Nicodemus Hears about the Hope of Eternal Life
A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B
Brent Smith, Director of Adult Faith Formation & Evangelization
In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is deep in conversation with Nicodemus, a leader among the Pharisees. As someone who believed in eternal life as well as the hidden mysteries of Creation, Jesus’ public ministry struck him to the heart. We can presume this admirer of our Lord desired to come to a verdict about the Christ.
In the cool nighttime air, during a private appointment Jesus references a terrible moment in the days of desert-wandering; in response to the impatient complaints of the Israelite people, “the Lord sent poisonous snakes” as punishment (Numbers 21:5-6). As a sign of his mercy, God then had Moses hang the figure of a snake upon a pole – whoever gazed upon the source of their suffering would be miraculously healed.
The Israelites who followed the teaching of Moses, the contemporaries of Jesus Christ, and everyone of us have a spiritual truth in common: eternal life is given to anyone who entrusts life itself to Divine Mercy. May we find lasting comfort and ever-growing zeal by reflecting upon the words of John chapter three, “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… [So] whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God” (v.16-21).
May I never be able to sing again if I do not remember you, if I do not think of you as my greatest joy! (Ps.137:6; Today’s English Version)
Painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner, “Nicodemus Visiting Jesus" (1899, Pennsylvania)