Redeemed, Called, and Fed
5-31-15 (Trinity Sunday, Year B)
Isaiah 6:1-8; John 3:1-17
Two men encounter God. Two men are called. Two men receive incredible words directly from the mouth of God. Two men express their hesitations and doubts in the face of their encounter with God. And yet the results of their two experiences couldn’t be any more different.
Isaiah’s encounter with God happens in a dream-like vision: he is transported to God’s throne room. He sees the seraphim, those angelic beings that have filled our hymns and art but are only ever shown in this particular passage of Isaiah, surrounding the throne in worship so powerful that the door frames are shaking and the room is filling with smoke. And it quite literally puts the fear of God into him. He’s so scared at the fact that he is seeing what angels themselves cover their faces from that he throws himself down to the ground.
For Nicodemus, the experience is a little more subdued, to say the least. He comes to Jesus in the dark of night - why he comes at this time, we don’t know for certain, but given his status as a Pharisee, as a legal expert and religious leader in his community, we can guess at some of the reasons. Maybe he’s afraid of what being seen publicly with Jesus would do to his status and reputation. Perhaps he’s been sent by the other Pharisees as a representative in the hopes of engaging with Jesus and trying to smooth out the rough edges. Or maybe Jesus has just been so busy teaching, healing, and spreading the message of the coming Kingdom that this has been the only time that Nicodemus could even approach the teacher, let alone have a conversation with him. Whatever the reason, Nicodemus’ approach is marked by great caution.
It’s only as Jesus fully enters the conversation, though, that we start to see Nicodemus’ own insecurities come powerfully to the forefront. Nicodemus starts off in safe territory by complimenting Jesus, but Jesus skips the pleasantries and moves right into a deeply personal encounter, instead. It quite obviously throws Nicodemus off of his game, and the rest of the conversation becomes Nicodemus trying to pit his own knowledge of religion against Jesus’ knowledge of God. The more Jesus attempts to teach and explain himself to Nicodemus, the more Nicodemus shuts down and seemingly refuses to hear - we don’t know for certain how the conversation really ends, or how Nicodemus ultimately responds to Christ’s teaching in that moment, but it’s a relatively safe assumption that he walks away, more confused and lost than when he came in the first place, and then will not understand the things that Jesus says until after he sees Jesus being lowered from the Cross, since we see him assisting Joseph of Arimathea with the burial.
Isaiah’s encounter ends differently, however - like Nicodemus, Isaiah expresses his own uncertainties, his own doubts. Isaiah doesn’t understand why he is being given this dramatic and fearful vision of God - he knows he’s not worthy, and he states it as he cries out in fear: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!” Isaiah is certain that his doom is at hand right that very second - nobody can see God that directly and live. Even Moses was only allowed to see the back side of God, and his face glowed after the experience. And yet, instead of being flash-fried by the presence of the Almighty, Isaiah is instead encountered - one of the heavenly seraphs flies down to him, holding a coal from the altar, which he touches to Isaiah’s lips in an act of cleansing and preparation. As Isaiah receives this intense rite of purification, it is only then that he finally hears the voice of God calling out, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Emboldened and fortified by his experience of sanctification, Isaiah is freed to cry in response, “Here am I; send me!”
Both Isaiah and Nicodemus are offered redemption in their encounters with God - Isaiah is given a gift from the holy altar itself and his lips are cleaned, while Jesus offers himself as a cleansing coal to Nicodemus. And in that offer of cleansing, both Isaiah and Nicodemus are freed to respond in faith, to say “Here am I; send me.” Yet in these passages, it is only Isaiah whom we see give this response, while Nicodemus appears to simply walk away in shame and confusion. Two men encounter God. Two men are called. Two men are offered redemption. But only one goes forth in faith from the encounter.
What was the difference? Why does one move forward and another run back? Is it the extremity of Isaiah’s encounter that makes the difference? Burning coals touching my lips would probably be a pretty compelling, even painful experience, but I don’t know that my immediate response after such excruciating pain would be to willingly go out in response, do you? And yet, encountered with such dramatic forgiveness, this is exactly what Isaiah does. Nicodemus isn't physically burned by his encounter with Christ, though his entire understanding of life is still challenged by Christ’s teaching… so then why does he flinch back as if Jesus were holding hot coals to his face? Why is Nicodemus so reluctant to do something so much easier, when Isaiah readily accepts something we’d call sheer torture?
Perhaps the biggest difference is in the situation - Isaiah stands in the throne room, undeniably encountering God Almighty; Nicodemus encounters a man many think is God’s chosen Messiah. But the call to faithful response is just as strong from Jesus as it is from Isaiah’s vision. The stakes seem higher for Isaiah than they do for Nicodemus - Isaiah faces utter destruction before the face of God, while Nicodemus faces nothing short of social shame, losing face, losing status, losing his authority in his synagogue and among his people. And yet it is Nicodemus who ultimately can’t bring himself to faithful response. It is Nicodemus who still tries to rely on his own understanding, even in the face of God, instead of throwing himself down in awe and wonder, proclaiming his own inferiority. Faced with the choice of letting go of all of the things that he thought were so important in his life, all of his vaunted knowledge, or holding onto those things and still being “in control” of his own situation, Nicodemus ultimately can’t make that one leap of faith that Jesus invites him to take, and so he turns away to go back into the night.
But perhaps we’re just too hard on Nicodemus throughout all this - perhaps he wasn’t ready. Perhaps he needed a longer process, a slower-burning coal whose heat wasn’t as intense to help purify him and ready him for a more faithful response. After all, not everyone is ready to leap up at a moment’s notice and say “Here I am,” are they? We do see Nicodemus again in John’s gospel, after all - he advocates for Jesus in a sense during his trial before the Sanhedrin, stating that the accused is required by law to be heard before being judged, and after Jesus is crucified, it is Nicodemus who comes with what would have been a very expensive mixture of some 75 pounds of Myrrh and embalming spices to give Jesus an honorable burial. Nicodemus’ display of respect and honor suggests that perhaps, by the end, he understood, that he believed, and that he was ready to go out and follow.
We worship a God who works both in the immediate and the reluctant - a God who meets us where we are, who calls us to something better, who offers us redemption, and who guides and nourishes us along the way, even if we go along kicking, screaming, and dragging our feet in the process. We worship a god who reminds us daily of how much we are loved and treasured by God, a God who is continually seeking to show us glimpses of the Kingdom into which we are invited to participate. And, yes - it can be intimidating - the invitation to let go of all of the things that the world tells us to hold onto with every ounce of our being is dramatic and difficult, to be sure. But when we know that God is faithful, that God is sure in God’s knowledge of what we need, as opposed to what we think we need, and that God will be present, guiding us along the way, we can have courage to stand up, to let go, to be confident in our own forgiveness and to proclaim “Here am I; Send me.” To God be the Glory. Amen.
Isaiah 6:1-8; John 3:1-17
Redeemed, Called, and Fed
Two men encounter God. Two men are called. Two men receive incredible words directly from the mouth of God. Two men express their hesitations and doubts in the face of their encounter with God. And yet the results of their two experiences couldn’t be any more different.
Isaiah’s encounter with God happens in a dream-like vision: he is transported to God’s throne room. He sees the seraphim, those angelic beings that have filled our hymns and art but are only ever shown in this particular passage of Isaiah, surrounding the throne in worship so powerful that the door frames are shaking and the room is filling with smoke. And it quite literally puts the fear of God into him. He’s so scared at the fact that he is seeing what angels themselves cover their faces from that he throws himself down to the ground.
For Nicodemus, the experience is a little more subdued, to say the least. He comes to Jesus in the dark of night - why he comes at this time, we don’t know for certain, but given his status as a Pharisee, as a legal expert and religious leader in his community, we can guess at some of the reasons. Maybe he’s afraid of what being seen publicly with Jesus would do to his status and reputation. Perhaps he’s been sent by the other Pharisees as a representative in the hopes of engaging with Jesus and trying to smooth out the rough edges. Or maybe Jesus has just been so busy teaching, healing, and spreading the message of the coming Kingdom that this has been the only time that Nicodemus could even approach the teacher, let alone have a conversation with him. Whatever the reason, Nicodemus’ approach is marked by great caution.
It’s only as Jesus fully enters the conversation, though, that we start to see Nicodemus’ own insecurities come powerfully to the forefront. Nicodemus starts off in safe territory by complimenting Jesus, but Jesus skips the pleasantries and moves right into a deeply personal encounter, instead. It quite obviously throws Nicodemus off of his game, and the rest of the conversation becomes Nicodemus trying to pit his own knowledge of religion against Jesus’ knowledge of God. The more Jesus attempts to teach and explain himself to Nicodemus, the more Nicodemus shuts down and seemingly refuses to hear - we don’t know for certain how the conversation really ends, or how Nicodemus ultimately responds to Christ’s teaching in that moment, but it’s a relatively safe assumption that he walks away, more confused and lost than when he came in the first place, and then will not understand the things that Jesus says until after he sees Jesus being lowered from the Cross, since we see him assisting Joseph of Arimathea with the burial.
Isaiah’s encounter ends differently, however - like Nicodemus, Isaiah expresses his own uncertainties, his own doubts. Isaiah doesn’t understand why he is being given this dramatic and fearful vision of God - he knows he’s not worthy, and he states it as he cries out in fear: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!” Isaiah is certain that his doom is at hand right that very second - nobody can see God that directly and live. Even Moses was only allowed to see the back side of God, and his face glowed after the experience. And yet, instead of being flash-fried by the presence of the Almighty, Isaiah is instead encountered - one of the heavenly seraphs flies down to him, holding a coal from the altar, which he touches to Isaiah’s lips in an act of cleansing and preparation. As Isaiah receives this intense rite of purification, it is only then that he finally hears the voice of God calling out, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Emboldened and fortified by his experience of sanctification, Isaiah is freed to cry in response, “Here am I; send me!”
Both Isaiah and Nicodemus are offered redemption in their encounters with God - Isaiah is given a gift from the holy altar itself and his lips are cleaned, while Jesus offers himself as a cleansing coal to Nicodemus. And in that offer of cleansing, both Isaiah and Nicodemus are freed to respond in faith, to say “Here am I; send me.” Yet in these passages, it is only Isaiah whom we see give this response, while Nicodemus appears to simply walk away in shame and confusion. Two men encounter God. Two men are called. Two men are offered redemption. But only one goes forth in faith from the encounter.
What was the difference? Why does one move forward and another run back? Is it the extremity of Isaiah’s encounter that makes the difference? Burning coals touching my lips would probably be a pretty compelling, even painful experience, but I don’t know that my immediate response after such excruciating pain would be to willingly go out in response, do you? And yet, encountered with such dramatic forgiveness, this is exactly what Isaiah does. Nicodemus isn't physically burned by his encounter with Christ, though his entire understanding of life is still challenged by Christ’s teaching… so then why does he flinch back as if Jesus were holding hot coals to his face? Why is Nicodemus so reluctant to do something so much easier, when Isaiah readily accepts something we’d call sheer torture?
Perhaps the biggest difference is in the situation - Isaiah stands in the throne room, undeniably encountering God Almighty; Nicodemus encounters a man many think is God’s chosen Messiah. But the call to faithful response is just as strong from Jesus as it is from Isaiah’s vision. The stakes seem higher for Isaiah than they do for Nicodemus - Isaiah faces utter destruction before the face of God, while Nicodemus faces nothing short of social shame, losing face, losing status, losing his authority in his synagogue and among his people. And yet it is Nicodemus who ultimately can’t bring himself to faithful response. It is Nicodemus who still tries to rely on his own understanding, even in the face of God, instead of throwing himself down in awe and wonder, proclaiming his own inferiority. Faced with the choice of letting go of all of the things that he thought were so important in his life, all of his vaunted knowledge, or holding onto those things and still being “in control” of his own situation, Nicodemus ultimately can’t make that one leap of faith that Jesus invites him to take, and so he turns away to go back into the night.
But perhaps we’re just too hard on Nicodemus throughout all this - perhaps he wasn’t ready. Perhaps he needed a longer process, a slower-burning coal whose heat wasn’t as intense to help purify him and ready him for a more faithful response. After all, not everyone is ready to leap up at a moment’s notice and say “Here I am,” are they? We do see Nicodemus again in John’s gospel, after all - he advocates for Jesus in a sense during his trial before the Sanhedrin, stating that the accused is required by law to be heard before being judged, and after Jesus is crucified, it is Nicodemus who comes with what would have been a very expensive mixture of some 75 pounds of Myrrh and embalming spices to give Jesus an honorable burial. Nicodemus’ display of respect and honor suggests that perhaps, by the end, he understood, that he believed, and that he was ready to go out and follow.
We worship a God who works both in the immediate and the reluctant - a God who meets us where we are, who calls us to something better, who offers us redemption, and who guides and nourishes us along the way, even if we go along kicking, screaming, and dragging our feet in the process. We worship a god who reminds us daily of how much we are loved and treasured by God, a God who is continually seeking to show us glimpses of the Kingdom into which we are invited to participate. And, yes - it can be intimidating - the invitation to let go of all of the things that the world tells us to hold onto with every ounce of our being is dramatic and difficult, to be sure. But when we know that God is faithful, that God is sure in God’s knowledge of what we need, as opposed to what we think we need, and that God will be present, guiding us along the way, we can have courage to stand up, to let go, to be confident in our own forgiveness and to proclaim “Here am I; Send me.” To God be the Glory. Amen.
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