(The following questions have been developed as a way of getting at a fundamental concern for Law and Gospel preachers, i.e. How does the Word function in the text? These questions provide one lens for looking at a text; other methods provide other lens which are to be commended. To learn more about this method and Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? If the Word functioning as Law serves to expose our need for Christ, and the Word functioning as Gospel proclaims what God has done in Christ, then in this text, we have a tidy arrangement. The first 12 verses function almost exclusively to show Nicodemus' need for Christ, and so are a word of Law. Nicodemus testifies to his own lack of understanding, and his dependence on signs. Jesus affirms Nicodemus' ignorance especially when he says, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?" (vs. 10) The final 5 verses are all about what God is doing in Christ and thus function as Gospel: The Son of Man is lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness (i.e. One who brings healing and life); everyone who believes in this Son of Man has eternal life; God loves the world and sent the Son not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved.
2. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are clearly meant to identify with Nicodemus. As always, it is important for the preacher not to identify with Jesus, but rather with the one addressed by Jesus. When preachers identify with Jesus it becomes very easy to see ourselves as those whom are neither addressed by the Word, nor stand in need of it.
3. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel. The Word does not function this way here. We have the call to faith, but that is not the call to obedience. If we look at the First Reading appointed for today from Genesis 12, we see that Abram believed God's promise and when God told him to go to a new land, he went. That is an example of a call to obedience.
4. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? There are lots of couplets present in this text, and many more can perhaps be imagined. Here are some examples: night/day; ignorant/enlightened; being dead/being begotten again; condemned/saved.
5. Exegetical work: Craig Koester's outstanding commentary on John's gospel gives us some important insights into the people Nicodemus represents. Koester names three groups: 1) those who have "an inability to understand the ways of God"; 2) those who believe because of Jesus' signs; and 3) "humanity estranged from God." (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 45) In looking at that list it becomes even more clear that the opening verses of this text function as Law, lifting up our need for Christ. In Kittel's article on signs (semeion) he notes why those who believe in Jesus because of his signs are not commended for their faith: "Jesus opposes...an attitude...in which readiness to believe is made dependent on signs and wonders." (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, VII, p. 243f) Kittel points us to John 4:48 where Jesus says, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." One small detail in translation that opens up this text is knowing that gennao, most often translated "being born", can also be translated "begotten." In other words both the feminine contribution to new life (giving birth) and the masculine contribution (begetting) are contained in this word. So if one translates these verses using "begotten"as the text it highlights the fact that this new birth involves having a new Father, not only being born anew. Raymond Brown, in his classic commentary brings both of these options to light: "A [person] takes on flesh only after being begotten of a man...Eternal life comes only from being begotten by a Heavenly Father." "If natural life [comes from] God's giving breath to man, eternal life comes when God gives his Holy Spirit to a man." (The Gospel According to John, I-XII, p. 138, 140)
6. Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic? Charles Rice was one who insisted that the task of the preacher was to help listeners recognize their shared story in a text. This might be a great chance to do just that - invite people to reflect on when they have been in Nicodemus' place, or perhaps the preacher can share when that was their experience.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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