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The Gospel of John is a lot like a big bowl of steaming Irish stew. You can see that there is some yummy goodness in there, but it is not until you actual start to stir it up that all sorts of hidden delights come to the surface. So it is with this week’s gospel passage where Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus. There are four different ingredients, but the broth that holds them together is belief in the Son of Man.
The first ingredient is a teaching on his Passion (3:14,15). Why must the Son of Man be lifted up like the serpent in the desert? “So that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
The second is the classic John 3:16-17. God loved the world so much he gave his only son. Why? “So that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
The third ingredient shows us that Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us. How do we avoid condemnation? “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned.” This seems harsh at first glance, but we must acknowledge that God does not do violence to us. Belief cannot be forced. So strangely enough, self-inflicted condemnation does happen. It’s a sad thing to realize that God does not condemn anyone to hell. Everyone in hell has freely chosen to be there. He goes on to explain this. There are those who simply choose the darkness over the light so that their sins may not come to light. This may be due to pride, stubbornness, or any number of things.
The final ingredient is an encouragement for us who believe in Jesus to live in the light of the truth. He comes preaching the Kingdom, but more importantly he comes preaching himself. It is belief in Jesus that is our ticket to the Kingdom; by whom we are saved from condemnation; and with whom we enter into eternal, unapproachable light.