Jesus offers Nicodemus the condition of a choice. Without forcing him to do anything, Jesus proposes the achievement of the fulfillment of the Law of God.

 

Jesus offers Nicodemus the condition of a choice. Without forcing him to do anything, Jesus proposes the achievement of the fulfillment of the Law of God. In his life, teachings and miracles, Jesus showed him something special: the presence of God. In fact, Jesus came from Above, he came from the Father, he knows the Father and His will. Two important things Jesus demands: to know and to truly see. He himself knows God and bears witness to HIM. This means being truthful. Who is the teacher if not the one who truly knows and has seen, being able to testify in himself what has been seen by him? This is Jesus, this is how His disciples should be. Furthermore, Jesus presents Himself to Nicodemus as the celestial being of Dn 7,13, He is the Son of Man, conqueror of death, sin and evil; He is the key to interpreting the Law of God, because He is, truly, the one and final Word of the Father. So, Nicodemus, who represents the entire Jewish tradition, will choose between remaining in the promise or definitively embracing faith in Jesus Christ. 2. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Creation is the work of God's love and exists for God himself. Everything was created by love and for love, for eternal communion. Despite being the fruit of love, man said no to life with God, choosing himself. He abandoned the Creator and embraced the creature, becoming an idolater. God did not abandon his creature. Out of love, the Father gave his only Son, his beloved, allowing him to die, so that he who believes in him, who has sinned and made himself worthy of death, would not die. Through Jesus Christ, the Father gives man the possibility of a new life, the eternal life for which he was made.

3. Jesus was wounded on the cross because of man's sin, ingratitude and indifference. This wound became the source of both an overflow of love and a new creation. In the desert, the serpent was placed on the tree as a sign of liberation for those stubborn, unfaithful, ungrateful people (cf. Num 21:8) who were given to idolatry. Now, it is the Son of God himself, nailed to the cross, as one cursed (cf. Deut 21:23), totally obedient to the will of the Father, fully aware of His sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. On the cross we see the madness of a passionate God, who makes His life a gift of love, truth and life. Jesus does not shy away from the scandal of the cross, because He knows its importance in the project for a restored humanity. 4. “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.” Condemnation is not a punishment from God, but a consequence for those who do not turn to their Creator, who do not make a radical choice for God, who put their life above all else, who value their own interests more than the will of God, who have become idolaters. Those who adhere to Jesus Christ, placing their lives at the disposal of the greater good for themselves and for all, will gain eternal life. “He who does not believe will be condemned.” Therefore, faith is essential and decisive in the judgment. It is up to man to accept it as a gift from God or, on the contrary, to reject it. Jesus came as a Servant, humiliated, totally at the service of our salvation, assuming us and giving himself for us (cf. Phil 2:6-11). It is up to us to truly embrace the Son of God, to fix our gaze on HIM and to make our lives also a total surrender to the Father. Let us complete in our flesh what was lacking in the Passion (cf. Col 1:24). As in Jesus Christ, may God be praised in our lives.