Commentary on the Gospel of
God Who Gives
“Give” is a verb that occurs 63 times in the Fourth Gospel, and hence, is a key theme for John. God is one who gives. The chosen people of Israel looked forward to God giving them the promised land. They also received from God the Torah. But here Jesus speaks of God giving them the highest gift possible—his very Son, and through him, eternal life. If the land and the Torah were specifically given to a circumscribed group of people, God gives his Son for the entire world so that no one is left out of his embrace. Moreover, this giving also meant a “giving up” of his Son all the way to death. At the end of it all, God does so, out of great love, to redeem the world and never to condemn it. Yet, why do we still choose to live in fear of God rather than run into His embrace?
