"History is the teacher of life": so said an ancient Latin proverb. Indeed, as we say, history repeats itself, and those who engage with it come to understand more about who they are and who their ancestors were. Today's first reading recounts very important moments in the history of Israel, God's people of the Old Testament. As we heard, God had been patient with His people for a long time, sending His messengers or prophets to open their eyes, yet this people were so stubborn that they brought great calamity upon themselves. This calamity came from the Kingdom of Babylon, which had become a superpower around 600 years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, attacks the small kingdom of Judah, defeats it, destroys the country along with its temple, and drags the surviving Jews into exile. There, the people entered a crisis that led to their conversion, as we heard in the psalm.
After about 50 years, the Lord sends another king, Cyrus, the king of Persia, who wages war against Babylon, defeats it, and does something no one could have imagined: he allows the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild their cities and even the Temple. Thus, Cyrus, a pagan king, becomes a symbol and prophecy of Christ; as Cyrus frees the Jews from the Babylonian exile, so Jesus the Lord frees us from sin. However, there is a great difference, the liberation Cyrus brought was short-lived, the liberation that Jesus offers, for those who accept it, lasts forever. Indeed, Jesus in today's gospel tells us, 'Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 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.'
We note the emphasis Jesus places on 'eternal life'; what he promises is not something of this passing world but something that, once acquired, is never lost. What is the worth of this world's riches if they pass away and vanish like the wind, what is the value of gold and diamonds of this world if we have to leave them behind. What truly matters is that which lasts forever, that which no one and nothing can take from us, not even death; indeed, for those who believe in Him, death is the moment when they receive this eternal reward. Therefore, what lasts forever cannot be earned by us, nor can it be bought with anything of this world; it is given to us for free as Saint Paul tells us, 'God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved... through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.'
What does all this mean: 'Whoever believes in him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.' Notice that in the Old Testament, Faith was built around the law, whether you observe the law or not; now, our Faith is built on the person of Jesus, and thus true Faith is whether you accept Jesus or not. Jesus is lifted from the earth on the cross so that anyone who looks to Him in faith is saved, becomes a child of God, and is given eternal life as an inheritance. We ask ourselves: what am I seeking in life, which treasure do I desire, a treasure that I can enjoy for a few years, or that treasure which lasts forever, the treasure that only Jesus can give me? Our answer to this question makes a big difference in how we receive the gift of Easter that God is offering us.
Prayer: Grant us, Lord, You who were lifted upon the cross, eyes filled with faith to look upon You, so that we may see in You all that we truly need, all that we truly desire, for through You and in You alone can we receive that good which no one and nothing can take from us, that good to which You are calling us to enjoy with You forever.