ROME IMPROVEMENT 03/14/2021

MORE POWER!  MORE GLORY!!  MORE SPIRIT!!!

SURVEYING THE SITE—John 3:13-21

Following last week’s confrontation in the temple, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. We hear the conversation concerning whether anyone can enter the womb a second time and be born again. We learn that we are to be born of water and the spirit. We are told, “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.”

Nicodemus is rebuffed because he is a teacher of the Jewish people and yet he does not understand. Jesus says, “We speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen. Yet you do not receive our testimony.” There is discussion about knowing earthly things and heavenly things. This encounter of Nicodemus and Jesus sets the stage for Jesus’ concluding words of the need for Jesus’ presence in the world.

Throughout this exchange, verb tense is important. This passage is told understanding that narratively Jesus has not been crucified, has not been raised up from the dead, has not ascended into heaven, but the hearers of the story already know these things have occurred. The theological word is “proleptic” which means that, at the same time, something has already, but not yet, happened.

It is like telling the story of an accident. As you tell the events that lead up to the accident, everyone knows that the accident has already occurred. Yet, as the hearers of the story already know of the accident, they do not know what caused the accident. So, proleptically you get to tell the already, but not yet, event of the accidental encounter that led to being married to the love of your life.

READING THE BLUEPRINT

No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. And, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Whoever believes in him will have eternal life.

As a result, God loved the world in this way.  He gave his only begotten son in order that those who believe in him will not be destroyed but will have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send his son into the world to judge the world, but in order that the world, through him, might be saved/made whole.

Those who believe in him are not judged, but those who do not believe are judged already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. This is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. All who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light in order that their deeds might not be exposed/seen. But those who do what is true come to the light so it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done IN God.

ROUGHING IN THE HOUSE

A couple weeks ago, we heard these words from Proverbs 30:4. “Who has ascended into heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person’s name? What is the name of the person’s child? Surely you know.” I cannot help but think that the writer of John had these words echoing in his head as he recorded these words of Jesus, “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.”

John’s audience, steeped in the story of the serpent raised up on the pole, found in Numbers, is reminded that those who looked upon it were healed. So now, the proleptic image of Jesus on the cross is bound/connected to that healing in the wilderness and projects that healing onto the healing of our broken world.

This lifting up of Jesus on the cross is not an act of divine infanticide, God the Father killing off God the Son, but an act of sacrificial love, freely given for the salvation of the world. This is not personal salvation. The statement of “those who believe”, does not indicate individual salvations and not even nations as in Matthew 25. Here, John uses “kosmos”, translated “world”, but really even something bigger, “cosmos”.

As there was a judgment of the world during Noah’s time and during the time of the prophets, so now we hear that there is going to be judgment again. Those who believe IN him are not judged. Those who do not believe IN him are judged already. The oftentimes overlooked word here is IN. As one lives IN a house, sleeps IN a tent, or lives IN the world, so now, we believe IN Christ, IN God, IN the Holy Spirit. Those who do not believe IN Christ, are outside the Body of Christ, therefore they cannot believe IN “The Name”, revealed to us as the only begotten son.

What is the person’s name? What is the name of the person’s child? Surely you know—It is with this knowledge that we state creedally, “I/We believe IN God; IN God’s only son, Jesus Christ; IN the Holy Spirit.” This place of being IN is not only the location of our faith but also our world perspective.

PUTTING UP THE WALLS

The story of the serpent reminds us of that wilderness time when the people of God complained against God, claiming that their lives were better off when they were in Egypt. As a punishment, God sends venomous snakes that bring death and sickness to the people. Moses then raises a bronze serpent on a pole, and all who gaze upon the serpent are healed. (Numbers 21:4-9)

Centuries after Moses raised the serpent on the pole, King Hezekiah brought reform to Israel. He removed the sites of pagan worship and destroyed the idols. Among the idols he destroyed is the bronze serpent Moses made. The people had forgotten that the bronze serpent was a sign from God for healing and had begun offering sacrifices to it. (2 Kings 18)

Yet, as the serpent was lifted up, so Jesus is lifted up, and sometimes our response to Christ’s lifting up is the same as the people’s response to the bronze serpent. We forget to honor, to worship and praise, what Christ has done for us and instead make sacrifices to the crucifix or cross itself. We are tempted to use the cross as a talisman or good luck charm rather than the metaphor of God’s love for us.

In this passage, we are reminded of our own unfaithfulness. As an ELCA bishop once said, “Every congregation has a “Back-to-Egypt committee.” We tend to want the past rather than live into what is and what will be. We want to be protected from an uncertain future with the comforts of a well-known but unfulfilling past. God recognizes these short comings and continues to love us.

Indeed, God loves us in this way. God gives of Godself. God gives God’s only begotten son who chooses to die for the sake of the world that we might be saved through the works of Christ. We are made right with God through the relationship of God’s love.

HANGING THE TRIM

This proleptic raising of Jesus on the cross is not the end of the story—"was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead.” The end of the story is not even the raising up from the tomb on Easter morning—“On the third day, he rose again from the dead, and he is seated at the right hand of God.”

The ultimate raising up of the Son of Man is the raising of Christ into heaven. And, the craziest thing is, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The one who has ascended into heaven will come down again.

“Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person’s name? What is the name of the person’s child? Surely you know.” Let us believe and live IN that one.