By the Rev. Alanna C. Sullivan
Associate Minister and Director of Administration
The Memorial Church of Harvard University
(The following is a transcript of the service audio, March 10, 2024)
Some words are so familiar that we no longer hear them. Some phrases have such firmly established interpretations that we cease to examine them. And I think that might be the case with a verse that is embedded in this morning's gospel reading. John 3:16. "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." This is one of the most familiar and often quoted verses in all of scripture. So what new insight or original thought can be offered about these beloved words? Luther once called this verse, the Gospel in Miniature. As if it contains everything that is essential. These words adorn people's walls, are tattooed on their bodies, appear on their Instagram feeds. And I am told that for years there was someone who bought tickets for the end zone during televised football games for the sole purpose of being able to hold up a sign during the point after the kick. And the sign said nothing other than John 3:16. As if that was all that needed to be said.
There are those who declare that this verse means, if you believe certain things about Jesus, you get to go to Heaven when you die. And indeed, some more conservative Christians have interpreted this text this way so consistently and insistently that others may stop considering if it means something quite different. So this morning I invite you, let's return to these words, these familiar words, and see if Christ might have some new truths to reveal to us in them and through them, perhaps in spite of their familiarity. As if true of all verses of scripture, we shouldn't read it in isolation. It's important that we consider the context within the wider gospel narrative. So even at this early point in John's Gospel, early in the first act of this drama, as it were, people are flocking to Jesus. They are drawn to his teachings. They are impressed by the miracles that he performs. The compassionate healing miracles to be sure, but also the flashy miracles that get their attention. If you can turn water into wine, you certainly are going to be a very popular wedding guest.
And words soon spreads like wildfire about this itinerant preacher and miracle worker. People flock to Jesus, hoping for a sign, a healing, a miracle that will change their lives for the better. Yet, as the number of the people in the crowd following him increases, his confidence in the public's understanding of his message decreases. They seem to be missing the point of what the Good News means for them and for the wider world. A chasm grows between what he's communicating and how it's being interpreted.
And Jesus becomes more and more frustrated. The tension climaxes when Jesus arrives at the temple in Jerusalem and he sees how religious devotion is being turned into a moneymaking enterprise. And he responds by turning over the tables of the money changers. And one night, not long afterwards, Jesus receives an unexpected visitor. Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, one of the very groups he clashed with at the temple. Nicodemus has come to see Jesus under the cloak of darkness with the hope that no one will recognize him. He's come to ask Jesus a question that he's too afraid to ask publicly. For it threatens the very institution he leads.
It's a remarkable act that Nicodemus, an exalted religious leader, addresses Jesus with such respect. He calls him, "Rabbi." That his teacher. He goes on to say that he knows that Jesus comes from God. He knows that Jesus performs miracles that only can come from God. But really, who is he? And what does he intend to do? And that's where we find ourselves with our gospel lesson for this morning. In the middle of Jesus' explanation to Nicodemus of who he is and why he's here. "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."
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Now, first reading this verse, it sounded transactional to me. Almost as if you believe certain things about me, you can go to Heaven when you die. Yet when I dwelled with the words a little bit longer, I think that what Jesus is getting at is something not so much transactional but transformational. So let's stay with these words for a few moments. "For God so loved." On September 1st in 1954, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached on this very text for his first sermon as Pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. He described God's love this way. "God's love is not a single act, but it's an abiding state of God's heart. God doesn't begin to love. God's love has no beginning and will have no ending. God's love has breadth. It's all-inclusive. It's a big love. It's a broad love."
"For God so loved the world." In John, the word for world refers to the cosmos. God's all encompassing love extends beyond you and me. All that we see and all that we know is enfolded in God's love. From the dust to the stars, from a drop of water to the ocean, from seed to tree, from ant to elephant, from valley to Heavens. No rock is left unturned. No morsel is left behind. No person is forgotten. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." What is translated as so here can also be translated as just so or in a way, in the original Greek. An alternative translation of this verse becomes. This is the way that he gave his only Son, in order that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It's not just about how much God loved the world, it's the way in which God loves the world. God is desperate to be reconciled to us and for us to be reconciled to one another. How God loved his Son is how we are to love one another and creation. Fully, unconditionally and wildly.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish." In this translation Jesus refers to belief. Everyone who believes in him. I however wonder if Jesus is actually talking more about faith than belief. A wise soul once told me about the difference between belief and faith. Belief is a act of intellect, whereas faith is an act of the whole person. One can believe in the words of the spiritual, God's got the whole world in his hands. But to actually put oneself in God's hands requires faith. Nicodemus devoted his life more to learning about God than to loving God. And Jesus was consistently critical of those whose religious life was long on belief, but short on faith. Perhaps the reason for the misinterpretation is because we do not have a verb form of the word faith in English. I think a better translation might be everyone who trusts Jesus. Trust is a closer synonym of faith than belief is.
So how would Nicodemus or how would we live differently if we devoted our lives to trusting God, relying upon God, depending upon God, giving one's heart to God? "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." In the Gospel of John, eternal life does not simply speak of life after death. John's use of the words eternal life is similar to Matthew's use of the words kingdom of Heaven or Luke's use of the words kingdom of God. Eternal life here is about equality, a depth that can be experienced not just in the sweet by and by, but in the here and now.
So why is all of this important? Well, John 3:16 has been used to say that you need to believe in certain things about Jesus or you are not saved. But Jesus is more interested in establishing a relationship of trust than he is in establishing certain beliefs that we may have about certain things. Even certain things about him. That is, his concern is relational, not doctrinal. In some more conservative Christian circles, John 3:16 is read as if saying, if you believe certain things about Jesus, you get to go to Heaven when you die. But a better translation may be, if you put your trust in Jesus, you can experience God's grace both now and in the future, in this world and in the world to come.
It may be hard for us to fully understand all that Jesus means with this one verse. And we're not alone in that. These words were difficult for Nicodemus to comprehend as well. Yet I think we come to understand them ever more deeply, ever more fully in how we turn to one another and how we care for one another and how we reconcile with one another. Nicodemus did this when he later came tenderly care for Jesus' body after the crucifixion. It's through love that we might move from knowing these words by heart to having them written on our hearts. And that may be why Martin Luther once called this verse the Gospel in Miniature.