Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B John 3,14-21

Today’s Sunday’s Gospel (Jn 3, 14-21) began in the middle of the action – in the middle of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Great Council, and a person with a high social and religious position. It is mentioned three times in Scripture. The first time is in today’s Gospel when Nicodemus came to Jesus. He came to him at night. Most commentators believe that Nicodemus did not want anyone to see him. It’s pretty likely, but it doesn’t have to be. Jesus had a rather demanding dialogue with Nicodemus. Nicodemus had to ask some things because he did not understand them repeatedly. And we need to help understand everything, too.

The second time Nicodemus is mentioned is when Jesus is about to be tried. The Synod decided to get rid of Jesus and looked for ways to do it. Then, Nicodemus tried to defend Jesus. He turned to the members of the Great Council with the question of what they were doing if their law could condemn someone whom they had not heard. Nicodemus’s colleagues silenced him, laughed at him, told him that he was from the countryside and did not understand anything. Even though he was silenced, he still came forward. It was no longer hiding.

Nicodemus is mentioned for the third time in the Scriptures when Jesus was perfected on the cross. Then Nicodemus came with the ointment, which was intended to prepare the dead body for burial. He no longer hid; he no longer allowed himself to be discouraged. In this story, I want to remind you of a well-known truth: none of the people is perfect. Unfortunately, neither do I. And everyone can repeat it. We are not perfect, nor should we expect people to be. But as long as we do not lack Nicodemus’ willingness to seek the truth and desire to understand, there is still hope. It can still lead to more extraordinary courage and maturity.

In a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said a sentence that sums up the entire Gospel and all of Christianity: “God so loved the world that he gave him only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But we say to ourselves that people could be better. Then what kind of world did God love? A perfect world? In ancient times, people believed that there was an ideal world. It was the cosmos above us. People imagined it as a beauty, a perfectly functioning system. If even down here, in the human sphere, everything does not work, and there is suffering and evil, the superhuman world is incomparably bigger. Our troubled world is a slight aberration but nothing compared to the excellent working cosmos. For us, even the universe no longer functions perfectly like this. We know that there are collisions between cosmic bodies, and we understand that the universe is cooling… This does not contribute to the idea of ​​its perfection. So, what kind of world did God love and love? The imperfect one? Yes. We heard that he did not come to condemn him but to save him. It is precisely for such a world – with its imperfection and especially with human weakness, malice, and suffering – that it is essential: God loves this world.

Sometimes, we need the arguments to prove it. It is a matter of faith. I say this because we – unlike God – usually react to evil in three ways. The first is that evil robs us of strength and leads to resignation. The second way is that we don’t want to see evil. We don’t want to see someone suffering next to us, etc. We have all had such periods in our lives. For example, a young person often does not want to see evil; he wants to see joy and the possibilities of life. The third way is that we blame the environment and people. Something like the belief that “I also have to change something about myself, but those around me should change much more.” None of these reactions are ideal.

Jesus told Nicodemus that God saved this world through the cross on which Jesus will die. The sight of the cross should shake us. A view of the cross of Jesus and the crosses of people. He should remind us that all is not well. But it should not lead us to resignation. The cross of Jesus reminds us of love – that someone loved us to the extreme. And by doing so, he reminds us of the way that saves the world. It should also give us peace and strength in the turmoil – despite all the preponderance of evil. I will try to say it is an example of the difference between the words “condemnation” and “desire.” In both, it is implied that they see evil; they know about it. But desire – unlike condemnation or anger – has something calmer about it. Wishing for a better world and doing something for it is more creative for real good. Let us trust that God also loves our imperfect world. And he doesn’t want to condemn him; he wants to save him. Let’s add to it as we can.