The Gospel according to John, the 3rd Chapter: John 3:1-17
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."
Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And 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.
"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 the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Holy Trinity: God as Father, Son, Spirit; Creator, Redeemer, Advocate
The word “Trinity” isn’t in the Bible. So why do we devote a Sunday every year to it? Is “Trinity” a helpful way to think about God? Does naming God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit or as Creator, Redeemer and Advocate affect the way we think about or interact with God?
Those are some of the questions that I had as I began thinking about this day and what I wanted to say to you. It is true that theologians came up with the term “Trinity” to try to not explain God, but as a way to talk about what we, as Christians believe.
The disciples and the church leaders had a quandry. They were Jewish and believed in ONE God. That was the signature difference between Jewish people and all of the other religions of the day. The proclamation in Deuteronomy “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone”Deut. 6:4 distinguished their faith from other faiths. And they still believed this.
But, after the resurrection and after Pentecost, they also believed that Jesus was Lord and that the Spirit was Lord and that the one Jesus called Abba was Lord. So you can see why other people would say, “It looks like you have three gods.”
One of the scriptures that theologians turned to in order to try to explain what they had come to believe and yet could not comprehend is our Gospel for today.
Nicodemus is having a problem trying to figure out who Jesus is and what his teaching means. Sometimes when I have read this text, I have been pretty judgmental about Nicodemus’ character and skeptical of his intentions. What kind of a leader would sneak around and come in the dark of night? But this time as I read the Gospel, I saw Nicodemus differently. He was curious and wanted to know more – maybe he even wanted to believe but was afraid to ask in front of the others And yet, despite his fears, he found a way to come to see Jesus. It could be that the Holy Spirit was tugging on his robe. But Jesus doesn’t give him any “answers.” Instead, Jesus completely baffles him, and rather than giving him understanding, gives him even more questions until all Nicodemus can say is, “How can this be?”
Like Nicodemus, we too seek understanding. Sometimes we wonder, “How can this be?” And yet, unlike Nicodemus, we have the benefit of seeing these events in the light of the resurrection and Pentecost.
We can hear in Jesus’ teaching that the Spirit is like the wind – it goes where it will. It is a mystery that cannot be contained, or controlled or reduced to an orderly systematic accounting.
Our understanding of God cannot be contained either. And this is why, when we talk about God, we need to use lots of images, not just one. We can pray to God as Abba, Father, and to God as a mother hen. We see the Holy Spirit as an advocate, as a comforter, as a guide. After all, Jesus uses lots of metaphors – using concrete images such as “I am the Good shepherd, I am the light of the world” and “I am the door”. He also speaks of himself using words that express ideas such as: “resurrection,” “truth” and “life.”
Theologians chose the symbol of a triangle and the word “Trinity” to express the interconnected unity and the relationship between God the Son and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
This relationship is a model for what God wants for us. For while we cannot understand the mystery of God, one thing that God wants us to know is that God wants a relationship with us – with you and with you and with you.
At the end of his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus makes a profound statement about who God is and what God wants.
First, Jesus says, God loves the world. God loves the “world” -- which in the Gospel of John doesn’t mean the beautiful creation or only believers but instead includes the whole “God-hating world.” God loves – no matter what.
Secondly, Jesus tells Nicodemus and all of us why he came. He, the Son of God, came so that we may have life forever.
Third, Jesus clarifies that his job is not to condemn but rather to save you and you and you and the whole God-hating world too.
We don’t know if Nicodemus heard this last statement, but something happened to Nicodemus that night. He shows up later in John’s Gospel when he urges his fellow Pharisees not to condemn Jesus without at least a trial. And then at the foot of the cross, we see a bolder Nicodemus bringing a hundred pounds of spices to wrap around Jesus’ body before he, with Joseph of Arimathea, buries Jesus in the tomb. What a transformation! What changed Nicodemus? Was it rereading the scriptures? Was it hearing Jesus’ teaching? Was it the nudging of the Holy Spirit? However it happened, it is clear that God did not give up on Nicodemus that night.
And God does not give up on you or on me or on anyone else in this whole God-hating world. Instead, God comes to us seeking relationship, seeking connection.
As Martin Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, God the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens me – and each of you – seeking to sanctify, to restore and renew and make whole – our relationship with God. This is Good News. The Holy Trinity – GOD – who is our Creator, Redeemer and Advocate, not only loves you but wants to be in relationship with you and me and each and every person. We may wonder with Nicodemus, “How can this be?” It’s a mystery for us. But thanks be to God, Jesus came to make it so. Amen.