“Receiving the Gift of Heaven”

Scripture: John 3:22-36

For the past two weeks, we’ve been talking about the changes that come over our vision when we begin to see Jesus in the light of his truth. First, it was Nicodemus and the newness that was to come into his life as he started to see the reality – the truth - of Jesus. Last week, we read about Jesus’ explaining to the Pharisee what this “new birth” is about, that it is because of God’s intense and perfect love for all of humanity, that the light of truth can become ours.
Today, we look at the vision that another person had of the Christ. John the Baptist had an insight into Jesus’ nature that few others ever have had or ever will have. On that day when Jesus’ mother Mary and John’s mother Elizabeth came together, while both were still pregnant, John experienced the power of God’s grace. When he was brought into the presence of the Divine Glory, and even though he was still in his mother’s womb, he leapt for joy. (Luke 1:39-56) Before the Baptist was even born, he knew Jesus for who he truly is.
And today, we consider the witness that John was able to offer in his life of faith.

Read John 3:22-26

A life with Jesus is never easy. Even these two groups of disciples got in an argument over who has authority to teach and who has the right teaching. Truth is an elusive thing, at best, and that truth hasn’t changed since the days of Cain and Abel! So, what was the controversy all about, and just who was this “certain Jew” that John mentions? The truth is that even the writers of the commentaries don’t definitively know. And since no one else knows, I may as well throw my personal opinion into the mix as well.
First, the apostle doesn’t name the Jew in question, either because he didn’t know who it was, which is unlikely, or because he didn’t want to name him. And since John consistently refers to himself in the third person throughout his gospel, I will suggest that this “certain Jew” is the apostle himself.
And the argument over ceremonial washing? I think that the Baptist’s disciples were confronting Jesus’ disciples over who had the right to baptize, to ceremonial cleanse these people in this particular place and at this particular time. Territorialism and jealousy was very strong in those days, and no one wanted to lose any prestige to another rabbi or his followers. “This is my place – you go find your own!”
Do I have any evidence that my interpretation is any more credible than that of the learned scholars who write the commentaries? None whatsoever. I just wanted to put this verse in a possible context for our thoughts today.

But this passage does bring up a couple of interesting points.
First, we now see that Jesus himself baptized people. As far as I know, this is the only reference in scripture to Jesus baptizing the masses.
Second, we see that the opposition to Jesus’ ministry, in whatever form it may have taken, came from many different sources – that it wasn’t limited solely to the Jewish hierarchy. Even those who had heard Jesus’ message weren’t always on board, and John’s disciples had heard the word about Jesus from the Baptist’s own lips. So John would have to tell them one more time.

Read John 3:27-30

John offers his followers 4 truths.

The first is that we can only receive that which is given from heaven. But this raises one more question, as scripture tends to do(!) – what “gift” is John talking about? Is Jesus the gift for all to receive, or is the gift the people who are coming to Jesus, or is it the baptism that both men are offering on behalf of God?
It could very well be any of these, but let’s assume for the moment, that it is the baptism itself.
Baptism is truly a gift from heaven. It has little to do with the pastor who officiates at the sacrament, other than our understanding and reverence for the act. It is all about the gift that comes from the Spirit. And I think that John was reminding his followers that the significance of baptism, this “washing”, came from heaven, and was not in the hands of the mortal.
Second, John’s disciples are reminded that John himself was not of heaven, but was simply acting on behalf of the Almighty, that he was not the long awaited Christ, but was simply the one who came to proclaim him.
John’s baptism could only become significant and effective because of Jesus.
Third, John tells a parable about a wedding, and as we discuss the meaning that it has for us, remember to keep these words in a spiritual context and not a human one. John says that it is the bride who belongs to the bridegroom, and not the other way around. John puts Jesus, of course, in the context of the bridegroom, and Israel as the bride, and the roles can never be reversed. He then says that when we serve the bridegroom, we wait for his words, his presence, his lead, and when we hear his voice, our joy will be complete. And John’s joy is as complete as any joy could possibly be. He knew the joy of Christ before he was even born, and now he is not only ministering alongside the Messiah, but he had actually baptized him. (Matthew 3:13-17) His joy is not only complete, but it is overflowing.
And last, John tells us that Jesus must become greater, and we must become less. And since Jesus is God Incarnate, his becoming greater is not in context of heaven, but in that of our hearts and minds. This might even be a chastising to his followers – that they had been trying to make themselves out to be the authorities on baptism, to the detriment of Jesus. Once more, the light of heaven is being shined on the darkness of earth, and it is revealing an uncomfortable truth – that we have significance only because of our relationship with Christ, and that his is totally based in heaven. It has nothing to do with us.

These four truths are as pertinent for the church of today as they were at that moment for John’s followers. Baptism is a gift from heaven, and the cleansing that it promises and the truth that it brings can only be lived out in the glory of a relationship that is with and in Jesus Christ. He is the head, and we are the body and when we come to acknowledge this fact, and begin to walk in this truth, our joy is fulfilled. We must always let Jesus be our joy, our thrill, our sufficiency, our purpose, our cleansing, and when we finally understand that we are simply the recipients of his grace, and not the cause, not the source, we can begin to walk with him in confidence.
That’s what John was trying to tell his closest friends that day, and he is telling that to us.

Vaclav Havel, the Czech poet/President, spoke these words from his years of suffering oppression and persecution:
“I am not an optimist, because I am not sure that everything ends well. Nor am I a pessimist, because I am not sure everything ends badly. I just carry hope in my heart.... Life without hope is an empty, boring and useless life. I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me. I am thankful to God for this gift. It is as big a gift as life itself.”
--Reader's Digest, February 1991.

The hope and trust of Christ, given to all who will believe, is the greatest gift of all time.

Read John 3:31-36

This passage is about seeing, through new eyes, the vista of grace and glory that is illuminated in the light of Jesus Christ. It is a gift that is offered to everyone, but one which will be rejected by many. For those who will receive it, though, the possibilities are endless and eternal.
As I was putting the finishing touches on this message, our dog was pestering me. He wanted to play fetch and I wanted to work, and along with that comes “tug of war”, but I wanted to think. And if that wasn’t enough, this 55 pound black lab puppy thinks that he’s a lap dog! I love that dog dearly, but he seems to think that it is always about what he wants and when he wants it. And I was reminded that we have a tendency to be the same way, at times, with Almighty God. Do you know of anyone who thinks that their own desires, their own opinions, their own beliefs are what are important, and that God should drop all that he has ever commanded to turn around and embrace their understandings? Verse 33 says “The one who has accepted [Jesus’ testimony] has certified that God is truthful.” It doesn’t say that God has to accept ours!
Back to the dog – he kept bugging me to the point that I finally told him to go to bed, and he did. I know that he didn’t really want to quit for the night, but he knew that I was serious, and he did what he was told to do. And he found himself back in my good graces. And that also reminded me of our relationship with God. The moment will come when we have no other choice but to listen to the Lord when he tells us to stop, and it is then that we discover that he hasn’t given up on us, and that his anger over our foolish and selfish insistence could never cloud his love for us. When we accept Jesus’ word for our lives, we are, in essence, proclaiming God’s truth.

God sent his Living Word into our lives, and he has told us to listen to him. (Matthew 17:5) We haven’t been told to negotiate with him, nor to dicker, nor to demand our own way, and definitely not to refuse his way. Verse 36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life”. And if we believe in the Christ, our only option is to accept and believe in his word.
The Baptist made this very clear to his followers, and the apostle John is making this very clear to us. Those who desire to follow Jesus can no longer see and understand and live in their own broad and all encompassing way. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, and his words are the only ones that can make his way and truth and life ours.

My friends, we have to see through Jesus Eyes, walk in Jesus Light, follow in Jesus steps. For there are no others that have any worth.