Sunday Sermon 3/18/12

Today's reading is pithy but, when set against earlier Lent readings, is a virtual bumper-sticker of directness.

Nicodemus, a Greek name but a Pharisee, earlier in the chapter comes to Jesus "by night." Perhaps he, like Joseph of Aramathia, is fearful of how his devotion to Christ will be seen by his contemporaries. He admits first off that Jesus "art come a teacher from God." Christ says the famous "unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus misunderstands and Christ distinguishes the "born again" phrase--literally physical birth--from spiritual rebirth. He again is not speaking literally and says so.

Again Christ is juxtaposing the physical world--definable and measurable and understandable--with the spiritual world, faith based and outside of science and logic (versus illogical.)

Christ gives the shocking image of Moses' bronze snake being raised--like the Cross!--and then tells the more shocking truth: Christ is here to save the world, not just the Jews. (This, to a Pharisee!) Then "the judgment: because the light is come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light." So when given the option, men lean towards the dark.

So Nicodemus comes by night to tell Christ His works imply He is from God and Christ tells him that His message is not exclusive to Israel and that man has a tendency towards evil inherent in him. Faith and spirituality, an area where logic is not defied but rather does not apply, is necessary to come to Christ and effort is necessary because because our nature.

Meliorist, take note.