In today’s Gospel we hear perhaps the most famous passage in all of Scripture, John 3:16: “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.” This passage goes on to proclaim the great mercy 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.” God wants everyone to be saved and therefore God offers to everyone the gift of his Son that we might be saved through Jesus. While God wills to save all people, we can either accept or reject this gift or grace of salvation.
This Gospel passage is often called a Gospel within a Gospel or a summary or core teaching of the Gospel. That core teaching is that God loves the world, that is each one of us. Out of love God wanted to make sure that we have a true image of God and a true understanding of God’s will. His will is to save all of us. We see the true image of God in Jesus, in his incarnation, his ministry on earth and his passion, death, and resurrection. This theme resounds throughout this Gospel.
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.” (John 1:14, 18)
“Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” (John 14:9-10)
Today’s reading is God’s “love letter” to us. We are invited to come to Jesus and to encounter Jesus in our daily life. We are invited to accept God’s gift of love and grace and to walk in the light of Christ. God has given us the gift of his Son because he loves us. Let us accept this gift of his love and come to Jesus.
Image: “Creation of Adam at the 16 chapel. Ha” by DBduo Photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.