3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus1 by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again2 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You4 must be born again.’ 8 The wind5 blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you6 do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.7 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.8
16 “For God so loved the world,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”10
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
[1] 3:2
[2] 3:3
[3] 3:6
[4] 3:7
[5] 3:8
[6] 3:11
[7] 3:13
[8] 3:15
[9] 3:16
[10] 3:30
(ESV)
Having spent my whole life in the ministry, I've heard lots of questions from people about lots of different things. Some of the most unusual and unexpected questions have been about cycling. Yes, cycling. I know it sounds strange, but once I became an avid cyclist, all of a sudden everyone else in my congregation who had an interest in cycling seemed to view me as an expert. I'm not, but their questions led to a lot of fascinating conversations about a subject I'm passionate about (cycling, not theology, even though I'm passionate about that too!).
One of the most common questions that has been asked of me through 35 years of ministry goes something like this. "What about the person who never heard about Jesus? Do they go to hell just because no one ever told them about Jesus?" It's an honest question I've heard time and time again that expresses genuine concern for the lost and an honest inquiry about God's justice. And it's addressed directly by both Jesus and John in John chapter 3.
The error behind this question is exposed by Jesus' words in John 3:17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Jesus came as a means of salvation, not condemnation. This common question, however, makes it sound as though people could be saved without Jesus, but once Jesus came they would be lost if they did not trust in him. The error lies in thinking that a person's "default" position is to be right with God. WRONG!
In verse 18 Jesus says: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." The key word here is the word "already." It comes out of the tense of the verb "condemned," which is in the perfect tense, describing ongoing past action. Thus, a person who does not trust in Jesus is already under condemnation and remains in that state apart from Jesus. Why? Because of his sin.
The reality is that every one of us is born condemned because we are sinful by birth and nature. And this plays itself out in the lives of every human being "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Thus, the "default" position for every one of us is condemnation. Without Jesus we perish because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). All of us, without exception, are "by nature objects of [God's] wrath (Ephesians 2:3). And if we are condemned by God we get what we deserve.
John reveals the same truth in John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Here, John uses the word "remains" to express the fact that we are by nature objects of wrath, and that unless we put our trust in Jesus, we remain in the "default" position of condemnation. God's rightful anger over our sin continues to rest upon us.
This is so important for us to understand. Apart from Jesus ALL will perish! Why? Because they didn't hear about Jesus? NO! Because that is what we all deserve. This is what every one of us has earned. It is our "just deserts." But thank God, he has done everything necessary to save us from our "just deserts." He sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him, so that anyone and everyone, without exception, who puts their faith in him will be saved, not condemned as they deserve.
Have you heard of the new TV series, "Undercover Boss"? I haven't seen it but I understand it's a big hit. To most people the thought of the boss going "undercover" is a frightening one. Their fear is that he would be spying on them to catch them doing something wrong so that he could fire them. (In fact, that's exactly how a lot of people think about God.)
That's not the concept of "Undercover Boss" at all. Instead, the boss is going undercover to find out what it's like to do the job of an ordinary worker in the company and to find out how to make their job easier and their life better. It's a tiny little bit like what Jesus did. In his case the "Boss" went undercover, became a real human being and lived among us, not to catch us doing wrong so that he could condemn us, but instead to do our job for us... to live the perfect life we couldn't live, and to pay the debt for our sins that we couldn't pay, so that we could be saved. What Jesus did is greater than anything any other "Undercover Boss" could ever do. He saved us. Which is exactly why God sent his Son, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Thank God!
On a shelf in our apartment, there sits a small toy tractor. It isn't worth much. In fact, I bought it from the Dollar Store. But it has been a delight for practically every child who has visited us. In fact, one time, when we were still living in Corpus Christi, a mother stopped by with her two sons, Elijah and Jonas. Jonas, the younger of the two, as soon as he noticed the green of the tractor, became fixated on it and almost immediately headed over to grab it. His glee was palpable. He "drove" the miniature farming vehicle across our living room carpet, making motor noises all the while. Elijah, however, was not so amused. He headed for Jonas and, with grit and determination in his eye, yanked the tractor from his little brother's hands.
It's interesting, isn't it? Up until the point Jonas began to play with our tractor, Elijah showed no sign of interest in our cut rate toy. But as soon as it became precious to Jonas, it became prized to Elijah. And so, he had no choice. He had to ruthlessly commandeer the tractor from his little brother. What led to the value of our tractor skyrocketing so suddenly? Well, it seems that jealousy is not a sin reserved just for adults. Rather, it is a temptation that troubles even the youngest of our children.
In our reading for today from John 3, we find a prophet named John the Baptist in the midst of a promising season of ministry. The gospel writer tells us that "people were constantly coming to be baptized" (verse 23) which, when your last name is "the Baptist," is probably a sign that your ministry is doing well. But jealousy concerning John's ministry begins to subtly creep in. "Some of John's disciples" came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan - the one you testified about - well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him!" (verses 25-26). The complaint of John's disciples can be summarized thusly: "John, Jesus is killing our ministry potential! Our baptisms are down 25% from this time last year while his are up 37%. Those baptisms could have been ours!"
Sound familiar? Jealousy is a way of life for many. Except that our jealousy usually centers on things far less essential and far more mundane than how many people are being ministered to. How much money somebody else makes. The job that somebody else works. The complexion that somebody else has. These are the things that many of us find ourselves jealous of. Our executive director, Greg Styles, recently bought himself a brand new Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab Texas Edition with a spray-in bed liner. When I saw it, I have to confess, a twinge of jealousy welled up from somewhere inside of me. It's so clean and has that new truck smell. It has so many options. And, as a Texas Edition, it's so big! It's much bigger than my 2005 base model Regular Cab Chevy Silverado. That's why tomorrow, I'm going to go and find me a Silverado, Alaska Edition. Alaska's bigger than Texas, right?
John, when his disciples fling darts at Jesus with their jealous words, refuses to play along. "He must become greater; I must become less" is John's simple response (verse 30). Simple as these words may be, however, they are certainly not easy. For our human nature desires greater things, not lesser things.
Yet, when we are instructed to become "less" by John, we are not being asked to do anything that Jesus himself has not already done. The Greek word that John uses for "less" is elattoo. The author of Hebrews employs this same word when he writes, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). The word for "lower" is also elattoo. Jesus, the author of Hebrews says, unjealously lowered himself to this earth so that we did not have to be lowered in the ground forever because of death. Now, we are called to unjealously lower ourselves to proclaim his greatness. And, as elattoo as that task may sometimes be, it still seems pretty great to me.
12:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.1
7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
[1] 12:6
(ESV)
The final Egyptian plague required faith on the part of the Israelites to obey the Lord's command and observe the Passover so that their own firstborn sons would not die like the Egyptians. As Christians our faith compels us to see the Passover in the light of the New Testament, and to understand that the Passover lamb of the Old Testament was just a forerunner and type of the true Passover Lamb, our Savior Jesus Christ. God commanded his people to take a one year old male lamb without blemish or defect and to care for him for four days before sacrificing the animal. The meat was to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread, which could be prepared quickly, packed easily and preserved well for their Exodus journey. The blood of the lamb was to be painted on the doorposts and lintels of the house using a hyssop branch. When the angel of death came to inflict God's final plague on the Egyptians he would see the blood and pass over the houses of the Israelites. Jesus, our true and final Passover Lamb shed His blood on Calvary so that God could pass over our sins and see us as holy in His eyes. Through faith in His blood we are saved from death and given eternal life.
44:1 O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6 For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock2 among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
(ESV)