{"id":969,"date":"2018-05-27T17:59:22","date_gmt":"2018-05-27T17:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/27\/sent-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-john-31-17\/"},"modified":"2020-02-15T18:36:20","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T18:36:20","slug":"sent-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-john-31-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/27\/sent-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-john-31-17\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cSent\u201d based on\u00a0Isaiah 6:1-8 and John 3:1-17"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nRev. Sara E. BaronFirst United Methodist Church of Schenectady603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305Pronouns: she\/her\/hershttp:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a>When
\nI was 7, my friend Becca was in a church that focused on \u201cbeing
\nsaved.\u201d \u00a0As far as I understood it, \u201cbeing saved\u201d involved
\ntaking a teacher from her Sunday School into the church library,
\nproclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and praying a specific
\nprayer. \u00a0This, apparently, was not to be done too early or one might
\nnot believe it with one\u2019s whole heart, but should be done as soon
\nas possible so as to ensure eternal salvation.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nBecca
\nwas very excited that she had been saved and frequently asked me if I
\nhad been. I always answered no. \u00a0This answer always resulted in a
\nlong lecture about why I should \u201cbe saved.\u201d \u00a0The lecture, in
\nturn, irritated me. \u00a0One day I had a brilliant revelation\u2026 although
\nI had never \u201cbeen saved\u201d in Becca\u2019s definition, I believed that
\nJesus loved me just as I was. \u00a0I didn\u2019t think that there were
\nspecific hoops to jump through in order for God to accept me. \u00a0So,
\nthe next time Becca asked me if I was saved I said yes! \u00a0I wasn\u2019t
\nsaved in her world view, but I was in mine.\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nBecca\u2019s
\nunderstanding of being saved is a part of our Christian tradition.
\nSo was mine. \u00a0In the years since, my perspective has gained more
\nknowledge and nuance. I now know that salvation is about God’s work
\ntowards healing and wholeness in the world. \u00a0I’ve come to believe
\nthat God desires \u201csalvation for all of creation\u201d which isn’t
\nabout afterlife at all, but about the kindom coming to earth. \u00a0I’ve
\nalso learned a lot more about how things were in Jesus’ day. \u00a0Still,
\nas a whole, I’m at a peace with my 7 year old decision to answer as I
\ndid.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nIn
\nthe time of Jesus, most people believed that when you died, you
\nceased to exist \u2013 from dust to dust in those days meant no
\nafterlife and no eternal soul. \u00a0In the Greeco-Roman religion that was
\ndominate in the lands that surrounded Jesus, \u00a0the gods<\/b>
\nwere immortal \u2013 and people became immortal only when they were
\npromoted to god-status because of an extraordinary life. \u00a0The
\nSadducees, who were the ruling party in Judaism, utterly denied the
\npossibility of afterlife. \u00a0Neither in Jesus\u2019 immediate community
\nnor in his world at large was afterlife considered a real
\npossibility.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nEarly
\nChristianity was novel in that its followers believed that they could
\nbecome immortal. \u00a0Or, to name it in the Greco-Roman context, the
\nfollowers of Jesus all became \u201clittle gods\u201d. They were immortal,
\nsomething true only of gods and goddesses. \u00a0This was a very strong
\nstatement \u2013 people who followed Jesus became like the gods of the
\nworld that surrounded them!\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nToday,
\nmany people consider heaven and hell to be contrasting opposites. \u00a0At
\nthat time, the alternative to joyful eternal live was not hell. \u00a0It
\nwas \u201cperishing.\u201d That is, if you followed Jesus, you gained
\neternal life. \u00a0If you didn\u2019t follow Jesus, you ceased to exist at
\nthe end of your life. \u00a0That\u2019s where this passage ends\u2026 with the
\nwell known John 3:16-17. \u00a0\u201c\u2018For God so loved the world that he
\ngave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not
\nperish <\/b>but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not
\nsend the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that
\nthe world might be saved through him.\u201d \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThus,
\nthe claim is made that those who believe in Jesus will gain eternal
\nlife. \u00a0My 7-year old friend Becca believed that there were specific
\nrules to guide what constituted \u201cbelief in Jesus.\u201d
\nUnderstandings of afterlife have developed since the time of Jesus,
\nnothing stays stagnant! Early Christianity opened the door to eternal
\nlife \u2013 instead of saying that only \u201cgods\u201d could live forever,
\nthere was an affirmation of common people and our value. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nWhile
\nare are thinking about that, let’s look more closely at the beginning
\nof this text. \u00a0 Nicodemus is named as a Pharisee, a group that gained
\nmost of its power after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70
\nBCE, and a group that was open to afterlife in some form or another.
\n(Not the way people today think of it though.) \u00a0Nicodemus, as a
\nPharisee, being in power at the time of Jesus is exactly the kind of
\nhistorically questionable stuff that reminds us to take John
\nmetaphorically.. \u00a0Anyway, according to John, \u00a0this guy comes to Jesus
\n\u2026 at night. \u00a0Why at night? \u00a0So he couldn\u2019t be seen! \u00a0Its really
\nkind of a funny story, even to start out\u2026 we have one of the
\nhighest ranking officials in Israel sneaking around under the cloak
\nof darkness in order to meet with Jesus. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nHe
\ngets to Jesus and starts the conversation by complimenting him.
\nUnfortunately for Nicodemus, he isn\u2019t as smart as he thinks he is.
\nHe doesn\u2019t \u201cget it.\u201d \u00a0He ALMOST \u201cgets it.\u201d \u00a0He wants to
\nlearn from Jesus, which is why he has come to Jesus. \u00a0But he is still
\nafraid of what others will think of him or do to him, and that\u2019s
\nwhy he comes at night. \u00a0In addition, he bases his faith on \u201csigns.\u201d
\n That is, he thinks Jesus is connected to God because Jesus is able
\nto perform miracles. \u00a0Believing in Jesus because of his miracles is a
\nBIG no-no in the Gospel of John. \u00a0The faithful are supposed to
\nbelieve because they believe, not because of the powers that Jesus
\nhas to do miracles. \u00a0So Nicodemus says, \u201cTeacher, we know that you
\ncome from God because of what you can do\u2026\u201d \u00a0And right there, as
\nJohn tells it, Jesus knows that Nicodemus wasn\u2019t convinced to
\nfollow him fully, yet. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nJesus
\nbegins to teach\u2026 and he says\u2026 LISTEN CAREFULLY!\u2026he says \u201cNo
\none can see the kingdom of God without being born from above<\/b>.\u201d
\n And Nicodemus says, \u201cHow can anyone be born again<\/b>
\nafter having grown old?\u201d \u00a0Did you hear that?<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nJesus
\nsays \u201cborn from above\u201d and Nicodemus says \u201cborn again.\u201d \u00a0How
\ndid he confuse that? \u00a0Well, he wasn\u2019t that ridiculous actually\u2026
\nin Greek the word for \u201cagain\u201d and \u201cfrom above\u201d is the same<\/b>
\nword. \u00a0Jesus is talking about the deep meaning of being born from
\nabove, which is \u201cfrom God\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>
\nand Nicodemus is understanding the superficial meaning \u2013 born
\nagain. \u00a0Nicodemus is being presented as foolish, or at least because
\nhe didn’t have full faith he was too foolish to understand Jesus.
\nThe image of a grown man re-entering the womb is meant to be funny.
\nIt is meant to be as ridiculous as it sounds, because it is making
\nfun of the misunderstanding. \u00a0 Being born again is NOT AT ALL what
\nJesus is talking about. \u00a0Being born again is the MISUNDERSTANDING
\nthat Nicodemus pulls out.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Being
\nborn \u201cfrom above\u201d is having a spiritual birth. \u00a0That could be
\nseen as something that all people have \u2013 as all people ahave
\nspirits \u2013 or as an eye-opening event that occurs when individuals
\nconnect with God. \u00a0It would make some sense, given the rest of Jesus’
\nteaching to think of being born \u201cfrom above\u201d as being connected
\nto God and therefore committed to building the kindom. \u00a0Being born
\nfrom above is to live as God would have a person live, to share love,
\nto exude compassion, to see a better world. \u00a0To be born from above,
\nthen, is to live the prayer, \u201cyour kingdom come on earth as it is
\nin heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

This
\nis a Gospel reading with many opportunities for misunderstanding. \u00a0It
\nis one I am tempted to avoid, simply to not have to deal with them.
\nHowever, being informed about our scriptures and how they has been
\nused to do harm, and what they actually mean is part of what we need
\nto know to bring healing. \u00a0Luckily, this passage has a lot of gems as
\nwell as a history of being used badly. \u00a0Verse 8 reads, The
\nwind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do
\nnot know where it comes from or where it goes. \u00a0So it is with
\neveryone who is born of the Spirit<\/i>.
\n There is a double meaning here \u2013 the wind is at once the Wind and
\nthe Spirit of God. \u00a0We do not know the beginning of the wind or of
\nGod, but we are able to watch what the Spirit of God does in the
\nworld. This is one of my favorite descriptors of the Spirit. \u00a0If the
\nSpirit is truly the Spirit of Love (I think that’s fair) then it
\nreminds us that the demands of love can take us in rather unexpected
\ndirections!Some
\nof the ancients thought of the wind as God’s breath.2<\/sup><\/a>
\nI suspect some of us moderns do too, at least in particular moments.
\nIt has times when it is a potent metaphor. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThe
\npassage continues though, in a rather weird turn. \u00a0As another
\ncommentator puts it, \u201cThe overlap of
\ncrucifixion and exaltation conveyed by v. 14 is crucial to Johannine
\nsoteriology because the Fourth Evangelist understands Jesus\u2019s
\ncrucifixion, resurrection, and ascension as one continuous event.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a>
\n So, when the metaphor is drawn to \u201clifting up\u201d it isn’t just
\nabout Jesus’ death but about the end of his life and the beginning of
\nthe life of the believers as the Body of Christ. (If you don’t know
\nthe Moses reference, I promise, you don’t want to. \u00a0It won’t help.) \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nFinally,
\nthis text turns to one of the more abused verses in the Bible. \u00a0It
\nis actually good news, no matter how it has been used to abuse others
\nin Bible bashing. \u00a0The
\ngood news is: \u00a0\u201cGod loves the world SO MUCH that God
\nseeks to heal it in every way God can.\u201d
\n In the words of a wise commentator,
\n\u201cwhat if we are all called to \u201cjoin in the creation of a
\ncommunity in which God’s love was regarded as not being in short
\nsupply, open only to those who have seen and confessed Jesus as the
\nChrist, but rather as poured out upon the entire world?\u201d4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nTaken
\nin continuity with John 3:17, \u201cIndeed,
\nGod did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in
\norder that the world might be saved through him,\u201d while remembering
\nthat the first meaning in the Bible of salvation is healing, we get
\nto: \u00a0\u201cGod loves the world SO MUCH
\nthat…that God keeps moving creation to wholeness AND \u00a0God pushes
\nand prods us in hope that we’ll learn deeper love. \u00a0Nothing can
\nseparate us from the love of God… because God loves the world THAT
\nmuch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nDo
\nyou ever wonder what it means to say that \u201cGod loves the world\u201d?
\nIt is startlingly unequivocal. \u00a0It isn’t, \u201cGod loves the good
\npeople.\u201d \u00a0Or, \u201cGod loves it when things are going right.\u201d \u00a0It
\nisn’t even, \u201cGod loves the world, but hates the brokenness.\u201d
\nJohn 3:16 claims God loves the world. \u00a0God gives gifts to the world.
\nGod seeks healing and wholeness for the world. \u00a0And the world isn’t
\njust humanity, it is all of creation.<\/p>\n

\n
God
\nLOVES the world. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nFor
\nme, that’s a bit of a relief. \u00a0It reminds me that God’s love isn’t
\ncontingent on us getting it right, love is already a part of it all.
\nIt is a reminder that we can’t mess it up. \u00a0Love is the starting
\npoint of all creation, it has a power nothing else can match. \u00a0For
\nme, at least, gratitude for this reality is what motivates me to work
\nwith God for the building of the kindom. \u00a0But it starts with love.
\nGod loves the world. \u00a0Unlike my childhood friend, I think there is a
\nfull stop there, no conditions.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nGod
\nloves the world and all the beings in it. \u00a0As. \u00a0They. \u00a0Are.
\nSalvation is a gift God willingly \u00a0offers to us all.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThanks
\nbe to God. \u00a0Amen\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a>
\n\t1<\/a>Ernst
\n\tHaenchen John 1: A Commentary on the Gospel of John, Chapters 1-6
\n\t(Hermeneia: a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible) (Vol
\n\t1) (Philadelphia: Fortress
\n\tPress, January 1, 1988).<\/p>\n

2<\/a>
\n\t \u00a0Raymond E. Brown Gospel According
\n\tto John.<\/i>
\n\tAnchor Bible. \u00a0(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966-70.)<\/p>\n

3<\/a>
\n\t Gail R.O\u2019Day, \u00a0 \u201cThe Gospel of John: Introduction, Comentary,
\n\tand Reflections.\u201d \u00a0In New
\n\tInterpreter\u2019s Bible<\/i>,
\n\tvol. 9. \u00a0(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995).<\/p>\n

4<\/a>Ibid.<\/p>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron<\/p>\n

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<\/p>\n

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305<\/p>\n

Pronouns: she\/her\/hers<\/p>\n

http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rev. Sara E. BaronFirst United Methodist Church of Schenectady603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305Pronouns: she\/her\/hershttp:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/When I was 7, my friend … Continue reading \u201cSent\u201d based on\u00a0Isaiah 6:1-8 and John 3:1-17<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[34,39,33,372,370,371,56,373],"class_list":["post-969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-fumc-schenectady","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-love","tag-progressive-christiaity","tag-rev-sara-e-baro","tag-schenectady","tag-the-real-john-3"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=969"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1185,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969\/revisions\/1185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}