Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Who speaks to you today, from His Gospel heard in His
Service, saying:
“Do not marvel
that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
To be sure, Jesus is not telling Nicodemus to never think
about how one is “born again”. He is comforting Nicodemus by reminding him it
is not his work. Nicodemus cannot “born himself again” neither can he enter the
kingdom of God. His rebirth will be divine action and his entrance into heaven
will be afforded by the wrenching open of the pearly gates by the Lamb Who was
Slain.
What Nicodemus is trying to do is educate this man, Jesus,
on just how impossible it is for God to act in this world not through the cover
of Law. The Law which says a man cannot be born again. The Law which says flesh
cannot be spirit, and the Law which says God and man are forever separate. “Hear
O Israel, the Lord our God, is One!” (Deut 6:4).
“One” means far away. How far away? That is a question that
Isaiah answers with his reading this morning and one that shows up constantly
in “contemporary” “christian” “music”. That is “high and lifted up”. In other
words, high and lifted up far away from the paltry concerns of humanity. He has
left His words, His Law and that is enough. Or maybe, its all we’re going to
get?
St. Paul does not seem to bring the silver lining to this
conversation. He takes up the same tone about God using words like
unsearchable, and inscrutable, whatever those mean. Even the words are far away
from us!
Lord! Defend us from such pride! We are so prideful that we
think two opposing things at the same time! First that we are alone and second
that we are alone. In the first case, our pride cannot fathom that God would
always have to watch over us and keep everything together. We are full of pride
that we are better off alone, without God.
In the second, there really is no God. We are the rightful
and pride-filled masters of this stage in evolution and, though things appear
to be put together by intelligence, that is just coincidence. A happenstance
that we have discovered because we are so great.
Repent! The pride of this corrupt world and our sinful
nature does not stop there. Not only do we try to invade heaven and usurp God
from His throne, but when that doesn’t work, we turn on each other. However,
the true, cruel pride of tyrants has no place in this world anymore, therefore
it has become more devious and devilish.
The real sin of pride is thinking that it is magnanimous,
that it must be done for the good of others. C.S. Lewis said, “Of all
tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the
most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under
omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his
cupidity may at some points be satiated; but those who torment us for their own
good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own
conscience” or pride, if you will (God in the Dock).
This is what we face today under the useless terms “racisim”
and “gender equality”. In pride, we knivingly bow down in front of those we
deem too incompetent, too unworthy to live their own lives. Almost a reverse Pride,
but just pride couched in “we know what’s best for you”. This is our pride
towards the God we deem unworthy because He is far away or absent and because
we know better.
And isn’t God full of pride?! See how He treats Nicodemus.
“Do not marvel”, as in do not question me. “You’re a teacher and you don’t know
these things?” Also, the Flood and “vengeance is mine”, saith the Lord.
In God’s pride He is high and lifted up. No wonder where we
get it from. Yes. God is so prideful, that He dares to God-splain to us. Listen
to Him in Ezekiel: “Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house
of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name” (36:22).
Our Epistle reading speaks to us this way: “For God has consigned all to
disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Rom 11:32).
Mercy? Does He not think that I can be righteous on my own?
That I can be high and lifted up among the nations, if I choose?
It is Mercy! Mercy that reveals to us that indeed we cannot
do those things. Mercy that teaches us the God of Pride is so proud that He has
mercy. His unsearchable, inscrutable ways are ways of mercy. In this way, all
will be saved (Rom 11:26), when He forgives sins (v 27). So must the Son of man
be lifted up.
The Pride of the Lord is so perfect that it leads Him to
mercy, to His cross. The mystery of God is not His pride, but His humility. His
humility to feed Isaiah in order to make him holy. His humility to make a way
of salvation, even in a world completely lost to its pride. His humility to
lift Himself up, by casting His holy Name into the tomb.
There is real pride. There is real humility. The Pride of
the Father produces the humility of the Son. He is so proud of what He has
created, that is faith on earth, that His sacrifices every last drop of His own
blood to sin, death, and the devil in order to save. He is so proud, that He
dare not let even death soil His holy Name. He is so proud that He can keep His
Name holy, even when giving it to you.
Yes, the pride of man, your pride, does not stop the
humility of God. You may only be baptized, but that “only baptism” has placed,
I should say tattooed, the Name of God on your entire being. Such that when He
vindicates His holy Name, you are brought along for the ride! The Lord can cast
His pearls before sinners and in doing so, they are made saints.
In God’s pride you are given His humility and in His
humility, you find His eternal life for you. This, now, is the answer to Nicodemus
that Jesus will give in showing him His crucifixion and His resurrection. You cannot,
in your pride, be born again, but the Blood of Christ over you and in you,
can.
You are saved by works! Hehehe. You are saved by works, just
not your own. The work of Christ is to bring to all salvation. He knows your
wretched state and acts. He knows He is your Maker and that He will be blamed
for not taking out the extended warranty on you.
He acts. And in His work, Nicodemus is born again, born from
above. He acts, and in His pride, salvation is purchased for the whole world.
He acts, and in His work believers are created to see the Son of Man, high and
lifted up on the cross.
Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His sorrows on the cross and how inscrutable His Way of
salvation through Jesus Christ. The mystery is not the Three-in-One, but that
the Three-in-One comes to serve you in Word and Sacrament, in all humility.
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