That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What does that mean for you? Today we will dwell on this one verse and my hope is that by the end of this message you will have this verse memorized and engrained in your hearts.
Many of us are using the journal Meeting Jesus in John. Along with the journal there are videos by the monastic brothers for each day. I commend the journal and video series to you. On the second day of week 1, Brother Mark focuses on this most famous verse. He explains that John uses the word, “world”, more than any other gospel writer. John uses “world” 80 times whereas Mathew, Mark and Luke use “world” a total of about 20 times combined. Br. Mark explains that this word “world” is very important to John. He uses it to describe the glory of God’s creation, but he also uses it to describe those who turn away from God and do not know God. So, Br. Mark asks us, which world is it that God loves? Does God love “the creation in its original glory, or the world that is fallen, broken, imperfect?”
I think a lot of people look at a priest and mother and wonder what could that woman possibly have to confess? As a teenager I made a lot of bad choices and now there are things I confess every week. You may shrug at this, but I really do not read the Bible as much as I should and as much as I want to, sure there are reasons for that – busy life… kids… lots of excuses… but I have memorized less of the Bible, as a priest, than many parishioners in many churches. I have heard busy mom after busy mom tell me about their devotion time every morning from 5:45-6:15am. So, while I’m at the gym, they are dwelling in the spirit… and this is not a contest and please do not try to make me feel better after the service, that is not the point. The point is all of us have the glory of God shining in us and all of us have things we have done that we should not have done and all of us have left undone those things which we ought to have done. All of us are also broken and fallen. And the question here is: Lord, which world, which part of me do you love?
John doesn’t make a distinction here. Jesus doesn’t say, “for God so loved the original glorious world and not the fallen world.” Jesus does not say, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son just for the good parts of creation…”
Jesus says and please repeat after me…
For God so loved the world…
That he gave his only son…
That whoever believes in him…
Shall not perish…
But have eternal life.
God loved all the world, the glorious world and the broken world. God so loved… all the parts of you, the good and the bad… that he gave his only son.
Why would God send his child into the world to save only the good parts of it? What is the point of that? That would be like sending your daughter off to the Peace Corps only to serve those with plenty in a worn torn and starving nation. What is the point of that?
One of the best ways you can thank God is by acknowledging that God’s son came for all the parts of you… the glorious parts and the torn and broken parts. Which world did he come to save? Both worlds.
Repeat after me.
For God so loved the world…
That he gave his only son…
That whoever believes in him…
Shall not perish…
But have eternal life.
And this is the part of our faith that seems ancient, odd, messed up especially to any parent. God would send his son to be sacrificed for other people’s sins… but here’s where it is important to remember that Jesus is not simply human… and this is not something God asks humans to do. In the Old Testament God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac at the altar. At the time many religions promoted human sacrifice and we know that as Abraham sorrowfully, but obediently prepared the altar for sacrificing Isaac, God stopped him and explained that the true, one God does not want or need human sacrifice. God put Abraham through this ordeal to send a message and put an end to human sacrifice. Then fast forward and we find Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus was fully God and fully human all at once. And we know the gift of Easter – Jesus rose from the dead and continued to minister and sent the Holy Spirit powerfully to move among the people… to inspire and lift up and guide.
My sense is that Jesus died on the cross to show us God’s perfect love for us. That God knows human suffering and did not run from it but is with us in our suffering and that God loves us to death no matter what we do. No matter what we have done. And he rose again to show us that life does not end here, but continues on forever.
So on some level, parents, we can grasp this sacrificial offering of God, but at the same time this is wholly and entirely not human sacrifice, nor is it endorsing human sacrifice.
It is God sending God’s son, making this sacrifice to show us God’s profound love for us no matter what and his promise of everlasting life.
So, let’s repeat it again.
For God so loved the world…
That he gave his only son…
That whoever believe in him…
Shall not perish…
But have eternal life.
God loves both worlds, he gave his son that whoever believes in him…
Whoever believes in him? That’s it. That’s all I have to do. Believe.
All you have to do is believe to get full access to this everlasting life. You don’t have to do anything. What a low bar Jesus… but is it??
Might it actually be easier to feed the homeless than it is to believe with all your heart, mind, and soul that Jesus is the son of God born of the Virgin, suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead.
When you put it that way it might just be easier to skip church and go straight to the soup kitchen.
You cannot earn God’s love by piling up a bunch of works. All God asks us to do is believe and sometimes isn’t that the hardest thing to do in this broken world?
Believe. Lay down your life for him. Consult him in all things, trust him, go to him, obey and follow him. God asks us to Believe.
Let’s say it again.
For God so loved the world…
That he gave his only son…
That whoever believes in him…
Shall not perish…
But have life eternal life.
Believe and then what Jesus? What’s in it for me? So, I believe you and what do I get?
Jesus knows our need for equal exchanges. He immediately tells us. Believe wholeheartedly, let yourself go and completely trust God in all things and what do you get?
You will not perish. You will not die. You will have life everlasting… eternal life. That is the promise.
You will not die.
We take heaven for granted, but this was a radical concept at the time.
Our lives go on? We won’t die? We will live forever?
Remember this crew Jesus is talking to had not yet seen his death and resurrection.
Can you imagine if someone walked up to you and promised to make you immortal? I would be terrified and at the same kind of excited to avoid death.
Most of the folks Jesus was talking to thought everything went black after death. Nothing more. Death was scary. It was the end.
Jesus’ resurrection showed the world… the glorious world and the broken world that there was more to life than just this… there was something beyond this… something more… suddenly, in fact, a whole new world opened up… heaven…
Your life and all your struggle doesn’t end here. You will go on forever. And this, let me tell you is one of the greatest gifts Jesus gave us. Not just that there is heaven, but he gave us an awareness that there is heaven. He didn’t keep it a secret. He told us about it and went on to die and then rise from the dead to show us once and for all… life goes on. This mortal life and body are not the end, there is eternal life. This knowledge of heaven gives us such a gift of hope throughout our lives but especially as we draw near to the end of our lives. We face the biggest transition of our lives with peace, comfort, hope and knowledge that life goes on.
Let’s say it one last time.
For God so loved the world…
That he gave his only son…
That whoever believes in him…
Shall not perish…
But have life eternal life.
So, what is Jesus saying in this most famous verse in all of scripture?
God loves the glorious and the broken parts of the world and sacrificed his son to show us that he is with us in our suffering, he loves us to death no matter what we do and that all we need to do is believe and with that belief we receive the peace and the hope of eternal life.