Sermon; Lent 2A; John 3:1-17

John is an interesting and rich gospel. He has many memorable stories, and he has some of the most beautiful imagery in the bible (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God). John has more signs than miracles. Jesus tends to talk in long monologues. And John flips things around when Jesus' miracles are offered before belief is stated. Add to this a variety of theological views, the contrast between dark and light, and his often misunderstood and misused treatment of “the Jews,” and John, as a whole, can be difficult to read and understand, let alone to preach on.

Today we get the story of Jesus' interaction with Nicodemus, which includes probably the most quoted and misused passage of the bible. This story takes place in Jerusalem during the Passover festival – the first of three Jesus attends in Jerusalem. While there he performs many “signs” that people interpreted to mean he was the Messiah. So this is the setting for today's encounter.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, a reference to the opening of the gospel contrasting light and dark, and neither the world nor his own people knowing him. But there is an opening – to all who believed he gave power to become children of God. Nicodemus represents those who are at least willing to consider and reevaluate their understanding of how God is working in new ways.

Nicodemus approaches Jesus and says, “We know you are from God because no one can do what you do apart from God.” He is placing his understanding of Jesus within the bounds of previous understandings of God. Jesus responds by saying, “Very truly I tell you . . .”

Jesus is doing a new thing. This is John's equivalent of, “You have heard it said . . ., but I say to you . . .” And for those who have long-held ideas of how God should behave, this newness of Jesus can be difficult. This isn't only a Nicodemus problem, this is also an us problem. How many of us are so tied to old, traditional ways that we fail to see God behaving differently? Or maybe actively work to put an end to anything new?

I have a friend who pastors another church. She was informed that her supervisor received 61 letters from parishioners asking for her removal because, at its core, she wasn't doing things how they had always done them. Those 61 people are adamantly tied to the past and refuse to see how she can help lead them into the future. At least Nicodemus was willing to consider that God might be doing something new.

And that is really what this whole conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus revolves around – God doing something new. That newness is hard for Nicodemus to grasp. Remember when I talked about Jesus transforming the literal black & white of the law into something that reached the heart of the law? This scene is a perfect example of that.

Nicodemus is stuck on his literal interpretation of words. Jesus is using words metaphorically to get at the heart of what God is doing.

“Very truly I tell you, no one can be successful unless they understand how the plant works.” Taken one way, these could be the words of a supervisor giving advice to new employees. Taken another way, these could be wise words about the holistic integration of plant life into our own lives.

“No one can see the kingdom of God without being born anOthen.” Anothen is a Greek word meaning both “from above” and “new” or “again.” Nicodemus heard “again.” Jesus meant something else. That something else has to do with being reborn through the waters of baptism by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This conversation goes on with Jesus trying to get Nicodemus to understand, or see, this new way God is working, while Nicodemus seems to not be able to get past his entrenched viewpoint of how God is supposed to work. As we read through John's gospel, Nicodemus appears in a few other places, always appearing on the edges. He doesn't condemn Jesus, but neither is he front and center in speaking up for, or defending, him. He is someone for whom Jesus is on the edges; he is someone who may be afraid to commit to fully following Christ. Or maybe he is just processing what all of this means.

Either way, this failure to understand, or to see God working in new ways, or to commit fully, may have been what got Jesus to the last few verses. “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Moses took what killed the Israelites, serpents, created an image on a pole, and used that to heal those in danger of dying. In the same way, God will use the power of the cross as an instrument of worldly death and turn it into a powerful instrument of life for those who believe. God transformed an instrument of death to be an instrument of life.

Why do this? Because “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.”

As I said earlier, this may be the most quoted passage in the bible. It may also be the most misunderstood, or misused passage in the bible.

This passage directly ties back to the previous verse about Jesus being lifted up. His crucifixion and his succumbing to the powers of the world and death are what ultimately lead him to defeat those powers and rise to new life. For those who believe, that gift of self-sacrifice leads to eternal life.

The closing verse in today's gospel states that the Son wasn't sent to condemn the world but to save it. And verse 18, which we don't get today, states that those who believe are not condemned, while those who do not believe are condemned already. And here is where we run into problems.

Some people will use this passage to condemn those who don't believe the same way they do. “Do you believe Jesus Christ is your personal Savior?” If you answer differently than they require, you, my friend, are condemned to hell.

But pay attention and notice that the Son was sent not to condemn but to offer eternal life. Also notice that Jesus says those who don't believe are condemned already. In John's understanding, God offers the gift of life through his Son. God does not condemn those who choose not to believe, because they have condemned themselves. They have chosen to ignore the gift of light and to continue to walk in darkness. This choice, not God, is what has condemned them already.

Jesus, through John, goes on to say that walking in darkness or light is a choice we all make.

Nicodemus is working through the process of making that choice. He comes to Jesus in the dark, but learns about the light. He is struggling to see God doing a new thing – probably like a lot of us at times. That transformation from dark to light doesn't always happen overnight; it's often a long process.

Our Lenten journey is a long process of transformation as well. We may not change our behaviors or attitudes overnight, but like Nicodemus we keep searching, we keep asking questions, and we keep moving toward the light. Ultimately if we opt to place ourselves, our wants and desires, over and above God, we will continue to walk in darkness and condemn ourselves.

Let us continually look to the light. Let us see an instrument of violence transformed into an instrument of peace. And let us look beyond the simple black and white answers to answers and behaviors that get to the heart of God, transforming us into the people God is calling us to be.

Amen.