Devotion for Trinity Sunday, 19 June 2011 (Gospel of St John 3:1-15)

Devotion for Trinity Sunday, 19 June 2011 (Gospel of St John 3:1-15)
“1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:1-15)
“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” In Nicodemus, we see a real sincerity struggling with a political concern for his status on the Sanhedrin. He had obviously heard much of Christ and may have even heard his teachings in the Temple. Something about the Words of Jesus held a strong attraction for him or he would never have risked his position as a ruler by coming at all – even at night! “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43) Herein lies a lesson for us: Though Nicodemus demonstrated a weakness in resolve and character by coming at night, God already knows what He will do in the heart of Nicodemus. He will change the heart of Nicodemus and imbue him with greater courage and conviction at the last. When Joseph of Arimethea went to the court of Pontius Pilate to claim the body of Christ, Nicodemus went also and courageously associated himself with the followers of Christ. God knows the end from the beginning – we do not! “ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.” (John 19:38-39)
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To be a citizen of a country, one must be born into the nation, or be naturalized as a citizen. We are first citizens of the fallen world before we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. Just as we were natural-born citizens of the world, we must become naturalized citizens of Heaven. Only Christ is the natural issue of God the Father. All other sons and daughters must come through the process of adoption. Once adopted, or naturalized, we no longer are citizens of the world but children of God. He chose us and elected us before the Sun and stars were flung into their respective constellations. To a Pharisee, this concept was difficult to fathom. A child does not usually choose his adopted parent ere the parent has chosen him.
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Nicodemus is not being obstreperous, but sincerely cannot grasp what Christ is saying. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” This answer would evoke profound concerns for Nicodemus who was quite knowledgeable of the many symbolic uses of water in the Temple as a purifying agent. In the mind of a Jewish ecclesiastic, aware of the symbolic use of water, in every variety of way and form of expression, these words were fitted to show that the thing intended was no other than a thorough spiritual purification by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Indeed, the element of water and the operation of the Spirit are brought together in a glorious evangelical prediction of Ezekiel. “ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezek 36:25-28)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Flesh and Spirit are two entirely different entities. Flesh cannot beget Spirit and neither can true Spirit beget flesh. The thing begotten will bear the image of the parent which begot. The flesh is expressed, not only in the entirety of man, but also in his abject depravity! “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5) “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” If flesh is so very distinct from spirit, why is it such a marvel that flesh must be born anew into spirit to follow after that Spirit that is Holy? Ye must be born again! – the most import event that can come to pass in the life of a man, woman, or child.
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) I love the majestic beauty of the metaphor used to describe the Holy Ghost! Who, pray tell, has seen the wind? Yet we are absolutely certain of its presence by way of its manifestations of sound and movement. We do not know where it originates, or its destination, but we know of its PRESENCE! We have some advantage in our knowledge of the Holy Ghost. We know it comes from God, and we know its final destination is Heaven, but what about the in-between present in our lives? We must be born of that Spirit and become like it in our lives – in love, in care, in service, in reverence and adoration of God. Of course, when we become like unto the Spirit, men will not know where we are coming from or where we are going either.
“Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?” (John 3:9) An honest question and one asked with the willingness to know as a child. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:10) This question seems to have relegated Nicodemus to the true status of a disciple – he asks no further questions. He has encountered a depth of wisdom and mystery that has overwhelmed his pride and his standing as a ruler in Israel.
“ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.” Here Jesus speaks with the authority of One who has been with the Father and seen all things in (and under) Heaven. He is not allowing Nicodemus to fall into some marginal border of rational contemplation. While He has Nicodemus before Him, He will challenge the full measure of the man’s understanding to bring him to Faith. “And ye receive not our witness”…. Not Nicodemus personally for he was beginning to be separate from his Sanhedrin colleagues, but the Temple establishment itself of which Nicodemus was a member.
“ If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” Nicodemus failed of understanding even the simple things spoke of which were earthly. He failed even the simple dimensions of understanding. How might he possibly understand the higher things of the Spirit? Actually he could not unless he is born of the Spirit, and this is the result which Christ demands.
“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” Really? If this be true (and it certainly is) what shall we do with the fad-books we have purchased giving account of men and women who have ascended on high to heaven and returned to write rave reviews about their experiences (for a profit, of course)? “……let God be true, but every man a liar…..!” (Romans 3:4) And so they are (liars) that make such claims. And even if they had descended to Hell, believe me, Hell would have seen fit to keep them!
“ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” God sent fiery serpents among the Children of Israel when they wandered in the Wilderness as a result of their inordinate murmurs and complaints. When the people recanted, God told Moses to make a brazen serpent and attach it to a pole to be lifted up. (Numbers 21) When the people were then bit by the serpents, they could look up to the serpent and live. They perhaps yet suffered pain since sin bears its own scars and consequences. Better to be obedient from the first and avoid the serpents. Well, there is a Serpent loose in the world today. He is here at our own invitation made in Eden. His bite is fatal without the Redemption of the Cross. You are bitten! Look to the Cross of Christ for Salvation! Why? “ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Are you still looking down to the bondage of Egypt (sin)? Look up to the Savior who Redeemed you and be set free!