Rev. Rob Jones
September 22, 2023

John 3:11-17 
 “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. 

John's gospel is unique in its form and its timeline. I could talk endlessly about the difference between this gospel and the other three synoptic gospels. Needless to say, John is unique. John can also boast of containing one of the most famous passages in scripture. I'd wager everyone in any church on Sunday morning can cite the King James version of John chapter 3, verse 16. In this reflection, I want to provide more context for the placement of this particular verse. And I hope God's word will speak to us as we gain more context. 

First, this section of scripture is a conversation Jesus has with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He is a leader of the Jewish people in Jerusalem and comes to Jesus by the cover of night to converse with him. It is implied that he doesn’t want to receive scrutiny from others. I say converse, not debate, because he starts the conversation by addressing Jesus as Rabbi. Saying that he knows he is a teacher from God because no one can do the signs that Jesus has done unless he is from God. This is a sign of respect coming from a Pharisee. 

Second, Nicodemus and Jesus have this conversation right after Jesus cleanses the temple. And in between the cleansing of the temple and the conversation with Nicodemus, John tells us in chapter 2, verse 23, “When he [Jesus] was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.” Some people believed in Jesus (mainly the commoners), and some did not (mainly the leaders).

So we go from the public arena, the temple, where everyone is playing pious and doing what the law says they should do and what tradition says they should do, to this private place at night, where a truthful conversation can occur. Here, Nicodemus can ask Jesus the real questions. Of course, he does it without asking the question, but that's what he did when he told Jesus, “I know you are a teacher from God.” What he was really asking was, “Are you 'the' teacher from God?”

Nicodemus could not come out and ask it directly, but that is what he asked. This is where Jesus tells him that no one can see the Kingdom of Heaven without being born again (or from above). Nicodemus then replies, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter the mother's womb a second time to be born?" But Jesus wasn't talking about that. You have probably heard many sermons concerning being born again, and I'm not going to rehash that theology. The basic fact of the conversation is that Jesus thoroughly confused Nicodemus in his statements. So, Nicodemus asked him how all these things can be. And Jesus will answer him: if you're the teacher of Israel, how come you do not understand these things? Jesus could understand the common people not getting the deeper meaning in his teachings, but good old Nick was a Pharisee. Would Jesus need to break it down for him? John’s readers…get a front-row seat to this. 

This is where we reach today's scripture passage. Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And then he brings up Moses because, to the Jewish people in Jesus's time, Moses was known as the great prophet. Moses went to the mountain where God resided. Moses went up the mountain to commune with God and receive the law, and then he came down the mountain. However, in mirroring the story of Moses, Jesus came down from heaven, and he'll have to return to heaven. 

Jesus uses the imagery of the serpent in the wilderness that Moses made to cure Israel from the snake bites. Anyone who looked upon this snake on the pole that Moses raised and believed in God would be cured of the snake's venom. That imagery would hit home with most Jewish people and new Christians who heard this story while studying the scripture. All who believe and look upon Jesus will be saved. This imagery foreshadows Jesus's death on the cross, and, of course, Nicodemus, in the conversation, will not understand what Jesus is saying. But John’s reader, who knows the significance of Jesus being raised on the cross, will understand.

I think there is a second question that Nicodemus is asking Jesus in this conversation: "What do I have to do to get into heaven?” It is not an unusual question for the reader, but a very unusual one for a Jewish Pharisee. This may be why Jesus asked him why he did not understand these things. Jesus then speaks verses 16 and 17 of John’s gospel, “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 everlasting 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.”

We need to understand one thing about this conversation. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a man of God, highly educated, and completely knowledgeable about all things concerning the law and traditions of Israel. The teaching that Jesus is explaining was surely something that would blow the mind of Nicodemus. Because what Jesus was saying went against everything Nicodemus would have been taught his entire life. 

You see, there was nothing that Nicodemus could do to ensure that he went to heaven. There was no work, no ritual, and no temple sacrifice he could have done to ensure he got a ticket to those pearly gates. It would not be because of something he had done or could do; it would be because of what Jesus would do. Jesus told him that he must be lifted up just as that serpent had been lifted up so that others, Jews and Gentiles, could look upon him and see his sacrifice. It is only because of that sacrifice that Nicodemus would have a chance.

And that's what I'm here to tell you this morning: there is no work, no ritual, no magic prayer that will ensure your entry into God's Kingdom. Our only hope was nailed to a cross less than a year after Jesus and Nicodemus had this conversation in the dead of night.

Our ministry and good works are not done in the hope that we will become Saints or be equal to the angels. No matter how many homeless people we feed, no matter how many Bibles we give away, and no matter how many people we bring into this church as members, there is nothing we can do to ensure our place in God's Kingdom. To that, I say praise the Lord because Jesus paid the price of admission.

When we accept Christ in our hearts and give ourselves fully to him, it is at that moment, that very instant, that we become “new,” and it is at that moment that the “works” are not even work anymore. We don't see ministry as a chore; we don't see being a part of worship as something to endure for an hour every week. We look forward to our time in worship and fellowship and begin to seek ways to do works of faith. Because at that moment when we give ourselves to Christ, we are assured a place in God's Kingdom.

Nicodemus faced a very difficult decision when he left the place where he and Jesus had spoken. He wanted to know if Jesus was “the” teacher sent from God, and what he found out was something even more fantastic. 

Have you ever really considered the conversation in the third chapter of John? Or have you let your faith journey boil down to just that 16th verse? As important as that verse is, and yes, we must believe in Jesus. I want you to consider what Jesus told Nicodemus he had to do that night. Because you and I are not much different than Nicodemus. We are taught in our modern world to be self-sufficient; we are taught that showing any weakness is bad, and we are taught that asking for help is the lowest form of disgrace.

But if you have not been on your knees and asked for forgiveness, if you have not truly accepted your baptism, then what are you waiting for, because I promise your life on this side of surrender is truly, truly fantastic. Let us pray...

Almighty God, thank you so much for all the blessings you have given us. thank you for coming to earth to walk among us. I am so thankful that you lay down your life for a sinner like me. This morning, I pray that your spirit will transform someone’s life and ensure their place in your kingdom. All this I pray in Christ’s name. AMEN