"He Is Exalted, The King Is Exalted..." (Twila Paris Song)

More double words from John 3!  And . . .  on reading Scripture.

Take a  look at Jesus' admonition to Nicodemus in Jn 3:10-15, emphasis on 13-15.  How does your translation read, "Just as Moses lifted up . . ." and "so the Son of Man must be lifted up..."?

The Greek word is upsosain.  It means to be lifted up as the text is translated, but it also means to be exalted.  Listen to the way those two meanings intertwine.

In this section of John 3 St. John records Jesus "playing" with words around who has ascended into heaven (only the Son of Man) -- who has been "lifted up to heaven," and the "lifting up" of the bronze snake by Moses (Numbers 21:8-9) and how Jesus will be "lifted up"/exalted.

I have to take a moment to talk about reading Scripture.  The writer of 2nd Timothy says of the Old Testament,

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, . . ." 2 Tim 3:1

What does that mean?  That the Holy Spirit bodily took over the writer and "auto-wrote" what we receive?  Or could it be, like with us, that the Holy Spirit works through the thinking and actions of believers to reveal to us what is needed to be known about God, us, and our relationships?

I think it is the latter and not the former.  One of the consistencies of God that I see in history -- including God in our lives -- is that through the broken-ness of our lives God moves us back towards God,  or, maybe forward towards God.  Can we put aside this foolish notion that the people of the Book were somehow larger than we are; somehow more faithful than us?

People who encounter God in their lives hear/see/experience what God is doing and relate it in the clearest way they know how to those around them.  That's the basis of sharing God with each other -- sometimes called evangelism.

Let me lay down a provenance -- a line of ownership from God to us through Scripture. 

• Jesus lived, worked, died, rose from death, and returned to God.  Here is a most direct contact from God to us through Jesus.
• There were about 150 people who consistently followed Jesus.  This includes the 12 disciples who will become Apostles, of which three are the inner circle -- Peter, James, and John.  These 150 people witnessed what Jesus said and did.
• Each of the Gospel writers heard the stories of Jesus.  Some of them saw this first hand.  Others (i.e. Luke) heard the stories from this cadre of followers and passed it on to their readers.
• Each witness experiences Jesus through the filters and needs of his/her own life.  Each Gospel writer who hears a witness speak experiences God and records it through the filter of his own life, experiences, and needs for God in his life.
• Each Gospel writer is writing TO someone.  The Gospels are not an English class essay assignment.  It is a Pastor/Evangelist proclaiming the mighty acts of God to a people who desire/need to grow closer to God, told in a way that they can hear it the best.

Do you see the layers here?  Event, witnesses, tellers and hearers, hearer/writer and reader.  At each level there are  individuals with abilities to hear and needs to be fulfilled by the Holy Spirit.  What is most important to me is that it is the one God, through God's Spirit that guides the experiences and tellings in each layer.  THAT'S what makes Scripture so "inspired,"  God working through God's Spirit in the likes of us to reveal what needs to be told to us and those seeking God.

Back to John 3: 13-15.

Jesus is revealing his mission in this small section.  John is recording his vision of the work of Messiah as he perceived it.  This word play of "lifted up" and "exalted" is a key to this.

In the Numbers 21 story the Hebrew sinners will be saved from a plague of fiery serpents.  Moses is commanded to make a bronze serpent and "lift it up" onto a pole.  Whoever looks on the bronze serpent will be saved . . . whoever "lifts up their eyes" to the serpent, whoever "exalts" the serpent will be saved.

Jesus takes that historical/religious event and uses it as a metaphor for his mission.  He is to be "lifted up" so that those who "lift up" their eyes to him may be saved.  This is, of course, Jesus revealing that he must be "lifted up" on a stake -- a cross.  He must be crucified.  BUT . . .  here is where St. John differs with the Synoptic Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  In the Synoptics the passion of the Christ -- betrayal, trial, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus, is a horror story that seems to happen to him, out of his control.

But John sees Jesus very much in control through-out the passion.  The key word in this John 3 section that tells us about this is upsosain.  Jesus is "lifted up" but his lifting up "exalts" God.  Jesus is exalted in fulfilling his purpose, which he willingly goes to, knows of before-hand, and moves through aware and in control of every step.

One clear example of what I propose is in the Garden scene where Jesus is arrested.  (John 18:1-6)  John tells a story of that night none of the others record.  It is a demonstration of who Jesus truly is and what power he controls.  He asks his arresters who they are looking for.  They say, "Jesus of Nazareth."  He says,  (Latin) "Ego ami." "I am he."  Simple enough on the surface.

The literal translation is, "I AM."  (The "he" comes from the Latin masculine form, 1st person, singular.)  When God is recruiting Moses to save the Jews from Egyptian slavery Moses asks God to tell Moses God's name.  God gives a non-reply "YAHWEH."   This is not a name, but a description.  The word means . . . Ego ami -- I am.  (It could be in any tense - I am, I was, I will be.)  God tells Moses that Moses cannot handle the power of God's name.  He is to be satisfied that the One who calls him simple "is."  Those who come to arrest Jesus are bowled over by the power of "I AM."

Perhaps you think I'm stretching the point, connecting a simple question and answer, "Who are you looking for?" "Jesus of Nazareth." "I am he.",  to this monumental moment in the calling of Moses.  Well, don't argue with me,  argue with St. John.  Only he, of all the Gospel writers, records that when the soldiers heard "Ego ami -- I AM" "... they drew back and fell to the ground."

Why? Because Jesus pushed them?  No, because Jesus is the upsosain, the exalted/upsosain One who will be lifted up/upsosained so that who ever lifts up/upsosains their eyes to him may be saved.

Aren't words and their usage fabulous?  What depth St. John brings to the understanding of Jesus and his place as the One of God for us!