Sniffing Jesus’ Finger

 

Seeing how the sacraments point to grace

04/13/2026

John 3:1-8 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

I believe C. S. Lewis’ rather obscure essay, “Transposition” can shed considerable light on Nicodemus’ dilemma in the gospel today. You should read that essay one day before you die. At root Lewis’ explanation requires giving more than “one meaning” to some common experiences. For example, young people these days use the slang word “Bruh,” which originated from “Brother,” but now means a close friend or to express disbelief, frustration, or shock. You see easily enough with “Bruh” how one word can carry more than one meaning.

C. S. Lewis uses the better example of the art of drawing. He writes: “The problem here is to represent a three-dimensional world on a flat sheet of paper…we must give more than one value to a two-dimensional shape. Thus, in a drawing of a cube we use an acute angle to represent what is a right angle in the real world. The very same shape which you must draw to give the illusion of a straight line receding from the spectator [think of railroad tracks reaching the horizon] is also the shape you draw for a dunce’s cap.”

I hope this is not too much to ask of you at a 7 a.m. Mass before your second cup of coffee and a donut. But I trust you can detect that in some important instances we can find two meanings for the same experience. Lewis offer this additional humorous example: “You will have noticed that most dogs cannot understand pointing. You point to a bit of food on the floor: the dog, instead of looking at the floor, sniffs at your finger. A finger is a finger to him and that’s all.”

So, I’m praying that at this early morning Mass you are smarter than a dog or a dunce, because you need to be in order to catch precisely the difficulty in Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus. Jesus speaks of Baptism and says, “one must be born from above.” But Nicodemus hears the word “born” and immediately retreats to his simplistic understanding of natural birth and answers: “Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Nicodemus might just as well as have said, “Bruh, that’s impossible!” and sniffed Jesus’ finger.

And this exchange of a two-level conversation is not a one-off in the gospel of John, but is its veritable leitmotif, the golden thread that runs from the first to the last page. For example, here in John 3, the dual meaning revolves around being born as a pointer to Baptism. In John 4 Jesus discusses with the Samaritan woman how water is a pointer to the Holy Spirit. In John 9, Jesus helps the blind man understand the dual meaning of seeing as a pointer to faith.

In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus and teaches the double meaning of sleep as a pointer to death and waking to eternal life. And finally in John 19 at his crucifixion, Jesus’ agony and death serves as a pointer to true glory. In each and every case, therefore, Jesus is pointing to a deeper meaning of earthly experiences – birth, water, sight, sleep, and suffering/death – and hopes we don’t just come and sniff his finger like a dog or a dunce.

My friends, dealing with dual meanings is not just a difficulty that C. S. Lewis and Nicodemus had to wrestle with, but one that confronts every Catholic Christian. How so? Every sacrament uses ordinary human experiences to point to an extraordinary supernatural reality. The washing of Baptism points to the removal of original sin. The anointing of Confirmation points to the anointing of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The eating of bread at Mass points to the eternal banquet of heaven. The joining of the bodies of bride and groom point to the consummation of the world at the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

This difficulty might also explain why so many Catholics leave the Church, maybe your kids have. We become so obsessed with facts that we no longer care to look into their meaning. When moderns speak of Baptism as being born again, they (like Nicodemus) immediately retreat to the natural, normal experience of human birth, “just the facts, ma’am.” And fail to use their faith to see the deeper significance symbolized by the facts.

The modern mentality sniffs at the finger and doesn’t understand the notion of pointing. Too many modern Christians prefer to reside at the level of facts, or even on the level of feelings (attending churches that make them feel good), and refuse to rise to the level of faith. Like the dog and the dunce we cannot see how “The very shape which you must draw to give the illusion of a straight line receding from the spectator is also the shape you draw for a dunce’s cap.” In other words, come to the sacraments and stop sniffing Jesus’ finger.

Praised be Jesus Christ!