FOURTH LENT March 22, 2009

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

(Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3 & 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21)

NOT TO CONDEMN

St. Christopher’s, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN

Is there a more famous piece of scripture? Reading this it struck me that I have not seen the John 3:16 signs in the basketball games this year! Actually they were more often at football games in the end zone, but I do not remember seeing one there either.

Nothing wrong with those signs! Although I would not hold one up, I frequently wish we were more assertive — not aggressive but assertive about saying something about God. ANYTHING!

Unfortunately most of the sign holders present this as a threat — accept Jesus because you are afraid of the alternative. Most of the sign holders ignore the following verse: God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through Him.

God did not send Jesus to condemn the world ... what am amazingly different feeling we get from that than from: be very afraid! Do this or burn! The sense that God sent Jesus to save the world ... that means everyone.

The passage says that God saw something was wrong and sent Jesus into the world to correct the problem. A very different feel than “I am sending my avenger!”

A Biblically literate sign holder might tell me that’s OK but I need to go on to the next verse. Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

First, let’s remember that in this context “name” does not mean some noise made by our mouths. In this context “name” means all that Jesus was, is, and will be. The entire package.

Second, I should emphasize this is one of those many places where sincere, honest, loving people can disagree. I, of course, believe I am right! But I acknowledge that good people disagree with me!

I believe a key word in this verse is the word “already: – those who do not believe are condemned already. To me that suggests the need for future judgement is gone. That could mean that the judgment will not be proclaimed until later, but the decision has been made. Like the person who pleads guilty and the judge accepts the plea a couple days later. They have already been judged or condemned by their own words.

And that’s important ... by their own words. God did not weigh the evidence and pronounce judgement. The people judged themselves through their words. They proclaimed judgment on themselves.

Notice too what Jesus says: And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and the people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. .... Again, people can disagree and argue, reasonably, that Jesus is still focusing on the next world – eternal life.

I think He changed, or more accurately expanded His focus to include THIS life. The “light” – means Jesus but much more. It means all the good Jesus brought into the world. The love ... the connection with God ... the opportunity to grow spiritually ... all those joyful and wonderful things Jesus brought into the world are the “light”.

But, some people preferred to stay in the darkness. Their punishment is being allowed to stay in the darkness. God will not yank them — us — into the light but will allow us to stay in the darkness and miss the joy of the light.

The teenagers’ confirmation class and I have spent a considerable amount of time discussing the baptismal questions and especially those things we “renounce”. It is on page 302 of the Prayer Book if you want to follow along.

Every year I am astonished at the depth of our teenagers. This year is no exception. When I asked what they have experienced that would qualify as “spiritual forces of wickedness” or “evil powers of this world”, or “sinful desires” they had some good and appropriate answers — which I will NOT share with you!

Part of me is very sad about that. I wish people, and especially kids, never experienced any of that. But part of me was excited they could identify these influences because only if we can identify them are we likely to avoid them — to renounce them.

I believe these are the same forces Jesus alluded to with the word “darkness” ---- that people love darkness. They love believing they are the most important person in the room. They love believing other people envy them. They love buying stuff just to buy it. They love insulting and mis-treating those with less power – simply because they can. They love ignoring or demeaning the poor, the helpless, the weak because that makes them feel superior.

What’s fascinating about that is how Jesus identifies the same point the teenagers identified — the need to recognize those forces of evil. Few people believe they are acting in an evil manner. The overwhelming majority of people — even people we think are very evil — will say their actions are good, or at least neutral.

I think that is part of what Jesus was referring to when He said that all who do evil hate the light and do not come into the light. Certainly He meant that the murderer would do everything possible to avoid becoming known.

But I also think He meant that people who are doing evil know it. At some deep level of their being they know they are doing evil. So what they don’t want brought to the light is NOT their actions ... they WANT to be seen as powerful. What they don’t want shown is their motivations. They ..... we? ..... don’t want to know when we are acting in ways Jesus would not approve of ---- or more common for most of us ---- NOT doing things Jesus would approve of. Hence the importance of becoming aware.

I stress, as I always do in these discussions, that I do not believe Jesus instructed us to be abused. Jesus did instruct us to reach out, to be challenged, to take chances and that means we will be taken advantage of at times. But Jesus never said we should deliberately be abused.

Notice the last line in this week’s reading: But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. Here there is a little play on words since Jesus has just spoken about how evil people do not want their deeds known. So one way of reading this is that the people who are doing good want to be publicly acknowledged. Makes sense linguistically but not theologically. Although Jesus would certainly agree on the need to be seen so we can be a model for others, He would not promote being seen to make ourselves feel better. ... That just takes us back to the evil influences.

The “modeling” sense comes in when we read the last few words very carefully: their deeds have been done in God.”

Not FOR God ... not so we get points with God ... but “in” God. Other translations of the Greek phrase: “works in obedience to God” ... “through God” .... “what God wants them to do”

In other words, to be seen, not by God but by other people so we can be a model for them. So we can show them not only what God wants to be done, but the joy and satisfaction that comes from doing it God’s way.

And when we goof? When we fail? When instead of renouncing evil thoughts and desires we enjoy them? What then?

Interestingly this brings us back to Moses and the snakes and Jesus’ comment about a serpent in the wilderness. Without debating whether the account in Numbers is allegorical or not, notice what happens. Mixing the Numbers account with the Gospel language: As the Israelites were traveling toward the Red Sea they became impatient and angry at God. Some found they enjoyed the darkness and rejected the light. This caused them to be condemned and to die. But some who initially enjoyed the darkness realized the error of their ways, returned to the light and were healed.

The point with Moses is that the people who acknowledge the light — God’s leadership, lived. Jesus says that in a similar way if we good, fail, sin, enjoy the actions of darkness we can turn to Him ... again renounce our evil ways and be healed.

So although people have already condemned themselves — it is possible to turn that around. To repent. Not just be paroled but have your record expunged as though the offense had never happened.

Maybe the most important .... and certainly the most reassuring word in the Baptismal Covenant on page 304 is in the last question: Will you persevere in resisting evil and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? The word “whenever” is extremely important and extremely reassuring. We will fail, we will sin. That’s not the question. The question is what happens then.

What happens then is like the Israelites who looked up at the bronze serpent, acknowledged God as their God and were healed, we can look up at Jesus, and, in the words of the Baptismal service – turn to Jesus and promise to follow Him as our Lord.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through Him.

AMEN

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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)