“Three Sixteen and Beyond” – John 3:14-21 – March 22, 2009
Most everyone is familiar with the popular scripture, John 3:16; “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.” This famous passage has been used throughout the ages in the church as an invitation to believe in Jesus.
John 3:16, however does not stand alone. The passage is only part of a much larger context. Jesus is responding to Nicodemus, a well known religious leader of the day. Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night, so that no one will know. When Nicodemus encountered Jesus about the phrase, "born again," Jesus told him that to be born again means to be born "from above." In other words we must experience a time of second birth to fully become children of God.
For Nicodemus, the idea of a spiritual rebirth was totally foreign to his religious tradition. He was taught to obey all the rules, be faithful and observe certain prescribed practices. Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant.
Nicodemus wanted to understand the "born again" process. He wanted a concrete formula to follow. Jesus said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." The words "from above" come from the Greek word anothen. Anothen has multiple meanings. The word means "from above," "again" and "anew." All three meanings are possible. Nicodemus wanted a simple formula, one he could control. But, being "born from above” is not that simple. It is not something we can control. It requires a dependence on God.
Frequently we see the phrase, John 3:16 on signs and banners at sporting events. It may get people’s attention and hopefully invite them to learn more. Nicodemus was trying to learn more about who Jesus was. What he learned was that God is beyond our control but God wants us to be open to His grace and love. God is like the wind and we never know from where God comes.
I am a sailor. There is nothing like sailing, feeling the power of the wind against your face, watching the wind fill the sail, moving across the water with no sound of an engine. Every time I sail I am truly amazed because I am being moved by something I can’t see nor explain. If you’ve ever sailed on Grand Lake St.Mary’s in Central Ohio you know the wind can change directions at any moment. What may seem like a predictable course can be changed in an instant. Like Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes."
I know of a woman who was doing dishes and peering out her kitchen window when a feeling of calm and peace came over her. She felt closer to God at that moment then at any other time in her life. It was a very common, everyday experience. It wasn’t dramatic, nor could she explain it. It changed her, however in the sense that from then on she trusted God more than she had in the past. And, she was at peace about who she was as a person and her life of service to the church. For her, this was a "born again" experience.
Since Nicodemus was struggling with the whole concept of being born again, Jesus reminded him of the story of the Hebrews when they were in the wilderness. This would have been a story Nicodemus was familiar with. Verses 14 and 15 describe that incident. The Hebrews were impatient and they complained to Moses about what little food and water they had. God was offended by their lack of faith and as a result God sent snakes into their midst to punish them for their unfaithfulness. Consequently some of them died. The people confessed that they had “sinned” against the Lord and they asked Moses to pray to God to take the snakes away. God then told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Those who had been bitten by a snake were instructed to look at the bronze serpent on the pole and they would survive.
Here in John we read that “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.” Just as the snake on the pole became the source of healing and new life for the Jews, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the source of healing and new life for us.
There is however, one major difference. God sent the snakes to the Hebrews as a means to punish them for their unfaithfulness and after they confessed God used the snake to heal them. Jesus was not sent to punish the world or condemn the world. Jesus was sent to save the world. As Paul said, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
For me, the message of John 3:16 goes beyond its traditional meaning. It is not simply about believing and being saved. Because of its connection to the bronze serpent to the Jews in the wilderness the verse has greater connotations.
First, John 3:16 points to a much greater story, the story of the conversation with Jesus and Nicodemus in John and the story of the Jews in Numbers. Knowing simple phrases from the bible is just the beginning. Without learning their context they do nothing to transform us. In other words, you have to learn the rest of the story. For me, John 3:16 is like a link on the Internet. You click on it and it leads you to additional information and history. A guy I know Googled John 3:16 and came up with 1.5 million links. The additional links led him to a much larger story.
Secondly, to be healed of their sins, the Jews had to face their fear. By looking at the very thing that caused pain and death, they were spared. Thus it is for us, that by believing in Jesus, whom God has lifted up through his death and resurrection, we too are spared. What we fear more than anything is suffering and death. I believe that God wants us to face those fears with faith. What we normally do to cope with our fear of suffering and death is to live in a state of denial. We don’t like to talk about it nor do we do anything about it until we are faced with a crisis. God wants us to face our fears, meet them head on with a bold and courageous faith.
Montana rancher Lexy Lowler tried just about everything to stop coyotes from killing her sheep. She used electric fences, odor sprays and other devices. She placed batter-operated radios near them. She tried corralling them at night and herding them during the day. She even tried sleeping with her lambs during the summer. But with all her efforts she continued to lose scores of lambs.
Then, Lexy tried Llamas. They are aggressive, funny looking, but fearless animals. She purchased several and began grazing them with her sheep. She said, “Llamas don’t appear to be afraid of anything. When they see something, they put their heads up and walk straight toward it. As far as the coyotes are concerned, such behavior is aggressive, and they won’t have anything to do with the Llamas.” So Lexy solved her problem of losing her sheep because she included the Llamas who faced fear head on.
Consider what you fear. Do you look the other way, denying its existence or are you like the Llamas, who walk straight toward it? God wants us to face our fears with courage and faith.
The fear we have to face is our fear of death and resurrection. In other words, new life is not possible without death. Healing, newness, transformation, freedom, etc. can only occur when part or all of us dies. Believing in Jesus is inextricably linked to our willingness to let go, submit or surrender and having the courage to face our fears can make newness happen.
Third, we are called to be transparent. God wants us to leave the darkness and live in the light. Any attempt to remain hidden, livings under false pretense or denying the presence of God keeps us in the dark. God wants us to be free, to live as though we have nothing to hide.
There has been a lot of talk these days about the issue of transparency. Many corporations and even government have not always been open about what has been happening, especially in the area of finances. As a result people are asking for more transparency.
I believe we need to be transparent about our lives. When we pretend to be something we are not or when we attempt to hide our actions from others we live in darkness. God wants us to come out of hiding. God wants us to live in the light.
Now that basketball season is coming to a climax it reminds me of a time in high school when my friends and I attended a basketball game. It was a cold, wintry night. I had recently received my driver’s license. When the game was over we climbed in my car and headed for our favorite hang out. The car was cold and to warm it up a little quicker I drove a little faster. Shortly thereafter I was pulled over for speeding. The police officer said that instead of writing me a ticket he wanted me to tell my parents what happened. He said he would come to the house Sunday afternoon and pay them a visit.
But, I was afraid to tell my parents that I had been arrested for speeding. I knew they would be angry and I didn’t want to face the music. The officer showed up just as he promised. Because of my unwillingness to confess my mistake I received a ticket for speeding and had to spend the next six weeks in traffic school. Had I been transparent about my mistake I would have been free.
The gospel of John follows verse 16 with these words; “For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.” In other words, God wants us to be transparent about who we are and what we do. God wants us to feel the wind of His Spirit and trust where we are led. God wants us to have the courage to face our fears and experience life anew.
Dr. Keith Wagner