Lent 2, YEAR A

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
~John 3:17

Nicodemus said to [Jesus], “How can these things be?”
​~John 3:9

There is power in the question. Nicodemus, this highly trained, well-versed religious leader, seemingly is flumoxed. And he dares to be vulnerable. Good for him! He dares to reveal his limited understanding to this one who he thinks may “come from God:” “How can these things be? He wonders aloud. Jesus’ reponse may not strike us as reassuring: “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”

But we should be careful to not read the reply as judgment as much as Jesus’ own curiosity. How is it that this grace is so hard to grasp for us? Why is the alternative so sticky? It is a good question for us to live with in Lent. It is an essential part of the journey. But it is not the end.

This is comfort to us, to be sure. In our world of relationships that rarely rise above the caustic quid pro quo of transactional, meritocratic interactions, Jesus reassures. The cure for the Israelites’ self-destructive rebellion (Numbers 21) is to look it full in the face: “look at the serpent of bronze and live” (Numbers 21:7-9). This is no less true for us.

How can this be?

How can this be that God’s devotion, God’s love is so extravagant as to anticipate our misunderstandings? How can this be that God graciously transforms even our worst into our deliverance. Indeed, God so loved the world in this very way.

Enter into worship. This Sunday morning at 10:00am in-person or online.


Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a † Psalm 121 † Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 † John 3:1-17 or Matthew 17:1-9
About the Art: Moyers, Mike. Guidance Day and Night, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57143 [retrieved February 19, 2026]. Original source: Mike Moyers, https://www.mikemoyersfineart.com/.

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