John
3:1-17
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.
"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. "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.
·
This brief passage has become a
favourite of many people who read the Gospel of John. The verse is often seen
on walls, at sporting events, and many other places. It has been called the
"Gospel in a nutshell", since it is considered a summary of the
central theme of traditional Christianity.
·
It does capsulize the idea of
salvation by grace. The reference to “everyone who believes in him”
is important while also showing an odd historical controversy in John’s time
and place.
·
I’d like to take a look the passage
bit by bit. You can call it a ‘bible study’ if you wish and I hope we can still
see the thread of grace through all of this.
·
We begin with God so loved the world
to see the reason for all this. It was not obligation or plan or to teach some
lesson in order to gain wisdom, but out of love, a love so great that the Lover
would hold nothing back.
·
Then the world, not
some place of myth or legend, not some spiritual existence, but the cosmos (the
word used in Greek), the created and material world in all its mess and
trouble. There is no waiting until the world is set at rights or until it
cleans up its act. God loves the world as it is… right now.
·
He gave his only Son tells us what God did out of love for the world. The Son was not
sent or dispatched, but given as a gift freely given, no matter how he was
received.
·
His only Son – this is no surprise to the reader since John has been telling
us this from the first few verses of the Gospel; we know exactly who Jesus is
from the words of John.
·
To say Everyone who believes in him may
not perish, tells what was to be accomplished in the giving of this
gift; Those who believe would not perish in the way John speaks of death and
life.
·
But may have eternal
life – John’s Gospel builds through a
series of signs and this conversation with Nicodemus is one of the first. What
it means to have life eternal is tied into being born ‘again’ or ‘born from
above.’ We say both because the original language can mean either and either
sense works for us.
·
Now John has Jesus saying Indeed
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world. Jesus
was sent or given to the world, but not to condemn. There is always a strain of
fear in speaking about Jesus and we must be clear. He was sent to judge, yes,
but God’s judgement is mercy, so condemnation is not the message. Grace and
mercy is!
·
The next phrase answers the question
of why the Son was sent: But in order that the world might be
saved. Once again, this is the created world, the material world in
which we live, not some place of pure spirit. This the world into which
salvation comes and in which we encounter the Savior.
·
When we hear the phrase - through
him – it is through Jesus that this is done. Certainly not through
our own efforts and not through some other source.
·
This is where we have to see the
whole idea of being “born again” or “born from above” as being a grace-filled
idea. It is not our choice that saves us, but the action of Jesus Christ. It is
not our decision that brings salvation, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
We come to a knowledge of that through faith. A theologian might say “salvation
by grace apprehended through faith.” Those are big words for knowing our
salvation through our faith in God and God’s grace.
·
Finally we must back up our brief
look to the part of the passage that says: so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Jesus is alluding to
the bronze serpent that Moses put up on a pole in the desert as a miraculous
way to have the Israelite recover from the bites of the seraph serpents. Those
who were bitten and looked up at the bronze serpent were healed. Here Jesus
says if he is “lifted up”, those who look to him, will be healed.
“Lifted up” can mean exalted and it can mean lifted up to something higher…
like a cross. Those who are wounded by life and by sin will be healed if they
look to the crucified Christ. The grace of salvation will be theirs out of the
love of God for all that has been created by his hand.
·
This is quite a message for us and a
powerful one to see us through to the celebration of the Resurrection we look
forward to.
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.
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