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Because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved by him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned; But he who does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the Son of God.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
The court’s judgment is as follows: light came into the world, but the people loved darkness more than light because their works were evil. Every wicked man hates the light, nor does he come to the light, lest his works fall to the ground. And he who does the truth comes to the light so that it may be shown that his works are made by God. (Jn 3, 14-21) “
God’s judgment and mercy
The Gospel of John describes Nicodemus’ encounter of the Pharisee with Jesus. The Pharisee of goodwill approached Jesus, wanting to know who this miraculous Master from Galilee was. Jesus revealed a series of important things to him: God loves the world and, desiring to save it, sent his only begotten Son: whoever believes will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned. Jesus said: “Light came into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because their works were evil” (Jn 3:19). The immersion of a sinful man in the darkness of sin is God’s greatest punishment for him.
The immersion of a sinful man in the darkness of sin is God’s greatest punishment for him.
The darkness of selfishness, hatred, laziness and greed that surrounds us is no less threatening than the current pandemic. The darkness of sin sooner or later brings serious consequences. Just look at Iraq, where Pope Francis has just visited. This country of Patriarch Abraham has been drowning in endless wars and terrorism for decades; Christians still don’t feel safe there today. Millions of people are suffering as a result of this darkness of hatred, which has turned the people of a nation into irreconcilable enemies; many Christians simply left their homeland because they did not see the opportunity to live.
The word of God invites us to stumble when we notice the impending darkness of sin, especially when we want to hide our works from the eyes of men. Consciousness indicates that we must stop and stop walking into darkness. Such an awareness is a reliable guardian that stops us and invites us to change for the better.
On the path of faith, it is very important to have this invisible friend who is capable of both rebuke and praise, but if a person constantly misbehaves, his conscience loses sensitivity; begins to sink into darkness.
Sin violates the order of the world created by God and inevitably brings suffering; We generally call it God’s punishment. It is not God who punishes, but sin hurts both the individual and society. The current pandemic is the pain of a world wounded by sin.
In the Second Book of Kings, we read about the wickedness of the chosen people and those who struck them: “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers every day without ceasing, because he had compassion for his people his dwelling place. They mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and mocked his prophets ”(2 Kings 36: 15-16). He who was left by the sword drove them into exile in Babylon ”(ibid., 36: 19-20).
Sacred history speaks not only of the darkness of sin and its accompanying punishments, but also of God’s mercy. The Son of God did not come among us to judge and punish, but to bring God’s mercy. During the meeting, Jesus spoke remarkable words to Nicodemus: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so it is necessary that the Son of Man be resurrected, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life ”(Jn 3: 14-16).
The word of God, showing the darkness of sin and its consequences, invites us to look up to the cross.
The word of God, showing the darkness of sin and its consequences, invites us to look towards the cross on which Jesus is nailed. This is the price that Jesus paid to experience God’s mercy, of which the Apostle Paul speaks: “God, full of mercy, has raised us with Christ to death with the great love with which he loved us, <...>. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and not from yourselves: it is the gift of God ”(Ephesians 2: 4-5, 8).
Let us apologize to God for accumulating darkness more than once in our lives, and thank Him for His mercy, which gives us hope and courage to face all adversities and pursue the most important goal, eternal life with God.
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