December 17,
2006
Near
John 3:1-18
.........
Today we remain concerned... over a story that has been capturing the
news all week long. For upon
For
as their story goes, these experienced climbers began their ascent on
What
made this news grow in intensity throughout this week, was that blizzards, including
60 mph winds on
On
Friday a note was discovered in their van, offering encouragement to these
men’s wives, their children and the rescue teams. It simple informed those who
might be concerned that these climbers had taken equipment with them that could
help them “hunker down” against any storms they might encounter.
This
past Friday a C-130 plane with special heat-seeking cameras unsuccessfully
scanned limited areas of
“Nearness” is important, especially when we
are in trouble. “Nearness” is important when rescue is needed, whether that is
on a mountain’s slope, or when firemen are called to a house fire. A cell phone call may be calming, but
nearness is an important element when we seek rescue.
Despite
a cultural trend toward independence, self-sufficiency and isolationism, wouldn’t
you say that when times get tough we yearn to be near those who can help us?
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Sick children are comforted by Mom’s presence,
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Even teenagers, though they might not admit it, appreciate
Mom or Dad’s company when not feeling well.
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Elderly and frail parents find reassurance in the nearness
of their children.
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And, over the years, I have consistently experienced a
strong welcome as “pastor”, to be near at the deathbed of many Christians.
A couple weeks ago we began our Advent
journey by recognizing both the inner peace and social peace we
celebrate in the coming of Jesus. And last week, we celebrated the special joy
we experience together in Jesus. On this third Sunday of Advent we consider the
hope we have in life, for as we welcome Jesus we also welcome the nearness
of God to us. While many people fail to look for God’s activity because their
self-sufficiency blinds them to their brokenness and need for healing; those of
us aware of and confessing our brokenness find great hope as we see God
coming near, coming with love and mercy, coming to rescue us from life’s’
blizzards, which can leave even the best-equipped among us unable to survive on
our own. We resonate with the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 4:4, 5b;
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: Rejoice!......
The Lord is near.
Our
primary text for this day of celebrating the hope we have as God’s draws near, is
a familiar passage from the Gospel of John, including what must be the
most-often quoted verse in the Bible.
Its
context is a dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, a religious leader who came
to him at night, to ask questions of this Rabbi who was being increasingly
rejected by other religious leaders. Nicodemus’ courage, his questions, and the
answers he received from Jesus will eventually lead Nicodemus to believe in
Jesus.
Hear
again this familiar dialogue:
John 3:1-18
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a
member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus
at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from
God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were
not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one
can see the
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus
asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be
born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter
the
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him.
Our need for God’s nearness, and our HOPE
in His nearness, are very evident in these verses from John 3; and they are
made especially powerful by three Greek words, each with double
meanings.
1. ANOTHEN
It is apparent in this story that
Jesus had earned the respect of Nicodemus, and others, who through Jesus’
miracles have recognized Jesus as a teacher who has come from God.
The notation that Nicodemus had come
to him at night most likely speaks of Nicodemus’ need to be a “secret admirer”
of Jesus due to growing hostility by the religious community. And while we
don’t really know why Nicodemus has come, ... what questions or requests he
might be bringing to this teacher in whom he sees God’s presence, Jesus
knows what Nicodemus needs for he understands Nicodemus’ peril.
For Nicodemus had just told Jesus what
he had been able to see
in Jesus... a teacher from God, but Jesus needed to teach this “teacher
of Israel” that being able to really see what God is about..... that is,
to see the
3 .... Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth,
no one can see the
I would argue today, along with many
Bible scholars, that while “ANOTHEN”
can be translated “born again” with its temporal / time nature, I would argue
that an equally valid translation is better; “born from above” for this
translation highlights a spatial nature, answering the question “from
whence does new birth come?”.
Nicodemus hears the word ANOTHEN and
interprets it in time.... “born again”. That’s why he asks:
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?”
Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb
to be born!”
But Jesus pushes Nicodemus to
understand ANOTHEN from the perspective of new birth as an action that comes
from God.... “born from above.
The reason I prefer the translation “born
from above” over “born again” is that we tend to fall into the same trap that
Nicodemus did, and see only a temporal definition of the word. We focus upon
“when” we receive new birth, even while the main point of Jesus’ teaching
revolves around the spatial definition of ANOTHEN... from whence did we receive new
birth.... it is a birth from above....
it is an act initiated outside of ourselves, it is when God comes near to us,
that we enter into the reality of the Kingdom of God.
What we see happening in the Nicodemus
story is a classic confrontation of Jesus message of God’s grace, as it
encounters the works-righteous attitude of pious Judaism, of which Nicodemus
exemplifies. Such people viewed reality through the question “What must I do to
inherit the
I think that “born from above” is a
better translation for us, because it challenges any self-righteous attitudes
we still hold dearly whenever we think about our salvation and experience
feelings of “inadequate performance”, or when we are worried about not having
done enough?
Do we really understand that new birth
comes from above? Or do we find ourselves a lot closer to those who would
define “born again”, and their salvation in terms of personal activity; their
Sunday School attendance, their membership in a church, or by the religious
ceremonies they have undergone?
We have HOPE because our new birth
comes from above... from God’s activity and not our own.
A second Greek work
that reminds us of the HOPE we have because God is near, is
2. PNEUMA
The word PNEUMA, means both Spirit and wind.
Our first word, ANOTHEN , had told us that our salvation comes from
above.... but now PNEUMA attempts to describe the mystery... the “tool”
that facilitates our rebirth and is another source of our HOPE in God’s
nearness.... it is God’s Spirit, which is as far from our control as is the
wind, yet still remains the facilitator of our new birth.
5 ... “I tell you the truth, no one can enter
the
Before our Lord Jesus ascended, he
spoke to his disciples about the facilitating role of the Holy Spirit who would
come to be with us.
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind
you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:25
But the PNEUMA of God was always a
part of His redemption plan for us. Hundreds of years before Jesus, the prophet
Ezekiel revealed God’s strategy for rebirth:
I will give you a
new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move
you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel
36:26-27
It is also in
Ezekiel that God’s Spirit, as the four winds... the breath of God, blows over
the dry bones and what?
It gives them new life... a rebirth!
(Ezekiel 37:9 )
The Apostle Paul
summarized it well in his letter to Titus:
... (God) saved us, not because of righteous things we
had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit, Titus
3:5
PNEUMA.; literally “the
Spirit/wind”; how God is near us today filling us with hope.
So as we consider Jesus encounter with
Nicodemus, we learn how important it is to know that our spiritual rebirth is a
gift “from above”, and that God’s Spirit is the “tool” used to facilitate our
rebirth. But one issue remains: What allows the Holy Spirit to offer the HOPE
of new life in the
3. HYPSOTHENAI
Paul’s words to Titus just informed us
that....
(God) saved us through the washing
of rebirth and renewal
by the Holy
Spirit, Titus 5:5b.... but
he goes on to teach in verses 6-7 ..... whom (Holy Spirit) he
(God) poured out on us generously through Jesus
Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having
been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal
life.
If our salvation.. our rebirth, is
from above, and it is facilitated by the Holy Spirit; then the source or
object of our salvation is Jesus Christ... and that point is driven home
in the Gospel of John through the ”double-meaning” word HYPSOTHENAI
which means “to be lifted up physically” but also “to be exalted”.
Jesus says to
Nicodemus:
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in
the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15
that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal
life.
God has always been the One offering
us salvation from our sin; He has always been the One who comes nears to those
who repentently cry out for His salvation. Jesus uses but one biblical example
when talking to Nicodemus, (Numbers 21)... a reminder of the time when the sins
of God’s people were causing death through snake bits. When the people cried
out for God’s salvation, God told Moses to fashion a bronze snake up on a pole
and “HYPSOTHENAI” it; raised it up, so that anyone who looked upon it would be
saved.
So too.... Jesus teaches Nicodemus,
that the Son of Man (Himself) will be raised up.... and any who look upon Him
will be saved.
Indeed Jesus would be physically
“lifted up”... upon the cross... for it is there that we see the salvation of
God being offered to the world. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us:
Hebrews 5:8-9a
Although (Jesus)
was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation......
And today we know that Jesus was not
only physically “lifted up”.... but that He was also “exalted” through
resurrection & ascension. And today we continue to lift him up by exalting
him through our worship... by walking in his ways, and by sharing the Good News
with others. For how can we not share he who is the source of our HOPE..
our eternal salvation, the One who humbly came to be near us, to exist as a
human being and be the living Word of God among us?
This
morning, my challenge to you is to ask whether or not you recognize the
nearness of God to you, and if so, are you making the most of His presence and
power. Even before Christ’s years on earth, the Prophet Isaiah challenged God’s
people in a similar way:
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have
mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
And most certainly in these days after Christ,
when God’s salvation has been revealed and the power of God’s Spirit is
available to all who believe in Jesus, do you recognize the nearness of God and
are you making the most of His presence in and around you?
Are
you reading His Word from one of your many Bibles?
Are
you opening your life to other Christians in settings where God’s Spirit can give you
good direction through brothers and
sisters in Christ?
Are
you using your freedoms wisely to come to God in worship, and to find a moment everyday to humbly come to God?
Do
you recognize the nearness of God and are you making the most of His presence
in and around you?
After proclaiming the great news of God’s love
for the world, and his salvation available to all who believe, the Apostle John
declares the following warning to any who fail to make the most of God’s
nearness:
John 3:18-21
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not
believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This
is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead
of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who
does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has
been done through God."
Let the nearness of God, most visible to us
in the incarnation of God in baby Jesus; fill you with HOPE this Advent season,
a hope for tomorrow as well as for today. Let Jesus Christ shine into your
life, changing your darkness into light, bring glory to God all along the
journey. And then, when Jesus returns, we will continue to celebrate together the
nearness of God for all eternity.
The great God of Creation, of heaven and
earth and everything in them, has come to be near us. Cry out to Him for
salvation! Acknowledge your need for His help today; for His presence to come
near and to fill your heart. Then celebrate our great HOPE in Jesus. AMEN
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (r).
Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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