4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle B
1st Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
The Reign of Zedekiah (Continuation)
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[14] All the leading priests and' the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful,
following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the
LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. [15] The LORD, the God of their fa-
thers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion
on his people and on his dwelling place; [16] but they kept mocking the messen-
gers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the
LORD rose against his people, till there was no remedy.
Deportation. Destruction of Jerusalem (Continuation)
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[19] And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem,
and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. [20]
He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they
became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom
of Persia, [21] to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the
land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath,
to fulfill seventy years.
Cyrus' Edict
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[22] Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom
and also put it in writing: [23] ”Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the
God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged
me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among
you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.”
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Commentary:
36:21. The mention of Jeremiah (cf. Jer 25:1-12; 29:10) indicates that his book
was already seen in the Chronicler's time as being prophetical and holy; and it
also underlines the fact that the exile was an event foreseen by God who kept
the land in a long "sabbath”, that is, a period of total rest, until the return of
those who constituted the true Israel. By refraining from any mention of the go-
vernorship of Gedaliah (cf. 2 Kings 25 :22-26) the writer avoids anything that
would imply divisions between these who were deported and those who stayed
on in Jerusalem.
36:22-23. The end of the book of Chronicles is identical with the start of that of
Ezra (Ezra 1:1-3) and the repetition was probably inserted when Chronicles was
finally separated from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. But it does serve to re-
inforce the lesson, contained in the previous verses, that the exile does not mean
the end, and that everything will continue as before the exile, because those who
belong to the Lord's people will return, and the key conviction of faith will endure
--that the Lord is with them, with all of those who, when this book was being
assembled, were members of the people.
2nd Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
Salvation As a Free Gift
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[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us,
[5] even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up with him, and made
us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the coming ages
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not
your own doing, it is the gift of God [9] not because of works, lest any man should
boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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Commentary:
1-10. St Paul moves on to consider those who make up the Church--Jews and
Gentiles. Despite the sinful situation in which both found themselves (vv. 2-3),
God in is great mercy (vv. 4-5) has acted on them and made them to be like
Christ, now victorious and seated in heaven (vv. 6-7); this he has done through
the unmerited gift of faith (vv. 8-10).
4. God's mercy is the greatest expression of his love because it shows the total
gratuitousness of God's love towards the sinner, whereby instead of punishing
him he forgives him and gives him life. The words "God, who is rich in mercy"
have great theological and spiritual depth: they are a kind of summary of all St
Paul's teaching about God's approach to people who are under the rule of sin,
who are "by nature children of wrath".
Pope John Paul II has chosen these words of Scripture "dives in misericordia"
--as the title of one of his encyclicals, an encyclical which explores the divine
dimension of the mystery of Redemption. Here is how the Pope sums up bibli-
cal teaching on mercy: "The concept of 'mercy' in the Old Testament has a long
and rich history [...]. It is significant that in their preaching the prophets link
mercy, which they often refer to because of the people's sins, with the incisive
image of love on God's part. The Lord loves Israel with the love of a special choo-
sing, much like the love of a spouse (cf. e.g. Hos 2:21-25 and 15; Is 54:6-8) and
for this reason he pardons its sins and even its infidelities and betrayals. When
he finds repentance and true conversion, he brings his people back to grace (cf.
Her 31:20; Ezek 39: 25-29). In the preaching of the prophets "mercy" signifies a
"special power of love", which "prevails over the sin and infidelity" of the chosen
people [...]. The Old Testament encourages people suffering from misfortune,
especially those weighed down by sin--as also the whole of Israel, which had
entered into the covenant with God--"to appeal for mercy", and enables them to
count upon it" ("Dives In Misericordia", 4).
In the New Testament also there are many references to God's mercy, some-
times very touching ones, like the parable of the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15: 32);
others take a more dramatic form, for example, Christ's sacrifice, the supreme
expression of the love of God, which is stronger than death and sin. "The 'Cross
of Christ', on which the Son, consubstantial with the Father, 'renders full justice
to God', is also 'a radical revelation of mercy', or rather of the love that goes
against what constitutes the very root of evil in the history of man: against sin
and death" ("ibid.", 8).
5-6. The power of God works in the Christian in a way similar to that in which it
worked in Christ. St Paul here uses almost the same language as he did earlier
(cf. 1:20), to show how radical is the change produced in men by Christ's salva-
tion.
Just as a dead person is unable to bring himself back to life, so those who are
dead through sin cannot obtain grace, supernatural life, by their own effort. Only
Christ, by means of the Redemption, offers us that new life which begins with
justification and ends with resurrection and eternal happiness in heaven. The
Apostle is speaking here of that life of grace, and therefore of our future resur-
rection and glorification with Christ in heaven; he refers to this as if it were an
accomplished fact, and the reason he does so is this: Jesus Christ is our head
and we form one body with him (cf. Gal 3:28), and therefore we share in the
head's condition. Christ, after his resurrection, sits at the right hand of the Father.
"The body of Christ, which the Church is", St Augustine comments, "must be at
the right hand, that is, in the glory of heaven, as the Apostle says: 'we have been
raised up with him and made to sit with him in heaven.' Even though our body is
not yet there, our hope is already placed there" ("De Agone Christiano", 26).
From the moment of our incorporation into Christ by Baptism, his resurrection
and exaltation is something which is already present in us in an incomplete way:
"Thus by Baptism", Vatican II teaches, "men are grafted into the paschal mys-
tery of Christ; they die with him, are buried with him, and rise with him (cf. Rom
6:4; Eph 2:6; Col 3:1; 2 Tim 2:11f). They receive the spirit of adoption as sons in
which 'we cry, Abba, Father' (Rom 8:15) and thus become true adorers such as
the Father seeks (cf. Jn 4:23)" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 6). See the note on
Rom 6:9-10.
The Redemption has already been accomplished, and man has available to him
all the grace he needs for salvation: the gates of heaven are open wide; it is now
the responsibility of every individual to make room for grace in his soul, to avail
of grace to respond to our Lord's call. Through Christ, "we have been reborn spi-
ritually, for through him we are crucified to the world," St Zozimus comments.
"By his death that decree of death has been destroyed which Adam caused and
which was passed on to every soul--that sentence which we incur through our
descent, from which absolutely no one is free prior to being set free by Baptism"
("Epist. 'Tractoria', Dz-Sch", 231).
8-9. Salvation is the work of God, a gratuitous gift of God: it originates in God's
mercy. It acts in man by means of faith, that is, by man's acceptance of the sal-
vation offered him in Jesus Christ. But even faith, St Paul tells us, is a divine gift;
man cannot merit it by his own efforts alone; it is not exclusively the outcome of
human freedom; at all stages, from the very beginning, recognition and accep-
tance of Christ as Savior means that God's grace is at work.
On the basis of this passage in Ephesians and other passages of Scripture, the
Church has taught: "According to the passages of Sacred Scripture and the ex-
planations of the Holy Fathers [specified] we, with God's help must believe and
preach the following: The free will of man was made so weak and unsteady
through the sin of the first man that, after the Fall, no one could love God as was
required, or believe in God, or perform good works for God unless the grace of
divine mercy anticipated him [...]. Even after the coming of Christ this grace of
faith is not found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized but is conferred
through the generosity of Christ, according to what has already been said and
according to what the Apostle Paul teaches: 'It has been granted to you that for
the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake'
(Phil 1:29). And also: 'he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ' (Phil 1:6). And again: 'By grace you have been saved
through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God' (Eph 2:8). And
the Apostle says of himself: 'As one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy' (1
Cor 7:25; cf. 1 Tim 1:13) [...]. And Scripture says further: 'What have you that
you did not receive?' (1 Cor 4:7). And again: 'Every good endowment and every
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights' (Jas 1:17). And
again: 'No one can receive anything except what is given from heaven' (Jn 3:27)"
(Second Council of Orange, "De Gratia", conclusion).
The Second Vatican Council provides the same teaching: "'By faith man freely
commits his entire self to God [...]; before this faith can be exercised, man must
have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of
the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes
of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth' ("De Gratia",
can . 7; "Dei Filius")'' ("Dei Verbum", 5).
When St Paul says that faith does not come from works (v. 9), he is referring to
things man can do on his own, without the help of grace. If faith did come from
works, then man would have something to boast to God about, something which
would bring salvation without dependence on Christ--which would be inadmissible,
because then our Lord's death would make no sense, nor would even the Incar-
nation of the Word, whom "God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and
sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts,
boast of the Lord"' (1 Cor 1:30-31). See also the notes on Jas 2:14; Rom 3:20-31;
9:31.
10. The Christian became a new creation--"we are his workmanship"-- when he
was inserted into Christ at Baptism (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). Once justified by Baptism,
he should live in a manner consistent with his faith, that is, with his new life. The
life of grace in fact moves him to do those good works which God wishes to see
performed (he had already laid down that this should be so) and which perfect
the work of salvation. Deeds, works, prove the genuineness of faith: "faith by it-
self, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas 2:17). Without these works -- the practice
of the theological and moral virtues--not only would faith be dead; our love for
God and neighbor would be false.
Having said that, it is also true that to bring about this renewal in man God
counts on man's readiness to respond to grace and on his carrying out "good
works".
Christian Tradition has always taught that the fruits of faith are a proof of its vita-
lity. For example, this is what St Polycarp has to say: "It does my heart good to
see how the solid roots of your faith, which have such a reputation ever since
early times, are still flourishing and bearing fruit in Jesus Christ [...]. Many desire
to share in your joy, well knowing that it is by the will of God that you are saved
through Jesus Christ" ("Letter to the Philippians", chap. 1).
Gospel Reading: John 3:14-21
The Visit of Nicodemus (Continuation)
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[Jesus said to Nicodemus,] [14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] that whoever believes
in Him may have eternal life."
[16] "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God sent the Son into the
world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
[18] He who believes in Him is not condemned; He who does not believe is con-
demned already, because He had not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
[19] And this is the judgment, that the light has come into world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one who
does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed. [21] But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be
clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God."
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Commentary:
14-15. The bronze serpent which Moses set up on a pole was established by
God to cure those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpents in the desert
(cf. Numbers 21:8-9). Jesus compares this with His crucifixion, to show the value
of His being raised up on the cross: those who look on Him with faith can obtain
salvation. We could say that the good thief was the first to experience the saving
power of Christ on the cross: he saw the crucified Jesus, the King of Israel, the
Messiah, and was immediately promised that he would be in Paradise that very
day (cf. Luke 23:39-43).
The Son of God took on our human nature to make known the hidden mystery of
God's own life (cf. Mark 4:11; John 1:18; 3:1-13; Ephesians 3:9) and to free from
sin and death those who look at Him with faith and love and who accept the cross
of every day.
The faith of which our Lord speaks is not just intellectual acceptance of the truths
He has taught: it involves recognizing Him as Son of God (cf. 1 John 5:1), sharing
His very life (cf. John 1:12) and surrendering ourselves out of love and therefore
becoming like Him (cf. John 10:27; 1 John 3:2). But this faith is a gift of God (cf.
John 3:3, 5-8), and we should ask Him to strengthen it and increase it as the
Apostles did: Lord "increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5). While faith is a supernatural,
free gift, it is also a virtue, a good habit, which a person can practise and thereby
develop: so the Christian, whoalready has the divine gift of faith, needs with the
help of grace to make explicit acts of faith in order to make this virtue grow.
16-21. These words, so charged with meaning, summarize how Christ's death
is the supreme sign of God's love for men (cf. the section on charity in the
"Introduction to the Gospel according to John": pp. 31ff above). "`For God so
loved the world that He gave His only Son' for its salvation. All our religion is a
revelation of God's kindness, mercy and love for us. `God is love' (1 John 4:16),
that is, love poured forth unsparingly. All is summed up in this supreme truth,
which explains and illuminates everything. The story of Jesus must be seen
in this light. `(He) loved me', St. Paul writes. Each of us can and must repeat
it for himself--`He loved me, and gave Himself for me' (Galatians 2:20)" ([Pope]
Paul VI, "Homily on Corpus Christi", 13 June 1976).
Christ's self-surrender is a pressing call to respond to His great love for us: "If
it is true that God has created us, that He has redeemed us, that He loves us
so much that He has given up His only-begotten Son for us (John 3:16), that
He waits for us--every day!--as eagerly as the father of the prodigal son did (cf.
Luke 15:11-32), how can we doubt that He wants us to respond to Him with all
our love? The strange thing would be not to talk to God, to draw away and for-
get Him, and busy ourselves in activities which are closed to the constant
promptings of His grace" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 251).
"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible
for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not
encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does
not participate intimately in it. This [...] is why Christ the Redeemer `fully
reveals man to himself'. If we may use the _expression, this is the human
dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds
again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. [...] The
one who wishes to understand himself thoroughly [...] must, with his unrest
and uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and
death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into Him with all
his own self, he must `appropriate' and assimilate the whole of the reality
of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this profound
process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of adoration of
God but also of deep wonder at himself.
How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he `gained so great
a Redeemer', ("Roman Missal, Exultet" at Easter Vigil), and if God `gave
His only Son' in order that man `should not perish but have eternal life'. [...]
`Increasingly contemplating the whole of Christ's mystery, the Church knows
with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the
Cross has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to
his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because
of sin. And for that reason, the Redemption was accomplished in the paschal
mystery, leading through the Cross and death to Resurrection" ([Pope] John
Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 10).
Jesus demands that we have faith in Him as a first prerequisite to sharing in
His love. Faith brings us out of darkness into the light, and sets us on the
road to salvation. "He who does not believe is condemned already" (verse 18).
"The words of Christ are at once words of judgment and grace, of life and death.
For it is only by putting to death that which is old that we can come to newness
of life. Now, although this refers primarily to people, it is also true of various
worldly goods which bear the mark both of man's sin and the blessing of God.
[...] No one is freed from sin by himself or by his own efforts, no one is raised
above himself or completely delivered from his own weakness, solitude or
slavery; all have need of Christ, who is the model, master, liberator, savior, and
giver of life. Even in the secular history of mankind the Gospel has acted as a
leaven in the interests of liberty and progress, and it always offers itself as a
leaven with regard to brotherhood, unity and peace" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes",
8).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].