Scripture:
It is not always easy to put our trust in God. That's why the Bible provides numerous examples of our forebears in faith who did so. Abraham is perhaps the chief example. As an old man, God calls Abram--who later receives the name Abraham--to go to an unspecified land where he and his descendants will be greatly blessed. We remember Abram because of the quality of his faith and trust. When God calls, Abram goes. Hear now a reading from the book of Genesis, chapter 12, verses 1-4a:

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. [2] I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." [4] So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

Since my sermon this morning will try to illuminate the familiar passage I am about to read, I ask that you receive this reading with new ears, open to new meanings which God might have for us this morning. Hear now the story of Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus as it is written in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, beginning with verse 1:

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. [2] He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." [3] Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." [4] Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" [5] Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. [6] What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' [8] The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." [9] Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" [10] Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
[11] "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. [12] If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? [13] No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. [14] And just 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, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
[17] "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Sermon:


Throughout the Bible, we occasionally run across passages which speak for themselves. Some are eloquent in their simplicity, for example: "God is Love." Others, while not simple, are universally understood. "The good that I would do, I do not; and that which I would not do, that I do!" A few moments ago when we said the confession together, you could hear an echo of this comment by Paul.

Many would say that the most well known line from our Gospel reading this morning speaks for itself:

[16] 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.'

I would disagree. Now I am well aware that this verse has taken on legendary proportion, in part thanks to born-again football fans who have scarfed up the end zone season tickets so that--during the extra point--they can flash their signs reading "3:16" << hold up the sign>> . But even if this reference becomes as commonplace as John Madden's x's and o's, we will still have to go a long way to understand it. After reading commentary after commentary on this passage, I still find myself coming up with new and interesting realizations about its meaning and its context within the Gospel of John. And so this morning, I want to share with you some of those insights and perspectives in the hopes that you too will find yourself intrigued by this passage, and the meaning it holds for you.

Nicodemus plays a significant role in John's gospel. Not only is he a rabbi (which is better understood as teacher or professor), but he is the pre-eminent teacher in the region. He is one of 71 members of the supreme Jewish council in Jerusalem known as the Sanhedrin. He is also a Pharisee, and as such has a particular interest in and knowledge about the coming of the kingdom. He plays a significant role in John's gospel, appearing two more times: once when he comes to Jesus' defense by slowing the rush to judgment which Jewish officials are mounting toward Jesus, and lastly when he assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing Jesus' body for burial by lavishing upon it enormous quantities of very expensive spices, demonstrating both his wealth and his devotion.

Knowing all of this, if we return to the story, it comes across quite differently. No longer do we write off Nicodemus as a thick-headed dolt. This story is about a meeting between two heavy-weight teachers, each with his own perspective. When Jesus makes reference to the transformation we must undergo to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus says we must be born from above. The Greek word which the writer of the gospel uses is "anonthen," which means "from above", or "from top to bottom," or it can also mean "again."

Because Nicodemus is such a linear thinker, he assumes Jesus is saying that we must re-enter the womb and be born "again" -- a ridiculous notion. Like many of us, Nicodemus approaches his faith in a rational fashion. He believes that we come to faith -- we enter the Kingdom -- through careful, logical examination of historical evidence, and we arrive at our conclusions without risk, cost, vulnerability or decision. Faith, and our entrance into God's Kingdom, have a logic to them. Our role is to engage that logic.

Jesus sees it differently, and it seems that Nicodemus is wise enough to recognize that however far apart they may be in their understanding, it would be worth it to try to understand Jesus' interpretation. It seems ironic that today, so many who consider themselves to be Jesus' true disciples, interpret the meaning of Jesus comment in the same way as Nicodemus, and not the way Jesus himself intended!

There's something else we need to know. The community John was writing for had been excommunicated by their fellow Jews because they followed Jesus openly. Now keep that in mind as you imagine them listening to this story. Nicodemus is one of the Jewish leaders who judged against John's community. Yet Nicodemus maintains a curiosity about Jesus -- so much so that he sneaks out in the night to talk with Jesus. This looks to be a classic case where Nicodemus wants to have it both ways; and it doesn't take much imagination to hear some of John's community pipe up with hisses, boos, and cat calls.

Others recognize that Nicodemus demonstrates at least a partial faith, a view which is supported when he reappears twice more, later in John's Gospel. The point is that the hearers of John's gospel had already risked their reputations, and would eventually risk their very lives, to live out in the open the truth which Jesus teaches in this passage. We must never forget that in the first two centuries, more Christians died by martyrdom than died by natural death.

As we listen to this passage, it is helpful to know that throughout John's Gospel, there is a great divide. On the one hand we have the world (kosmos), created by God, but now immersed in falsehood, ignorance, flesh, and bondage. On the other hand, we have "heavenly things", which Jesus encourages those who would follow him to pay attention to. This division was supported by several other religions of the time. People were taught that human existence is marked by countless negative attributes. Some intellectuals of the time thought the world was so bad that it was from the world that we needed to be redeemed.

Now, it is against this background that John 3:16 can be more fully understood for its shock value. When Jesus asserts that God so loved the world, he is advancing a proposition that is an affront to all the intellectuals of his time: that God sincerely and genuinely loves the forsaken realm of the world. By yielding up his son, God demonstrates his great love for this world, making it clear that we are not to distance ourselves from the messy world as we know it -- because redemption is available and is occurring through God's love of this world.

When the single verse of John 3:16 is quoted out of context -- that is, when the dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus is left behind -- Jesus' point is easily missed, and the good news is but a faint echo. Our generation has heard this verse become the rally cry of those claiming to know the identities and personality types of the ones who will be allowed into heaven and the ones who will be barred at the gate. The phrase "everyone who believes in him" has been taken as a clause which Jesus uses to exclude all those who don't believe in him. If a man or a woman is ambiguous about his or her faith, too bad.

But what we have come to see is that this is a serious misreading of what Jesus is saying. Jesus wishes to make two, simple points: First of all, to get from wherever we are to heaven means that we need to be re-born from top to bottom. A complete transformation is needed. It's not a matter of doing again what we've already done. We must open our most resistant places to the transforming power of God's love. Secondly, this is not, by any means, a limited offer. It's open to the whole world. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the reason he came into the world, the meaning of his whole enterprise, is to save --- not some people who will show you how much more faithful they are than others --- but Jesus was sent by God in order that the whole world might be saved through him.

So if you would describe yourself as someone who is actively journeying along the road of faith -- and I suspect that describes each person sitting in these pews or listening on the radio -- then take heart. The gates of heaven are not nearly as narrow as some of Christ's contemporary interpreters would have us believe. We have it on good authority that wherever you are along that journey -- so long as you aren't stubbornly exercising your freedom in a conscious rejection of God's love -- wherever you are along that journey of faith, God is on the lookout for you: to walk with you, to be your partner, to provide you with the support you need in times of trouble, desertion, and doubt.

Never forget: you are a child of God. Like Nicodemus -- who visits Jesus at night -- you may feel like the only way you can approach God is to appeal to God in secret. But take heart at how Jesus responds. Instead of playing favorites, instead of offering a list of all the hoops that the faithful need to jump through, Jesus simply clarifies that he comes for the whole world -- not some pre-qualified portion.

And one last thought: the next time you experience a negative thought about someone rising up inside you, or you find yourself seething about something someone said or did, remember: God sent Jesus for that person as well as yourself. However mad you may be at this person, when the gates of heaven swing wide, you'll find yourselves seated right next to one another, and I suspect that whatever is troubling you will not seem so significant. In this life, each day, we are given the opportunity, in a small way, to create heaven on earth by imposing on ourselves a discipline of forgiveness and kindness. Given the choice, I'll reach for heaven every time.


Amen