Jn 3:16-21
16God 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. 21But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. God does not simply love; God so loves the world. These two letters make a lot of difference. God gives his only Son: so that we may be saved, so that we may have life. It is not enough to love; we have to love so much. We can love or like games, places, food, clothes, pets, and computer. But to so love will involve our whole self towards other selves, not things. To so love means to give our all and withhold nothing.
And why does God love so much? Not because God gets something from us or because we are so lovable. God loves because it is God’s nature to love! God cannot help but love. It is best when we love not because we have reasons to but because loving is the only reason and becomes natural for us since it is our nature to love.
A Zen story tells of an old man seeing a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. He stretches out his hand to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touches it, the scorpion stings him. Instinctively, he withdraws his hand, but then stretches it again to save the scorpion. Once again the insect stings his hand. A passerby, watching the whole process, shouts at the old man, “Hey, stupid old man. What’s wrong with you? You could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion.”
“My friend,” the old man replies, “the scorpion’s nature to sting does not change my nature to save.”