Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent
For 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. Jn 3:14-21
Believe. The word is a central feature of this short gospel passage. One need not look any further than note that the word appears five times in these seven verses of the gospel passage.
The well-known John 3:16 is an example: “For 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.” Belief, then, is essential to ‘eternal life’. This “Little Gospel” rolls off the tongue of many versed in scripture. What is not quoted as often is John 3:18: “Whoever does not believe has already been condemned.” According to these two verses, belief determines whether a person is destined to eternal life or condemnation. Needless to say, an important distinction.
This begs the first basic question: What is belief? Since most people would prefer ‘eternal life’ to ‘condemnation’, the second question is this: “How can we strengthen our belief, especially if circumstances of our life have caused our faith to falter?”
First, there are two types of beliefs. Here is a little story to illustrate. Imagine you are at the Niagara Falls. There is a cable stretched from one side to the other. You see a man walk up with a wheel barrow. He guides the wheel barrow on to the cable, and then follows. Across the raging waters, he tip-toes along the cable, guiding the wheel barrow to the other side. Once on the other side, he turns around the wheel barrow and guides it back across the chasm to where he started.
Do you believe that this man can guide this wheel barrow across the chasm one more time? You think, “Yes, he can. He’s already done it twice. I believe he can do it again.” This is the first type of belief. It is a belief based on reason and intellect.
The second type of belief is this. If you believe that he can do this again, would you get into the wheel barrow? The second type of belief is based on trust and a willingness to surrender one’s entire life to that belief.
Which type of belief is illustrated in the little gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him might have eternal life? Obviously, this ‘belief’ demanded in the gospel does not come from the head, but from the heart.
Belief is a process. It is not something you either have or you don’t. It is a growing in awareness of God’s presence in the world and in your life. Later in the same gospel passage, Jesus says “But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” It doesn’t say, “is in the light” but “comes to the light.” In other words, belief can be seen as a coming in to the light by living the truth.
How can we grow from unbelief, to an intellectual belief, to a full-hearted put my life on the line belief?
Nicodemus show us the way. The central figure in this gospel is Nicodemus. He literally goes from darkness to light, from unbelief to belief. His journey toward belief provides a few important ways a person can shore up his or her own belief.
Nicodemus is a Pharaisee and a leader of the Jews. He appears in the gospel three times. After each appearance, he gradually evolves in his ‘belief’. Even though his is a great teacher, he starts in the dark, no belief, then moves to having an intellectual curiosity. At the end of the gospel, he puts his entire life ‘in the wheelbarrow of Jesus’.
Questions are important. The first appearance Nicodemus is at night. He didn’t want to be seen by this holy man. He asks Jesus some questions which Jesus answers and the answers prompt more questions.
Having a lot of questions is a critical part of believing. I’ve met with RCIA converts, deacon candidates in formation, engaged couples, prisoners, confirmation candidates… I often open each meeting with a question: “What questions do you have for me?” I can tell a lot more about their faith by their questions, not their answers. Questions are good. The more questions, the more productive my time is with whomever I’m with.
Questions acknowledge that God is a mystery and part of believing is to be open to more deeply understanding this mystery, and the surprising possibilities that may come from that openness.
The psalms are filled with questions from people trying to shore up their faith and people who are trying to understand. “How long Lord will you frown on your peoples plea? Why have you abandoned me? Where can flee from your spirit?”
Don’t Get Discouraged. The second time Nicodemus appears is in a Jewish council. The leaders were discussing how to entrap Jesus. Nicodemus speaks with some sympathy to Jesus. “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” The leaders of the council, upon hearing this, rebuke and shame him for revealing his new belief.
In this brief exchange, Nicodemus moved out of the darkness into the light, but he was not quite ready to put his entire life on the line. He just asks a question to try to tilt the discussion toward more support of Jesus. It doesn’t work. It would have been easy for Nicodemus to realize he was fighting a losing battle and give up.
Overcoming the temptation to get discouraged and give up is also part of belief. How many times have you made bold statement of faith or performed some magnanimous act and there were discouraging results or even it might have backfired. The person you forgive continues to betray, the people around you continue to disappoint, the drug-addict continues to us drugs, the persuasive words fail to persuade. You might cry out to God, “I did this for you, and look what happened!” It is easy to get discouraged.
Nicodemus does not get discouraged. He appears a third time, after the crucifixion. After all the other apostles denied Jesus and fled the scene to save their own life, Nicodemus appears with oils for the burial. Broad daylight. Casting the threat to his own life aside and in the presences of a hostile crowd and at great personal risk, he shows up with the aloes and myrrh. Along with Joseph of Arimathea, they anoint the body, wrap the body with linen strips, and lay the body in the tomb.
Nicodemus illustrated three points on strengthening our belief. Questions are good. “Why, God, do you make me wait so long?” “Why do you let this person suffer?” “”How can you ever forgive me for this offense?” “What more do you want me to do?”
Discouragement comes with belief. Nicodemus did not get the response he wanted when he met with the council. It is easy for a person to begin to lose faith when the results are very discouraging.
Believing Takes Time. Another lesson that a Nicodemus illustrates is that it takes time. Nicodemus had been thinking about Jesus before he approached Jesus. There was a span of time between his first encounter and the council meeting. There was another span of time between his council meeting and his anointing the crucified body of Jesus. There wasn’t this immediate conversion after encountering Jesus for the first time, but a gradual growth in Nicodemus’ faith.
If you feel as if you’re losing your faith, hang in there. Continue to pray, continue to go to go to church, continue to do good works, continue to discern what God wants you do to. Do not to get discouraged by lack of results – the results are up to God. As Mother Teresa said in various ways, “God doesn’t require us to be successful, only to be faithful.”
Remember, Faith is a Gift. In the end, faith is a gift from God. It is not something we create on our own. As the author of Ephesians says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (2:8) To open this gift, we need to open ourselves up to God.