaking here, and the Greek text can be interpreted in different ways. It could be Jesus himself continuing his conversation with Nicodemus (verses 1-13) or it could be the Gospel writer adding his own comments.
The two preceding verses help to deepen our appreciation of this text. They refer to the Son of Man being lifted up so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (“Lift up” has two meanings, referring both to the Cross and to Jesus’s ascension to heaven.) A direct reference is made to the account in Numbers 21:6-9 where the Israelites sinned and were punished by poisonous snakes. Moses intercedes for them and God instructs him to make a snake and put it on a pole. Those who looked on the bronze snake were healed and their lives saved. The symbol of the snake on a pole remains a symbol of healing in some countries today and is used by various medical organisations. The parallel is clear: all human beings are smitten with a deadly disease, but there is a cure: believing in Jesus and his victory over sin on the Cross.
These verses give us a wonderful insight into God the Father and the Son. God is not indifferent to the plight of people as some believe. He loves us and demonstrated his love through his Son’s birth on earth and death on the cross. This is repeated in 2 Peter 3:9: “… he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost” (Contemporary English Version).
Jesus’s primary purpose is to bring salvation rather than judgment; nevertheless, we will be judged by our response to him. Believing and following Jesus causes us to live in the light. But those who choose to remain in darkness have to bear the
consequences.
MEDITATIO
How do these verses speak to you?
Take some time to reflect on God’s love for you personally, and indeed for everyone. How do you respond to this?
How might you explain these verses to someone who is interested in becoming a Christian?
ORATIO
“The Lord God came down in a cloud and stood beside Moses there on the mountain. God spoke his holy name, ‘the Lord’. Then he passed in front of Moses and called out: ‘I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins …’” (Exodus 34:5-7, CEV.)
Respond to God in worship and thanksgiving. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin you need to confess. Intercede for those who need to receive God’s love and forgiveness.
CONTEMPLATIO
Reflect on the following verses from 1 John 4:10-14. What do you think about them?
This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us.
We are sure that we live in union with God and that he lives in union with us, because he has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and tell others that the Father sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Lectio Divina is an ancient tradition of reading and engaging with God’s Word
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