Sermon -- 2nd Sunday in Lent (March 5, 2023)

JOHN 3:1-17

WHOEVER BELIEVES IN JESUS SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Nicodemus is an interesting character.  He was one of Israel’s teachers, that is, a rabbi and a Pharisee.  He was a member of the Sanhedrin, one of seventy elders in Israel who made rulings over religious matters.  So, he was a man of influence.  When the Sanhedrin gathered to plot the arrest of Jesus, Nicodemus spoke against their unjust condemnation of Jesus.  He protested, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does” (John 7:51)?  So, Nicodemus was a man of integrity. 

     It was likely that integrity which moved Nicodemus to come to Jesus and ask him questions.  He was motivated by curiosity but also by fear so that he made his visit at night.  He did not want to lose the favor of the other Pharisees.  But let’s at least give Nicodemus credit for doing something no one else from the Sanhedrin did—honestly speak with Jesus about his teachings, desiring information, not entrapment.

     “This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him’” (John 3:2).  I suppose Nicodemus figured that complimenting Jesus was a good way to disarm him—no animosity, just curiosity.  Perhaps he and Jesus might discuss spiritual matters as equals.  However, they were not equals in matters of the faith and the Scriptures. 

     Nicodemus saw Jesus, but did not see the fulfillment of God’s promises.  Therefore, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  They had hardly begun their conversation and Nicodemus already failed in his spiritual understanding.  He took Jesus’ words in an earthly way.  “‘How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’  Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’” (John 3:4-6).  People come into this world in a worldly way and remain worldly.  They are flesh-born and have fleshly knowledge and intentions.  In other words, people cannot see the kingdom of God.  We live by what we can see and feel.

     What do fleshly people feel?  We feel an insatiable need for pleasure.  We are ruled by our stomach, our wallet, our lust, and our pride.  We feel like we must be entertained, and that boredom is a curse.  We feel that others owe us respect and the benefit of the doubt.  We feel that we do not owe explanations for our actions or apologies for our words.  Usually, our conscience limits how far we take these things.  God’s Law, written in our hearts, works like a curb and keeps us from giving in to our feelings completely.  But the conscience also makes us feel the guilt of our sins.  We know that we should be better than we are.  We feel accountability to God, but our feelings cannot tell us to how to make amends.

     “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  What we see is a world of confusion and chaos.  We see a world shaken by earthquakes and storms.  We see people treating one another with impatience, insincerity, and injustice.  We see that the world is broken, and it never gets better.  Hospitals never empty out.  The funeral home is not limited to the elderly; young fathers, teenage girls, and children are there, too.  Life is hard, and it is not fair.  Based on what we see, God either does not have control or does not have concern.  We may become disappointed in him.  We may even despise him.

     This is what it means when we cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus could not see it.  He was still ruled by his experiences and the conclusions he drew from them.  You and I still trust in our experiences, too.  From what we see and what we feel, we draw conclusions that provide no hope or comfort. 

     God, however, has not forsaken us.  St. John wrote, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), that is, “God loved the world in this way: He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  This love is not based on what we can see or feel.  It is based on what God tells us.  God makes his love for us manifest in Jesus Christ.  God sent Jesus to deliver us out of a confused and chaotic existence.  He saves us from a depraved and dying world.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.

     The key to this verse has to do with the word, “believe.”  The Holy Spirit enlightens you to see what God reveals rather than what mankind can see in Jesus.  Nicodemus saw in Jesus a rabbi, and even a servant sent from God.  But later on, Nicodemus would see Jesus falsely accused and wrongly condemned.  Then he would see Jesus beaten to a bloody pulp.  He would see Jesus mockingly robed in a Roman soldier’s cloak and crowned with thorns.  He would see Jesus pierced to a cross, and the charge above his head which read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19).  Casual observance of these events would lead no one to conclude, “Surely Jesus is King!  This is a kingdom I want to be part of!” 

     But “Truly, truly…, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  To be born again means that God the Holy Spirit regenerates you as a new creation.  The one who trust in what he sees, feels, and experiences is put to death.  He is reborn as one who hears and trusts what God reveals in his word.  The Holy Spirit enlightens you to see who Jesus is and what Jesus does.  He is not merely a teacher of God’s word; he is God who teaches his own word.  He is not merely a servant sent from God; he is the Son of God sent to save.  He is not merely one who dies a cursed death at a cross.  He is the one who bears the curse for all and dies in our place.  By the sacrifice of himself, Jesus demonstrates God’s love for sinners.  He died publicly so that all the world can see how God saves us.  Jesus is the sin offering which atones for all guilt.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.

     “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” (John 3:14-15).  True to his word, Jesus was lifted up on a cross.  True to God’s prophecies about the Christ, “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved.  The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:6,5).  The kingdom which Jesus has established by his death and resurrection is a kingdom of forgiveness, mercy, and life.  It is the refuge from the rule of sin and death.  It is God’s gracious reign and God’s faithful blessing. 

Those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit see the kingdom of God.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.

     Jesus’ death on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem is a historical fact.  It took place about two thousand years ago.  But you and I cannot travel back in time to go and get the salvation that Jesus won for us.  Even if we were there, salvation is not attained by witnessing Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection.  Many Pharisees saw Jesus die, and they still could not see the kingdom of God as Jesus established it right before their eyes. 

     Jesus told Nicodemus, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The Spirit breathes where it wishes, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8, wind-blow-sound and Spirit-breathe-voice are each possible translations).  God’s voice is heard when his word is preached and read.  Some hear this voice and refuse to believe.  But where and when he wills, the Holy Spirit gives new birth and new life to sinners.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.  We continue to hear that voice so that our life of faith is strengthened.  But sometimes you may wonder if your faith is strong enough.  Perhaps you don’t know God’s word that well.  Perhaps you are struggling with doubts.  If you are staring death in the face and you may become fearful because of your sins.  What if you are afraid that your faith is not what it should be?  Such thoughts are terrifying.

     The Lord alleviates such doubts and fears.  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6).  In holy baptism, the Lord delivers to you everything you need for your salvation.  It is the washing of regeneration—by it you are born again.  It washes away sins.  It has put to death the sinner so that God raises you up a saint.  It imparts the gift of the Holy Spirit.  These are gifts given to you.  Just as it would not be up to you to make a life-preserver buoyant (it is buoyant no matter what you think of it), so it is not up to you to make baptism valid.  It is God’s work, God’s promise, and God’s deliverance.  Baptism is valid for those who are infants, for those who are sleeping, for those who have Alzheimer’s Disease, and for those who are fearful or weak.  If you ever wonder if you are truly forgiven for sins, then console yourself with these words: “I am baptized.” 

     Blessed are you who see the kingdom of God, that is, the gracious redemption of Jesus.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.  Until he brings us into Paradise, we will feel this world’s pains and sorrows.  We will see impatience, insincerity, and injustice among sinners.  But we do not trust what we see and feel.  We trust in Jesus, knowing that our Lord has neither lost control or concern in all this mess.  We may not understand what Jesus is doing, but we can be content because Jesus knows what he is doing.  Everything he does, he does with the goal of bringing you to eternal salvation.  Even the sorrows you feel, the wickedness you see, and the sins you experience against you Jesus uses for your eternal good.  He teaches you to flee from a confused, chaotic, and cursed world and to come to him for peace, comfort, and compassion.

     By the way, Nicodemus did end up seeing the kingdom of God.  He confessed his faith in Jesus when he was there, pulling Jesus’ lifeless body from the cross and providing lavish spices for Jesus’ burial.  He saw what you see: The cursed death of Jesus produces a blessed life for all who believe in him.  This world offers you no hope; Jesus delivers you a hope that cannot be broken and a life of glory that never ends.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.