St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 2nd Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-21
Gospel: John 3:1-21
1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He 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.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus 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?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The 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.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16For 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.
17Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
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The Kingdom Seen, Part I: Daylight
Grace to you beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As we begin to move deeper in our Lenten journey from repentance to the assurance of loving and gracious forgiveness through faith, we will be blessed today and on the following Sundays with a series of profound and transformational encounters between Jesus and people who come meet him from a diverse set of life circumstances, each one in a unique headspace.
This Sunday brings Nicodemus to us. John the Evangelist tells us that he is a Pharisee and leader of the people. Later in John’s Gospel (Chapter 7), upon a visit of Jesus to Jerusalem, the temple authorities send for his arrest on the spot because his teaching is causing a stir. The text says that Nicodemus is among them and intervenes on Jesus’ behalf. To be among the temple authorities likely makes him a member of Sanhedrin, the council of religious leaders, and the highest authority among the Israelites.
Therefore, Nicodemus is very, I mean, very high up. Someone like him would have many duties. Certainly, interpreting and overseeing the teaching of the Hebrew scriptures was one of them. He likely also possessed the knowledge necessary to spot false prophets and the Messiah. Jesus is nothing like what the Messiah is expected to be, so I suspect Nicodemus’ headspace is one of confusion and uneasiness when he meets with Jesus. He seems to be aware of something that Jesus has done. In all his knowledge of scripture, Nicodemus must have recognized something that leads him to believe that there is some divine act behind Jesus.
Teacher, I know that you are from God, he said. Nicodemus is beginning to see the Kingdom of God materializing in his lifetime.
He is not fully there, though. He still has many questions, and there is plenty that he does not understand. He does not feel safe either because he comes to Jesus at night. He is at least somewhat afraid of what others will think. Visiting with a self-proclaimed rabbi from the disgraced land of Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee of the Gentiles, where nothing good comes from, could get him, let’s say, out of favor with his peers and lead to the questioning of his wisdom and authority. Yet, he is beginning to see, recognize, or know God and the new thing God is doing. Nicodemus is beginning to believe and to get into a different head space.
I wonder if this is the moment when Nicodemus is born from above. If it is this moment of intimacy and close proximity with the God with us when the Spirit is placed upon him, and he is sent. The next time we hear from him, he will speak on behalf of his savior in broad daylight for everyone to hear, unafraid of what others will think.
When God entered our world to bring the new covenant in his own blood, the new reality, the free gift of forgiveness for all who believe, God left the invisible world to bring God’s kingdom to the light of the day. No longer dark rooms or isolated places where only a few, or sometimes only one, is the know, no. God made himself known in Jesus Christ to us and to the world. The light of the world came down, walked among us, rescued us from death, made us light, and now sends us to be a light to others, to get out of our own headspace and testify to everything that he has done because his beloved kingdom is revealed in our lifetime, and belongs to everyone before us, besides us, and after us.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Amen.
Bridging Faith 