JOHN 3:14-21
ONE TIME A SMALL GRANDCHILD WITH WHOM
I AM ACQUAINTED WAS BEING PUNISHED FOR REPEATEDLY IGNORING HIS
MOTHER'S ORDERS. TOTALLY FRUSTRATED, HE SAID TO HER, “I HATE
YOU!”. EVERYTHING WAS VERY QUIET UNTIL THE MOTHER SAID, “WELL, I
LOVE YOU.” THE CHILD REPLIED ANGRILY, “I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOVE
ME, I HATE YOU!” THE MOTHER REPLIED, “WELL, I LOVE YOU WHETHER
YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.”
THAT'S KIND OF LIKE THE WAY GOD LOVES
US. HE DOESN'T ASK OUR PERMISSION TO LOVE US, TO SEND US HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON. HE DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT WE LOVE HIM BACK, IN HIS PLAN;
HE WANTS TO SAVE US, HE WANTS TO REDEEM THE WORLD. BUT IN THIS
GOSPEL PASSAGE, THERE IS THAT PHRASE, “FOR AS MANY AS BELIEVE IN
HIM WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED; BUT THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN HIM HAVE
ALREADY BEEN CONDEMNED.” SO IT WOULD SEEM THAT BELIEVING IN JESUS
IS PRETTY IMPORTANT – BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT'S EVEN MORE
IMPORTANT, BECAUSE OUR ETERNITY DEPENDS ON GETTING THIS RIGHT.
THE NEW TESTAMENT IS FULL OF
REFERENCES TO BELIEVING IN JESUS, TO HAVING FAITH, WHICH IS MUCH THE
SAME THING. AND AS SAINT PAUL TELLS US IN THE LETTER WE HEARD TODAY,
THERE REALLY ISN'T ANYTHING YOU AND I CAN DO TO INFLUENCE GOD; IF WE
ARE SAVED, IT IS THROUGH FAITH. BOTH THE GOSPEL AND THE EPISTLE
TODAY EMPHASIZE THAT GOD TAKES THE INITIATIVE. WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR
NOT, HE GIVES US SALVATION. BUT BOTH THE GOSPEL AND THE EPISTLE SEEM
TO IMPLY THAT GOD'S GIFT IS NOT THE WHOLE STORY. SOMETHING HAS TO
HAPPEN ON OUR PARTS.
I HAVE ANOTHER STORY. ONCE THERE WAS
A LITTLE GIRL WHO HAD A PLASTIC NECKLACE, ONE OF THOSE THINGS MADE
WITH DIFFERENT COLORED BEADS. SHE LOVED THE NECKLACE, AND WOULDN'T
TAKE IT OFF, EVEN TO SLEEP, EVEN TO TAKE A BATH. ONE DAY HER FATHER
SAID TO HER, “I'D LIKE YOU TO GIVE ME YOUR NECKLACE.” THE LITTLE
GIRL LAUGHED AND SAID, NO! BUT THE FATHER PERSISTED. EVERY
EVENING, AFTER BEDTIME PRAYERS, HE SAID, “I'D REALLY LIKE YOU TO
GIVE ME YOUR NECKLACE.!” AND SHE WOULD SAY “NO!” FINALLY, ONE
DAY WHEN HE ASKED HER THIS QUESTION, SHE BROKE INTO TEARS AND TOOK
THE NECKLACE OFF AND HANDED IT TO HIM. THE FATHER REACHED INTO HIS
POCKET AND BROUGHT OUT A BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE MADE WITH RUBIES AND
SAPPHIRES AND OTHER PRECIOUS STONES, AND PUT IT AROUND HER NECK.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS TALKING
ABOUT. WE HUMAN BEINGS CAN'T DO A SINGLE THING TO WIN OUR SALVATION
– NO AMOUNT OF GOOD WORKS IS GOING TO DO IT. THE ONLY THING WE CAN
DO IS LET GO – LET GO OF THE IDEA THAT WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR OWN
DESTINY; LET GO OF THE NOTION THAT GOD WILL BE SATISFIED WITH THE
PART OF ME I'M WILLING TO GIVE HIM; LET GO OF THE IDEA THAT GOD CAN'T
REALLY BE TRUSTED AND I HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO FALL BACK ON. AND
THESE IDEAS ARE NATURAL TO US, AND THE BIGGEST BARRIERS TO BELIEVING
IN HIM.
THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS REFERRING TO WHEN
HE SAYS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT CAME INTO THE WORLD, THERE WERE
SOME WHO PREFERRED DARKNESS TO LIGHT. SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT WE SIN
AND GOD THEN OFFERS GRACE SO THAT WE CAN BE FORGIVEN. IT'S THE
OPPOSITE. GOD GIVES IS ALWAYS SHOWERING US WITH GRACE, AND
SOMETIMES WE RECOIL FROM ALL THAT LOVE AND THAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SIN.
IF WE RECOIL FROM GOD'S GRACE, IF WE PREFER THE DARKNESS TO THE
LIGHT, WHAT WE TRY TO ACCOMPLISH IS EVIL, THAT IS, NOT OF GOD. SUCH
WORKS ARE STERILE, THEY DID NOT BEAR FRUIT, THEY DID NOT ACCOMPLISH
ANY GOOD. WHEN WE ALLOW GOD TO WORK IN US, WHEN WE EMBRACE THE
LIGHT, OUR WORKS ARE CLEARLY SEEN AS BEING DONE IN GOD, BECAUSE THEY
BEAR FRUIT, THEY ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD WANTS THEM TO ACCOMPLISH..
SAINT PAUL SAYS MUCH THE SAME THING; “WE ARE HIS HANDIWORK,
CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR THE GOOD WORKS THAT GOD HAS PREPARED IN
ADVANCE...”.
MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS A
HISTORICAL PERSON, NOT A MYTH. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE HE WAS A WISE MAN
AND AN INFLUENTIAL TEACHER – IT'S HARD NOT TO BELIEVE THAT IF YOU
COUNT THE MORE THAN TWO BILLION PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH WHO IDENTIFY AS
CHRISTIANS. A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BELIEVE JESUS WAS A PROPHET
SENT FROM GOD. HINDUS BELIEVE HE WAS ONE OF MANY; MUSLIMS BELIEVE HE
WAS THE GREATEST PROPHET AFTER MOHAMMED, AND WILL COME AGAIN AT THE
END OF TIME TO LEAD THE FAITHFUL IN A BATTLE AGAINST THE ENEMY –
WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS THE MESSAGE IN THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS.
AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT IN ADDITION TO ALL THIS, JESUS IS
GOD INCARNATE, GOD BECOME MAN, GOD BREAKING INTO THE WORLD OF MATTER
AND ENERGY THAT WE INHABIT. SO BELIEF CAN TAKE MANY FORMS. BUT
SAINTS BELIEVE IN JESUS. FOR A SAINT, BELIEF IS MUCH MORE THAN
ACCEPTING SOMETHING AS FACT WITHOUT STRICT SCIENTIFIC PROOF. FOR A
SAINT, BELIEF IN JESUS IS SOMETHING LIKE THE LITTLE GIRL WHO GAVE HER
TOY NECKLACE TO HER FATHER – SHE DID THIS TRUSTING THAT HE KNEW
BETTER THAN SHE DID, THAT HE WOULD SEE TO IT THAT THINGS CAME OUT
RIGHT IN THE END. A SAINT TURNS OVER HIS OWN WILL TO JESUS, TRUSTING
THAT BEING LED BY JESUS IS A FAR BETTER THING THAN GOING HIS OWN WAY.
A SAINT SURRENDERS TO THE LIGHT.
DURING THIS LENT, LET US SEEK OUT
JESUS AND GIVE HIM CONTROL OF OUR LIVES. HE PROMISED US THAT IF WE
DO SO, WE WILL BE GLAD WE DID.
