Salve and Salvation

Scripture: John 3: 14-21

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 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. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 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.’

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John 3:16…you may know it, it’s famous or infamous, depending on your experience. The makers of billboards and bumper stickers seem to love it. Perhaps you have seen it on a poster at a parade or at a football stadium with a guy in a rainbow clown wig waving it in your face as you march past just trying to remember what notes to play on your saxophone…to be specific. While folks may be well intended, their zeal for the verse doesn’t often feel very loving. My favorite interaction with this verse, which I otherwise often find so irritating, came when my friend Rabbi Eric Linder was preaching on it on Friday evening. As he prepared, we chatted about how the star quarterback of his beloved Florida Gators had it written for all to see in what I’m going to call “eyeliner.” First, I was struck that for once he was borrowing from the Christian Scriptures because most of the time it’s the other way around, and I was struck that he loved Tim Tebow’s zeal…it reminded him of “writing it on your heart.” Of course he encountered it with fresh eyes and if some clown had yelled it at him, he didn’t seem bothered.

For God so loved the world he gave his only son…we hear it so much, over and over and over. Perhaps you grew up in a space where it was spoken so often that it’s just kind of assumed. It’s the water in which we swim and if we listen to a Christian radio channel, it’s there over and over and over and it implies (or outright states) that Jesus had to die as a gift of love, somehow required, somehow the only way to be in right relationship, which theologians call atonement or at-one-ment. But if you encounter someone who didn’t swim in that stream, you start to hear how strange it might sound that this all loving, all powerful God needs a death to make our wrongs right and to be in relationship with us. The vast sweeping and yet intimate divine can only be at-one or (at-one-ment or atonement) if a life is given or taken. Some folks might name this very directly, God looks like an abusive parent in this theology. So what does it mean for God to give his son and have him lifted up? What does it mean to be born again? What does it mean to be saved?

The Gospel of John leans into the wisdom tradition and speaks in mystical tones. Just because it is translated into Modern English and we can read, does not mean we have all the tools we need to understand this scripture. John, like every ancient text, requires us to dive into the context we don’t know and to approach it with some humility that we may have some limitations in grasping the full meaning, which is why maybe shouting it at people may not be a best practice. So I want us to peel back some of the layers today.

First, this little verse is part of a much longer conversation with a man named Nicodemus…and the whole conversation doesn’t fit on a sign or in Tebow’s eyeliner. Second, life eternal and life abundant are equivalents for afterlife. And third, I think we must remember that believing or belief in the context isn’t about thinking, having the right answers or memorizing a creed, it’s about the whole being, head and heart combined into practice. Belief in the tradition Jesus and Nicodemus share is about action, it is about being and it is not just about thinking…only empires are into creeds and Christianity doesn’t have one yet. Perhaps you love how it is rich with metaphor, light playing against the image of darkness, from the very start Jesus is here to testify to the light, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). But even so John 3 says, “that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” Light is this place of understanding and connection with God’s presence and love, light is a way to understand what folks believe. John’s mystical Gospel is a work that draws us into the light.

Maybe this is why a man named Nicodemus comes to see Jesus in the quiet curve of evening, to seek the light. He is a Pharisee and a leader in the community, he might have witnessed what happened in the daylight and had questions. Just a friendly reminder that Pharisees are often in conflict with the early followers of Jesus and, through all of history, Christians think they are the bad guys, but they are not all bad, Pharisees have more in common with Jesus than not. They are both reform movements…you might think of them as factions within the same political party.

Nicodemus is a good religious professional and community leader. We would probably like him, he probably graduated from the best schools in Jerusalem and he is kind enough to extend the term Rabbi to Jesus even if he has more credentials than Jesus ever will. I feel like he is a good man, he must be captivated by Jesus enough to seek him out, even though he doesn’t check all the boxes that folks in his community would care deeply about. The only trouble is he comes at night and, in a Gospel where light and darkness matter, this comes up again. Nicodemus will appear twice more in the Gospel and he will always be “the one who came at night” (you should say that with a hint of snark). Folks think he is afraid, has too much power to lose if he comes during the day. It doesn’t matter if it’s just how his schedule worked out or that folks often studied faith in the cool evening, he is always Nicodemus who came at night. This is why pastors want to call this sermon “Nic at Night.” Even in other writings, from Revelations to John Calvin, he becomes synonymous with half-hearted faith (but that was probably pre-destined…not sorry, Calvinists).

So here this brave and curious leader is willing to explore rather than silence some country Rabbi, willing to learn rather than correct some like Jesus with no training and no credentials. Nicodemus comes at night and Jesus stuns him with the notion of new birth, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Born from above or born anew in order to see the Kingdom or presence of God is startling to Nicodemus. In fact, his response is eye-roll eliciting, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?" But Jesus sticks with him and doesn’t even say this is obviously a metaphor. At his baptism, John promises that Jesus will offer a baptism of spirit. This spirited water, or water with spirit, draws folks into a new life, so new the best metaphor is being born anew. It means every thing is different and one can participate in life, abundant and eternal. Nicodemus is stumped, perhaps it is because a new birth means you let let go of everything that came with your first birth, your privilege and your birthright, your access and your limits. Being born from above or born anew means we are all kin, we let go of privilege and share our gifts. I think Paul will say it in this way, “There is no longer slave or Free, Jew or Greek, Male or Female.” And just like Paul, the folks reading John’s Gospel are invited to come and be a part of life in a new way.

Nicodemus struggles and Jesus responds, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?” but Jesus does not send him away in annoyance, he stays with him, he offers him two anchors into his tradition. He knows Nicodemus knows his stuff and so the first is language that echos the Lady Wisdom of Proverbs. “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (v12).” Again, belief in the tradition Jesus and Nicodemus share is about action, it is about being and it is not just about thinking…only empires are into creeds and Christianity doesn’t have one yet. Lady Wisdom or Woman Wisdom invites folks to practice a life of understanding and makes life one of possibilities.

The second anchor Jesus offers is into the story of Moses. You can find it in Numbers 21. The people are complaining or murmuring in the wilderness and God must be getting tired of it so She made them food and they are almost to the promised land, but they have to whine about the manna…again. And so poisonous snakes start biting them, these fire snakes…perhaps sent by God to prove a point, are killing people. The people want to apologize and Moses intercedes for them. “So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a seraph figure, and set it on a Standard; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” (v7-8) A seraph appears again in Isaiah, a winged snake, which sounds terrifying but is affiliated with the Divine and this image of a snake wrapped around a staff may be familiar to you, you see it as a symbol of medical professionals. It is a symbol of healing. “So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live” (v9). Jesus says to Nicodemus that this is to be lifted up like this serpent in the wilderness, his presence points towards healing.

We often think of Salvation as linked to eternal life, like it is all about something after this life. This is primarily because of powerful people misdirecting us, it is to the benefit of wealthy rulers like Charlemagne and Constantine that Christians care more about heaven than earth as it is in heaven. Charlemagne chose the priests to elevate and the ones to silence, he made salvation about heaven and his violence became malice not homicide, he was killing evil when he went to war, ‘killing evil’ when he beheaded a whole village of 800 people because they would not be baptized in his style of Christianity. He and his enablers tended the seeds of violence and gore in our faith to a full bloom that would move Christians to crusades and inquisitions and genocide. Even today, powerful people focus on heaven rather than earth as it is in heaven because it means everything must change. They cannot exploit their neighbors and look the other way when they are in need if they are sacred and you are called to a faith of healing. Jesus names for Nicodemus and us that his work is about connecting people with life eternal and abundant, it is not about immortality it is about participating in it now and always, it is unbounded by time and it is a work of healing. Salvation is not about getting out of hell, but getting out of the hell we make for ourselves and others and you might notice that Jesus does not once ask Nicodemus to pray the sinners prayer or read a pamphlet with five verses to be “at-one-with” God.

Salvation is about healing. It is rooted in the same word as SALVE. Maybe you know salve because your Grandma made it. Salve is an ointment for healing, it is care-taking of the wound. For God so loved the world that he shared his beloved, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life is about healing, healing for the whole world and not later, but now. Healing what bites and poisons, healing the wounds and the violence we make with each other. Healing is hard work, it does not fit on a pamphlet and is not confined to one prayer and one moment.

We are coming out of a mass casualty event. This year we have witnessed a virus steal and kill and destroy. We are witnessing the loss of people we love and, more than that, the inhumanity of our systems are completely exposed. We are surrounded by brokenness. Belief is action, life eternal is now, and tending the wounds of the world is the work of our faith. May we have the courage. Amen.


Questions for reflection:

What is your experience with the language of salvation and eternal life?

Where do you see yourself in Nicodemus?

What is your work in the work of healing? How does that look for you?