Year A 2nd Sunday in Lent

Text: John 3:1-17 – No greater love

I read with great interest this week about a young Melbourne man, aged 31, who has invested $50,000 in a business opening in Australia later this year.

The business will offer Cryogenics.

What this means is that when this young man reaches a particular age or an illness catches up with him he will consent to having his body frozen until sometime in the future, whether it’s 10, 20, 100 or 500 years from now, in the hope that medicine will one day revive him and allow him to hopefully live forever.

It’s easy to laugh at this but I don’t think it’s right to do so.

This is where this young person is putting his hope of living forever.

In a way we can be thankful because at least he is thinking about eternal life, albeit one that doesn’t take into account eternal life in heaven.

In situations like this it is best to take an example from Paul at the Areopagus where he found an altar with the inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’

Rather than Paul ridiculing them for their beliefs of worshipping nd “unknown god”, he found a point of entry:

What you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

Paul then spoke to them about the resurrection of the dead and we are told:

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” (Acts 17:22-32).

Jesus had a similar encounter with Nicodemus.

Jesus spoke about ‘being born again’

Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was speaking about and asked him:

How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born? (v4)

This sort of talk of “being born again” was foreign to Nicodemus and so Jesus had to speak to him where he was at, rather than expect that Nicodemus would simply pick up what we was referring to.

As a Pharisee and one of Israel’s teachers, Nicodemus would have known his history and particularly of Moses.

So Jesus speaks about Moses lifting up the brass snake in the wilderness to save people from death.

The people had been grumbling about God so God sent poisonous snakes among them.

But if they looked at the brass snake that Moses had created and lifted up high on a pole, then they would live.

It taught them about faith.

And so Jesus used this as a lesson to Nicodemus about faith, that by looking to Jesus he could receive healing from death.

Paul used the people of Athens worship as the starting point.

Paul didn’t criticise their false worship but used their desire to worship as the starting point.

So we too need to look at starting points when we are witnessing to others, whether it’s our friends, children, or strangers we meet.

There will be a starting point that we can find.

It might take years before something arises;

It might take a tragic circumstance that enables us to begin speaking to them about the hope we have, as St Peter says in his letter:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15).

It’s not always easy sharing our faith with others.

The Christian faith can cause some fairly antagonistic and spiteful responses.

And it won’t do much trying to argue with those who are intent on disparaging the Christian faith.

There are so many arguments continuing to be debated in the media.

The teaching of Religious Instruction or Christian Education in State Schools.

The placement and funding of Christian Chaplains in schools.

The tax status of religious institutions.

The abuse of children in religious institutions and by clergy.

The protesters outside the abortion clinic in Melbourne.

There have been many over the years where the Christian church has been questioned in society.

The danger is that we respond to antagonism with antagonism.

We have the example of Jesus speaking with Nicodemus where he is at.

We have Paul speaking with the wayward Athenians at a point they will understand.

Some were antagonistic towards Paul but others wanted to hear more.

John 3:16 is considered to be the most quoted verse in the Bible and yet it is probably the least used.

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 his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

That is our mandate – that everyone hears about and experiences the love of God for the world.

That Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it.

How can that be offensive and antagonistic and draw so much criticism – and yet it does.

And so the call to us is to live that verse.

For us to “love the world so much”.

For us to “save the world” and not to “condemn the world”.

The church is very good at showing love by feeding hungry bodies, but in Nicodemus we see a greater need – Spiritual hunger.

The same need we see in the young man aged 31 already looking for assurance of eternal life but looking in the wrong place.

He is looking for eternal human life but that’s not what Jesus offers.

Nicodemus may not know physical hunger, but his spiritual hunger drives him to Jesus in the dark of night.

Nicodemus represents many who wrestle with questions and doubts and face their deepest needs.

If we are living out the love of God in the way we think and speak and act then there will come a time when someone may ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

What will you say?

When we are rejected for our faith we should not return fire.

No, we have God to look after us so we don’t have to retaliate, but instead show love – even to our enemies.

Abraham was going to face great rejection as he journeyed to his new land but God assures him:

I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

We should not underestimate the work that God can do through us but we should also not underestimate the harm that we can do by our defensiveness.

Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness – afraid of what others might think of him.

And the next we hear of Nicodemus is at Jesus death – no longer afraid but coming to care for Jesus’ body after he had died (John 19:39).

If someone were to come to you and ask – tell me more about your Christian belief, what would you say?

If you had to give a reason for the hope you have, what would you say?

You need say no more than today’s text with one small change – replace “world” with “you”

For God so loved you that he gave his only Son, so that you may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through him.

But maybe you first need to start with yourself:

For God so loved me that he gave his only Son, so that I may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to condemn me, but in order that I might be saved through him.

That’s the hope you have – that if you were the only sinner in the entire world, God would still have sent Jesus to die just for you.

That’s the Christian hope we have.

That’s the Christian hope we live each day – letting God’s love shine through us.