Trinity Sunday C

57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:57–59, ESV)

There is a famous scientist by the name of Werner Heisenberg who said, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.”

There is a reason that Christians for literally centuries have been so drawn to science. It’s summed up nicely in today’s psalm, Psalm 8: “1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:1, 3-4, ESV). Not only is this world beautiful and majestic and awe-inspiring, the more we look at the universe around us, the more we even use science and math to understand everything from the theory of gravity to quantum mechanics, the more awesome it is.

Our ability to even measure the things we’re studying is tested and stretched constantly. We solve one great mystery only to discover five more. The questions that are raised are even more intriguing than the answers we find.

Today we go even deeper. We explore not simply the fundamental nature of the universe, we peer into the fundamental nature of God, into mysteries that are beyond any microscope or telescope, into knowledge that can not be described by mathematical equations. And there we discover mysteries greater than any that science has stumbled upon. The Trinity. One, but three, but one, but three, but one, but three…. Persons and essence and godhead. Three persons united to the point that, where one is, all three are. Essence— unity— divided to the point that “there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.” It was only the Son who took on human flesh and was crucified—not the Father or the Holy Spirit—and yet, in Christ, the fullness of the godhead dwells bodily (Col. 2:9).

And this mystery that is the very nature of God, Himself, is summed up in His name: “I am.” It’s not simply a label for the subject, like ‘astrophysics’ or ‘quantum mechanics’ or the like. Within those two little words—within His name—is encapsulated all that God is and does.

God revealed it to His people, warning that it must not be misused. It was guarded carefully, and for good reason, even to the point of decreeing a sentence of death for those who misused it: who taught falsely in God’s name or who simply used it carelessly.

Fully aware of both the mystery wrapped up in it and the seriousness of using that name, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” He doesn’t just use it, He claims it as His own. That is why they picked up rocks to use in order to stone Him to death—and not without good reason. The irony is that, unlike you and me, He was using it perfectly correctly.

You and I don’t handle God’s name well. It’s used thoughtlessly and carelessly so often that we even have a shorthand for it—‘OMG’. And the temptation is always there to go beyond what God has actually said, to assert your own opinion under the authority of God’s name. But, arguably just as bad, are the times when you fail to use it. You know the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” How does the verse go? “Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” God has shared this great mystery, has shared His divine name with you, and it’s something that you often can’t be bothered to use.

And yet, even as He claimed it as His own, Jesus was perfectly justified in using it. He taught God’s Word perfectly. He lived a holy life according to it. He was never even negligent in using it to call upon His heavenly Father.

In fact, He even adds to it.

That’s right. He adds to God’s name. He adds to it and is still well within the Father’s will. To the name “I am,” He adds “the light of the world.” To the name “I am,” He adds, “the gate,” “the vine,” “the way, the truth, and the life.”

It’s true that, when we go deep enough into the natural sciences, the mystery, and the complexity of this universe, it ends up pointing us to God. That’s even more true for the doctrine of the trinity. He does not simply claim God’s name. He says, “I am the Good Shepherd,” because He has laid down His life for you.

He says, “I am the Resurrection and the life,” because He has died the death that you deserved and gives you eternal life.

He says, “I am the bread of life,” inviting you to eat and drink and live forever.

As if God’s name, itself, were not a great enough mystery, He adds to it the greater mystery of what God has done for you in Jesus Christ.

And now that name is, in fact, yours to use. You don’t just learn the doctrine of the trinity, you experience it. The Triune name of God was written upon you in baptism so that now He is not only the eternal Father of the Son, He is your Father, as well. And it was given to you to use to forgive sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. By it, you call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

Yes, we are probing a great mystery today. Confess the trinity with boldness and confidence because it, too, points to what God has done for you in Jesus Christ.