Gospel Reflection May 31 – Kim VanHuffel
Sunday, May 31
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
John 3: 16-18
Gospel:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Gospel Reflection:
What can I say about arguably the most well-known passage in the Bible? We see “John 3:16” on billboards, on home-made signs at sporting events, and I believe it was even a commercial during the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Why do they choose this passage? Probably because of the simple beauty expressed within it. Everyone who believes in Jesus will not perish, but will have eternal life. Sign me up!
I had a course on this Gospel during my Master’s degree curriculum and it was fascinating that if you take one thing away from the Gospel of John, it is that belief in Jesus is the key to salvation. He uses the Greek word for “believe” almost 100 times in his Gospel. We can’t buy our way or work our way into heaven, we just have to BELIEVE. Moreover, the Greek word that John chose to use is different than the word for faith or belief. His word “believe” emphasizes the continuous action and choice to believe, rather than a static concept that you only choose once. Believing needs to be active and continual.
So, why does the Church have us proclaim this passage on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity? The Holy Spirit is not even mentioned. It is because of John’s high theology and the totality of his Gospel message. While two of the other Gospels start with Jesus’ earthly birth, John takes the global view of Jesus and begins his gospel telling us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God. Jesus is eternal and one with God. We already know this from the beginning of his Gospel. Now, John, the beloved disciple, is telling us that God gave his only son for us, so that we might be saved through him. But anyone who knows the Gospel of John also knows how important it was that Jesus told his disciples that he, through the Father, would send us the Holy Spirit to teach and remind us of all that Jesus had said and done. The Paraclete would be with us to guide us until Jesus returned. He would never leave us alone. The entire Gospel, including this passage, is very Trinitarian, with Jesus at its center.
So why do people hold up signs with John 3:16 on them? Because they want others to be saved as well. They want others to know and believe in Jesus so they too might have eternal life.
Kim VanHuffel
Pastoral Associate