Did you see the Sign? - So What?

Sermon preached at Chrich Church, Billericay 8 March 2020

Reading: John 3v1-17

Recording: https://youtu.be/v1T5jVDLaMA

Did you see the sign?

Did you see the sign this morning? What sign? The one in the foyer, the strange picture. No, go take a look later, if you didn’t my introduction is ruined. If you did, did you understand what it meant?

Nicodemus and signs

In our gospel reading this morning Nicodemus had seen signs and he wanted to know what they meant. Now, we are only 3 chapters into John’s gospel, and the first miracle that Jesus did was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The second chapter only covers Jesus Clearing the Temple, and the Jews demanding a miraculous sign – which Jesus promised them, but then completely failed to understand what Jesus was saying. Clearly more than that had been going on because Nicodemus says “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Pharisee

Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. Pharisees and Jewish leaders are often painted in a very negative light in the New Testament. But here, Nicodemus comes to see Jesus and is very respectful. Jesus is addressed as Rabbi. Rabbi meant something like “My great one” in Jesus time and did not have the context or official standing that it does today. Nevertheless, it was not a term that was used lightly, especially by a member of the ruling council.

At Night

Nicodemus met with Jesus at night, there are endless theories why this might be – perhaps he was trying to meet Jesus in secret and was scared of the other council members, or perhaps he just wanted to avoid public gaze and not get into one of the big debates in front of a large audience.

It’s possible that he was just busy and the only time he could find was in the dark. Amazing things had been happening, especially the incident in the temple and he wanted answers fast. Before artificial light, work could not be done in the dark, but meetings and one-to-one conversations were possible.

He says ‘we know you are a teacher...’, implying that he is not alone in wanting to know more. It would be wrong though, to assume that ‘we’ implies that he was sent by the council to interrogate Jesus.

Jesus’ response

That’s enough about Nicodemus for now, let’s look at Jesus’ response. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” or, the footnote says “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above.” The word has either meaning. There are lots of word plays in this little passage, we will come to another one in a minute.

Nicodemus Response to Jesus’ Answer

It’s a bit too much of a stretch for me to follow the commentaries that suggest that Nicodemus is being anything but literal here. My reading of the sense in verse 4 would start with the words “Don’t be ridiculous ...” so “Don’t be ridiculous how can a man be born when he is old?” Whether that was really Nicodemus’ tone we can’t tell, but we can be sure he didn’t understand what he heard at all.

Spirit (Breath of God)

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” says Jesus. The word for spirit is more usually translated breath or wind. Jesus may be referring to John’s baptism of repentance when He mentions water, and when he mentions spirit or breath he may be referring to Genesis 2:7- “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Then He would be saying no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they repent and have God’s life breathed into them again.

Flesh

Flesh, our sinful selves, can only give birth to flesh. We cannot recover the spirit of God that Adam and Eve had before the fall, that life is ruined, broken and destroyed we cannot regain our innocence, we cannot unknow the wrong that we so easily do. Only God, the pure and holy one, untainted by sin can do that for us.

Nicodemus and Jesus

So there they are, Nicodemus and Jesus, sitting in the dark. If this is soon after sunset as seems likely there would most likely have been a gentle breeze. Jesus picks this up (not literally!) and uses it to help Nicodemus understand. In verse 8, He says “The wind blows wherever it pleases.” That’s the same word again – spirit, breath, wind. “You hear its sound” - in the trees, perhaps whistling past your ears, “but you can’t tell where it has come from or where it has gone” - That’s how it works when you have God’s breath – God’s life inside you.

Nicodemus still doesn’t understand

Nicodemus still doesn’t understand and Jesus does not attempt another explanation. Instead He shows Nicodemus how far from the things of God he is and tells him in a rather oblique way what His mission is.

There are some things to mention in those verses to ensure we have a good understanding.

Snake in the Dessert

The snake in the dessert (in verse 14) refers to Numbers 21:8-9. The Israelites were on their journey to the promised land, and complaining bitterly about the miserable food and lack of water. Then they began to be attacked by venomous snakes and some of them died.

Nu 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

It was, in a way, a test of belief. Jesus is saying that anyone who looks to him when he is lifted up, on the cross, and believes that He can save them, will be saved – will be given eternal life.

Creation is loved

In verse 16 we see that God loves his creation, the word translated world, can mean universe, world, or people of the world. So God loves His creation so much that He has sent His only son to put right all the things that His people have made wrong, not to condemn it as a lost cause. That requires that his Son will be crucified.

There are a few verses concluding what Jesus said to Nicodemus that we are not going to cover, but we have enough here to get most of the flavour of what Jesus is saying.

Nicodemus’ other appearances.

We might think that Nicodemus would have been given a lot to think about by a man who he recognised as being from God, but it does not appear that Nicodemus became a follower – certainly not at that time.

Later in Chapter 7, when the Jewish leaders have failed to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus tries to defend Jesus, but he fails and then the scene is set for Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion later on.

We don’t hear of Nicodemus again until after the crucifixion, where He is supplying myrrh and aloes as Jesus’ body is prepared for burial.

I suppose I would say that Nicodemus was a sympathiser rather than a follower. There isn’t a strong tradition of Nicodemus in the early church either. So it is clear that miraculous signs alone do not make converts, and that to become a follower you really do need to be born again.

Born Again

Many people will see the signs, whether that is within creation, or through the people of the church. Many will make enquiries and want to know what Jesus is about. This can be a first step towards being born again, or it can be the last step in a process that leads nowhere.

In the song “Son of the World” on the Adrian Snell album “The Passion”, Mary sings “Your ways are strange, your people change”. It’s that change that is the evidence of new birth.

That change will be different from person to person, but it will include at least some common elements:

• Sin will begin to decrease, many of the old ways of behaving that we were so comfortable will go.
• Love for scripture,
• Love for the church,
• and mainly love for People will increase.

Immediately after the experience of being born again many will report seeing the world as fresh and new like they have never seen it before. Others will not even realise that it has happened, but their lives will start to change anyway.

People may go in all sorts of unexpected directions – the wind blows where ever it pleases you can’t tell where it came from or where it is going, it is like this with everyone born of the spirit.

Michael Emmet

Here’s an example of a miraculous healing, though it isn’t even claimed as such.

Michael Emmet is an ex-prisoner who was interviewed by the Church Times in 2007, among other things he said: “It was the start of a journey. I had to change. I stopped the drugs overnight. (It’s amazing what you can get in prison.) But it’s a gradual process, really. I’ve always had real problems with women, money, and drugs, and it’s not been easy to sort. There have been some white-knuckle moments.”

Charles Colson

Another example leads to the foundation of a new charity:

Charles Colson was known as president Richard Nixon's "hard man, the 'evil genius' of an evil administration." He has written that he was "valuable to the President ... because I was willing ... to be ruthless in getting things done". Nixon's White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman described Colson as the president's "hit man". He was the first of the administration to be jailed by the Watergate trials.

His conversion in 1973 meant that his life changed direction completely, and he founded Prison Fellowship.

Lastly, and much less dramatically a terminally shy 20 something who couldn’t speak in front of three managers at work, after his conversion, felt called to Reader Ministry, it took another 20 years, but here I am.

Signs

The signs, miraculous, or simply visible changes, are there for all to see. Noticing the sign, enquiring about it, even talking to Jesus about it doesn’t make you born again. Only belief in Jesus, His death and resurrection, will do that. Then the changes in your life will become a sign for others. We must be prepared to talk about those changes openly and honestly if and when we are asked, so that those who are questioning us, can in turn believe in our Lord and saviour.

References
https://interruptingthesilence.com/2014/03/17/daytime-lives-and-nighttime-lives-a-sermon-on-john-31-17/
https://provokingthegospel.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/a-provocation-the-second-sunday-in-lent-march-12-2017-john-31-17/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneuma
https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/john-31-17-losing-your-religion-howard/
http://daledamos.blogspot.com/2012/07/arlene-kushner-on-romneys-tisha-bav.html
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-i-became-saved ??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Colson
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2007/16-november/features/interview-michael-emmett-ex-prisoner
https://www.biblestudynote.com/blog/my-born-again-experience/
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-i-became-saved
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