“Born of the Spirit” – Sermon on March 20, 2011
March 20, 2011
Scripture: John 3: 1-17
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 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.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 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?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 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 said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “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. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 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, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “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.
Sermon: Born of the Spirit
by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Today we have an incredibly rich and dense gospel story to unpack. Contained within these seventeen verses is a passage so well-known that it is often referred to by its shorthand reference, John 3:16 – “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” This passage contains references to being born again, being born of water and spirit, and intriguing statements about the wind blowing where it chooses. Jesus makes references to the limits of those who can ascend to heaven, and to an ancient story about Moses lifting up a serpent in the wilderness. I think we could spend a few sessions of bible study on this passage alone. But I only have about 15 minutes, so I’ve got to focus. But I have done lots of reading on this passage, so if you are interested in talking about something I don’t cover in my sermon, I urge you to come talk to me at Fellowship time. I am eager to unpack this with you even more.
Let’s start at the beginning. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a learned, religious man of some privilege. We are told he came to Jesus at night. Some theorize it was because he didn’t want to be seen by his peers. Some say that rabbis were encouraged to study the Torah in the quiet of the night to be more focused on God and the mystery. Perhaps he was studying and had questions. I wonder if, whether studying or not, it is just that it is in the stillness of night our questions, our doubts, those niggling thought arise so strongly.
But here he is, Nicodemus, coming to talk to Jesus. He doesn’t open with a question, but rather a statement: “Rabbi, I know that you are a teacher from God. I see the signs you do, I know what they mean.” And Jesus’ response to this, well, it seems a little snarky to me. He certainly doesn’t give the same “atta boy” he gave Simon Peter when Peter acknowledged him as the Messiah, the Son of God. He seems, actually, to be challenging Nicodemus. As if to say, “Really. You think you know me, but you don’t really know me. You don’t really know what these signs mean. You can’t possibly, because in order to see the kingdom of God, or live in the kingdom of God, you have to be born from above.” The Greek word used here for how one must be born can mean from above, or again, or anew. I believe that Jesus intended all three meanings, but Nicodemus hears it as “again” and takes it quite literally.
What did Jesus mean by that, and what made him so sure that Nicodemus hadn’t been born from above, or born again? Can we relate to Nicodemus here at all? Don’t we come to church and proclaim who God is, who Jesus is? Do we read a little bit about Jesus, hear about him in sermons and figure we know what we need to know about him? I know I identify with Nic’s possibly skeptical questioning retort, “can one re-enter the mother’s womb and be born again?” especially in response to those weird people who ask, “Have you been born again? Have you invited Jesus into your heart and been saved?” I remember how much I loved it the first time I saw the bumper sticker that said, “Born Right the First Time.” But I have to catch myself, because couldn’t Jesus’ response to Nic’s assertion be his response to me, to us, also? “You may think you know me, but you don’t really know me. You can’t possibly, because you need to be born anew to know that.” I have to ask myself, have I been born from above, born of water and Spirit? Is it simply a matter of inviting Jesus into my heart? If so, then great, because I do that often. Once could never be enough for me. I invite him before I lead worship, when writing a sermon, when I am going off to do something difficult, when I am plotting revenge against someone who hurt my feelings. But I suspect there is more to it than that, or perhaps there is less to it.
I mean think about the analogy of being born in the flesh. I didn’t do anything to be born. My parents did something, mom especially, and there were nurses and a doctor there to help out. But I didn’t ask to be born, I didn’t invite life, I didn’t labor to get into the world. It all just happened to me and for me. It is only after I was born that I had anything at all to do, and even then I relied on others tremendously. It was up to me to communicate my hunger and need, give and receive gestures of bonding and connection. Trust grew in relationship, and that was the source of the life I have lived in this body.
Perhaps it is likewise to be born from above, to be born again. Maybe birth in the Spirit is something done to and for us, something conceived and labored in God, assisted by others perhaps – through the prayers of others, through the spiritual teaching and nurture of the saints past and present. The wind of the Spirit blows and God bears us into new life. Do we even know it? Do we pay attention to the spiritual hunger that stirs in us and seek sustenance? I think that is what got Nicodemus out that night, that stirring spiritual hunger. And bless him, he went seeking sustenance. But it’s hard to avoid certain traps. We don’t like to come across as needy, as inadequate. It makes us feel small and vulnerable. So as hungry as Nicodemus might have been, he comes in on a strong note, with what he knows, perhaps with more confidence than he feels. And Jesus is just not going along with that. His responses to Nicodemus leave Nic’s head spinning with confusion.
Again I am so with Nicodemus here. I understand both the hunger that compels you out into the night with questions, and the wish to have some solid ground under you with what you do know already. Why does Jesus want to take that away from us? He even seems to mock this understanding and knowledge when he says to Nic, “you are a teacher and yet you do not understand? You don’t believe what I say about earthly things, how will you get it about heavenly things?” I think Jesus wants Nicodemus, and us, to break our attachment to intellectual understanding. And though his words can be pondered, mined and dissected for nuances of meaning within his socio-political-cultural context, I think Jesus was pushiing Nicodemus, and us, to come to him needy, inadequate and vulnerable. Come to him like the spiritual babes that we are. Simply breathe in the Spirit into which we are reborn, communicate our need, give and receive gestures of bonding and connection. Trust the one who gave us this new life.
There was a phrase I came across that really captured me: God has no grandchildren. Isn’t that great? We are, each of us, children of God. The relationship we have with God is not based on a parent’s relationship with God, nor anyone else’s. We are all equal brothers and sisters before God, each accountable and responsible for claiming that connection. I said earlier that Jesus seemed to imply that Nicodemus was not born from above, could not know him, but perhaps he was, in his provocative way, simply trying to wake Nicodemus up to the truth that he was. Perhaps he was trying to get him to put away the mask of the learned Pharisee and just breathe in the Spirit, dwell in the Word, live a life of trust in God.
The story that Jesus refers to of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness is a story in which people are saved by doing nothing more than looking at a symbol and believing in God. The people crossing the desert with Moses are under attack by poisonous snakes. Some who are bitten die, some get very ill. God tells Moses to cast a gold serpent and hold it up on a pole and get the people to look at it. Those that look and believe survive the bites, are not incapacitated by them. And Jesus equates himself to this sign – that which will be lifted up so that we can look and believe and hence live. Forget about understanding, Nicodemus, Jesus says. Look at me, believe, and live. The snakes are still there. We may even still get bitten. But Jesus wants us to look at him rather than run from the snakes. And isn’t that a powerful message in these times with their perils and dangers. Are we looking at Jesus? Are we breathing in the Spirit?
Some have used this passage to try to figure out who will get into heaven and who will perish. If you believe correctly, you are in, you have been saved and will have eternal life. If not, if you have not taken certain steps, whether testifying to a conversion experience, getting baptized, or expressing belief without doubt or questions, then, sorry, you are out. But I truly believe that that is not the story here. That would be like taking credit for being born. The story is what God has done, and has done out of pure love. Jesus is lifted up, a sign for us to turn our eyes to, a way to be saved through peril, a way to eternity. The Spirit blows and we are born anew. I guess the biggest question remaining is whether we will truly live into this new life. May it be so.
