John 3:1-17 is the lectionary text for Sunday.
John 3:1-17 “Do
we get it?” 3/5/23
To preserve
the Book of the Law under the devastation of empire
They
believed that History is divinely controlled
They held
onto LEGALISM and the TRADITION OF THE ELDERS
To
preserve their Faith in an OPPRESSIVE ERA
In the time of Jesus – not exile – OCCUPATION by the
ROMAN EMPIRE
Reverted back to LEGALISM and TRADITION, but corrupted
Everyone tried to get what they could… Pharisees no exception
King
Herod, Sanhedrin all under yoke of empire… holding onto little power
Influence, wealth… status among the people
He broke
Sabbath and Dietary Laws to feed people, to heal people
His law was agaph and
He would not back down
Came to Jesus by night… curious or
in spiritual need of the Rabbi’s teaching…
Driven to come, but afraid of the
ramifications of coming to Him
He recognized Jesus, acknowledged Him as
Rabbi, from God…
And mentioned the signs Jesus had shown
already…
I believe he was seeking truth… maybe
tired of all the lies of empire…
you
are BORN FROM ABOVE” - gennhqh anwqen
Nicodemus
does not get it… talks of being born from the womb again, 2nd time
Jesus
explains, “No. you must be born FROM ABOVE of water and the Spirit”
Literally – from the top down… from
above…
In
order to SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD you must be BORN FROM ABOVE.
We
are in THIS PART OF GOD’S KINGDOM, HERE AND NOW, BUT STILL OF SPIRIT
“Not a physical being with a spirit, but a
SPIRITUAL BEING in a body.”
IN THE FLESH, but not PURELY OF IT… of the
SPIRIT… connected with God
From the creation – made of dust… breath of God blown into us…
In another instance with other Pharisees (Luke 17:20,21)
Jesus – you look for the Kingdom here or
there… Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU
Paul
in Athens (Acts 17) taught the people that the LORD is the one WITHIN
WHOM we Live, Move and Have our Being…
Spirit
permeates our existence… Kingdom within… living within the Lord…
But do we SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD in that
way?
Nicodemus
put God in the box of the Law… Tradition…
But Jesus taught of a DYNAMIC GOD…
Covenantal Relationship… on agaph
We
live with God and the Kingdom of God is within us… do we get that?
Baptism:
drowned to sin, raised to new life… daily being born anew in SPIRIT…
We must be BORN FROM ABOVE to SEE THE
KINGDOM OF GOD
And FROM ABOVE… GOD’S WORK, NOT OURS…
H.S. is RELENTLESS
Sanctifies us… Transforms us as
SPIRITUAL BEINGS within God…
Do we ACKNOWLEDGE God in a DYNAMIC WAY?
Do we SEE LIFE from a SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE?
Do we RECOGNIZE the SPIRIT in THIS PART OF
GOD’S KINGDOM?
Or do we go along with empire… put God
in a box… go along to get along
Do we refuse to heed God’s call for the
living of agaph in the
world
Jesus command to stand with the
marginalized, disenfranchised by empire
Do we see our SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIP as our
PRIMARY BELONGING,
Or our PLACE IN EMPIRE?
But GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD in THIS PART
OF GOD’S KINGDOM,
Living in ALIGNMENT with Jesus’ COMMAND
to live agaph with
Neighbor,
Or are we separating out the SPIRIT and
FLESH
So that we are NOT MINDFUL OF GOD at all,
or
ONLY MINDFUL of THAT PART OF THE
KINGDOM…
Therefore, NO EARTHLY GOOD TO
GOD OR NEIGHBOR HERE AND NOW?
Are we BORN FROM ABOVE, walking in FLESH, but SEEING THE KINGDOM...
Jesus claimed that Nicodemus did not get it…
He could not get earthly things, so
certainly could not see how the SPIRITUAL
Intersects with the earthly things…
That HE ALONE… had lived in BOTH PARTS OF
GOD’S KINGDOM
And that HE CAME… to FULFILL GOD’S MISSION
ON EARTH, THIS PART OF IT…
From Numbers 21, Jesus spoke of the time
Israelites, wandering the in wilderness…
Complained one too many times about the
food and water…
God sent poisonous serpents to bite and kill
them…
They asked for deliverance…
Fashioned a bronze serpent on the top of
a pole… LIFTED UP before them…
Whoever looked upon it was saved -
medical symbol
GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD… GAVE THE SON…
WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM
Whoever BELIEVES
in JESUS’ COMMAND TO LOVE… JESUS’ WAY TO LIVE LOVE,
Whoever believes that what Jesus
taught, commanded, modeled…
IS FAITHFULNESS TO GOD…
Whoever BELIEVES in JESUS as Fulfiller of
LAW AND PROPHETS…
LOOKS UPON Jesus’ EXAMPLE OF agaph on the Cross
And SEES A WAY OF LIFE of SACRIFICE
for God, God’s People
Whoever BELIEVES in JESUS’ WAY… in the
face of empire…
LIFTS UP NEIGHBOR… stranger, enemy,
most vulnerable…
TRANSFORMS LIVES, COMMUNITIES… THE
WORLD
Whoever BELIEVES in JESUS shall be SAVED
from DESTRUCTION, DESPAIR
WILL SEE THE KINGDOM… because they are
BORN FROM ABOVE…
But to SAVE IT … from the EVILS of EMPIRE…
From DESPAIR
and DESTRUCTION and DEATH… that it brings
Unless you are BORN FROM ABOVE… of the
SPIRIT, walking in the Flesh
YOU WILL NOT GET IT…
As Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:16-21
We regard no one from a human point of
view… NEW CREATION IN XP.
I Peter 1:23… when we live that genuine,
mutual AGAPE Love, LOVING
(anagennaw
- born anew…)
One another DEEPLY from the heart… be
have been BORN ANEW…
We
are SPIRITUAL BEINGS, temporarily in a PHYSICAL BODY...
Do we get that?
We
are LIVING IN THIS PART OF GOD’S KINGDOM, HERE AND NOW…
Do we get that?
We
are COMMANDED to COMMITTED ACTION on behalf of others in agaph…
Do we GET THAT?
We
are CALLED to TRANSFORM LIVES in agaph.
Do
we GET THAT?
We
are CALLED to TRANSFORM THE WORLD by discipling others in agaph.
Do we GET THAT?
God
LOVES THE WORLD… sent His SON to be LIFTED UP FOR US…
NOT to CONDEMN the world, but to SAVE IT out
of THAT agaph!
DO WE GET THAT?
We
are to FOLLOW JESUS’ EXAMPLE, HEED JESUS’ COMMAND TO LOVE.
Do we GET THAT?
Nicodemus
could not understand what LIVING IN THE SPIRIT ON EARTH MEANT.
Do WE get IT?
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