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S. Lent 2.26 John 3:1-17

‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that all, believing in him, may have eternal life.’

If there’s just one sentence in the bible you had to pick to sum it all up, it would be this one. I know, most would pick the next sentence, John 3:16—a good one, too; but it doesn’t tie faith to the OT, the serpent, and Jesus’ cross like this one does…

The Greek BTW is literally “all, believing” (a present participle of means or agency) not “whoever believes”. Translating it as “whoever believes” makes it sound like faith is something we muster in ourselves and/or others and that faith’s the decisive action that really saves us. And… no! Jesus’ dying on the cross is the sole ACTION done by God, all by himself, that saves us. And Jesus dying on the cross has saved all, everyone, every single person that has or ever will live! The Son of Man must be lifted up so that all may have eternal life.

The universal justification of every sinner by Jesus’ death is a clear teaching of holy scriptures that Reformed and Roman English translations conceal but the Lutheran fathers (like the 4th century Nicene fathers) saw and believed. Jesus didn’t just die for every single sinner ever born (something Calvinists deny). His death actually has saved, justified and bestowed forgiveness, life, and salvation on every human being ever born!

Hell is full of justified sinners. (!)

They are only in hell because they insist on being there, because they totally reject the free gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Because the word of Jesus which alone creates faith is preached to every creature under heaven as St. Paul clearly states in Col. 1:23, and as Ps. 19:1-4, Titus 2:11, Romans 10:18, and many other passages clearly teach and as Luther confesses in the 3rd article of the Creed: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith, even as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith…”

This gospel word of Jesus that is preached always already to EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN is always accompanied by the Holy Spirit who works faith when and where he pleases in all who hear the gospel. And he is pleased to work such faith in every single heart as Titus 2:11 clearly states. But the Triune God is no tyrant. He does not drag anyone by their hair, kicking and screaming, into heaven because then heaven would be… just another Soviet-style gulag!

We all naturally (as sinners!) resist the glad tidings of redemption because it is not immediately attractive to hear that we are such horrible creatures that God had to die! in order to win us back to himself and that only by sharing completely in the dying of Jesus do we rise, sin-free and holy. But the Holy Spirit is powerful to help us see how unmanageable sin has made our lives and how only a Higher Power can make them manageable, really and truly.

Yet, Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that the way to hell is a big, wide superhighway that the MANY take, while the path that leads to life is a narrow, steep little mountain pass only the few find.

Human unbelief is another rock that God made too big for himself to lift. He will woo and allure, but never force belief on anyone. If we believe, it’s entirely God’s gracious gift. If we reject the word, it’s our own damn doing. I know, there’s a mystery, a paradox in this…

But look at it the other way: if God CANNOT make any rocks too big for himself to lift, then THERE’S a thing that God can’t do. Either way, your idea of God is too small and too rationalistic. You need to read more sci-fi, or better still, Luther’s “Bondage of the Will.” Or, if you’re too lazy for those adventures, just remember what Chemnitz said: “omnipotence is being able to do whatever you want to do! Being able to forget your entire 8th grade school-year, or a contentious voter’s meeting is something God can do that we, or at least I, can’t do… 😉

So, Jesus’ dying has saved ALL—EVERYBODY! That’s what he’s done. And the participle “believing” in Greek functions as a participle of means, telling how he conveys that gift to sinners—through believing Jesus’s unbelievable Story 😉

And just as God the Father does not need our help in creating or sustaining the universe (eco-fascists and climate change kooks, notwithstanding); just as God the Son does not need our help in redeeming the world (Rome, Reformed, and EO theocrats notwithstanding) just so, God the Holy Spirit does not need our help in sanctifying the world (all the missional maniacs notwithstanding).

I realize the Holy Spirit is very, very, very old. But he’s not like great grandpa doddering along in the home on his walker, pleading “Won’t you help me save some sinners? I’m just too old and feeble to do it myself!” Because the Holy Spirit is God! OK? He can do anything he wants to do.

And what he wants to do is to get you believing that because God the Son (also Son of Man by Mary) by being lifted up on the cross has given you eternal life—THE GOOD LIFE! And this “believing” isn’t something you do! It’s not a religious ideology to understand and apply correctly to life-situations.

NO! Faith is simply the non-rejection of the Word and Spirit when you’re hearing the Story too good to be true and you go, “Well, why not? It’s a better story than the world’s! Why not live and die like a Christian? Better than languishing in this Gulag…”?

The Holy Spirit is that sweet voice whispering “Why not? What have you got to lose but your sin, death, and hell?”

He whispers now in your ear, singing the sweet song of sin forgiven that makes you “born from high”. And who doesn’t want to be “high-born?” Who doesn’t want to be an aristocrat, with a huge trust fund and a mansion in the Place that’s actually better than the Cote d’Azure in high season? Who doesn’t want to hit the road with Neal and Jack, as high born hipsters, the world at your feet, an open Heaven above?

I mean, it sounds good to me! When the children of Israel rebelled against God, rejected his word, he sent fiery serpents that bit them, and the bite killed. But he also has Moses make a bronze serpent (Nehushtan they called it, later) and says: “whoever looks at it, being bitten, will live…”

He’s lifted up for you, right here, right—there! Have a look! Better; why not look, eat and drink and live? Then Peace, surpassing all understanding, guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.