“Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.”
John 3:1-17
Lent 2A, February 17, 2008
A Sermon by Fr. James Haney V
Over the next four weeks, we're going to have a series of lengthy but spiritually rich Gospel lessons from John. In these four lessons Jesus has encounters with six different people. One in each of the first three lessons, and three in the fourth lesson.
These six people mirror us in many ways. The ways they approach Jesus, the ways they interact with Jesus reflect common spiritual patterns. Looking at them and at their reactions to Jesus can strengthen our own spiritual journeys.
Today, in chapter 3, we begin with the most powerful of the six people we will look at, Nicodemus. And because his conversation with Jesus ends up with the famous statement of John 3:16, it's easy to overlook the ways that Nicodemus seeks to interact with Jesus. So we'll bracket the theology of John 3:16 off for another sermon, and focus instead on the earlier parts of the conversation.
In Jn 3, v1, we meet Nicodemus right of the bat. We're told that he's a leader of the Jews. He's a member the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, the ones who will eventually put Jesus on trial. This means Nicodemus is a man of high status. In fact, his status is so high that he would be expected to summon Jesus to meet him.
But in v2, Nicodemus doesn't do that. He comes to Jesus. But John adds an interesting detail. He comes to Jesus "by night."
John loves symbolism. Anytime in John that you see a reference to night, you should also think "in the dark." Spiritually in the dark. Nicodemus is in the dark, and he's seeking out Jesus, the light of the world.
But also, by coming at night, Nicodemus is sneaking around a bit. He won't have to worry about being seen. He won't risk his reputation with the rest of the Sanhedrin. He'll make a stealth visit to Jesus so that no one will know.
That's Challenge #1 to us. How public are we about following Jesus? What are we willing to risk in order to follow Jesus? Sure the stakes are a bit different. We don't have to sneak into church in the middle of the night. We can park our cars out front and walk right in. But how public are we in our daily lives? Are we willing to talk about our faith? Does what we believe carry over into the way we live? Does it make any difference in the way we act at school? At work? With our friends?
Nicodemus sneaks over in the dark to see Jesus. Do we keep our Christianity in a little dark corner of our selves? Or do we live it out publicly in the world? That's an important challenge to us.
We are also challenged by the way Nicodemus addresses Jesus. In v2, he arrives under cover of darkness. Then he opens his mouth. And the first two things he says, his first two words in the Greek text, tell us volumes about the way he's thinking.
First he says, "Rabbi." Okay. That's seems a nice thing for him to say. Calling Jesus by the honorific title, "Teacher." The only problem is, Nicodemus would also carry that title. Nicodemus is also, "Rabbi." So he's not paying Jesus any great honor. He's putting Jesus at the same level as himself.
Occasionally I'll get a call from my friend Chuck who's a priest in New York. Iola says, "Chuck Howell, on line one." And I pick up the phone and say, "Fr. Howell." And he says, "Fr. Haney."
Calling each other by the same title is a way of putting us on the same level. We're saying, "We're part of the same profession." It's an equalizer.
So Nicodemus's first word, Rabbi, says, "Let's talk, Rabbi to Rabbi, teacher to teacher. Let's have nice little professional discussion as equals."
And his second word in Greek is just as important. His second word translates, "We know..." What a telling statement: "We know." In other words, "I'm going to lay out my knowledge. I'm going to lay out a nice little thesis. And then we can debate it. And we'll have a nice little intellectual, professional discussion, teacher to teacher."
And that's Challenge #2 for us. How do we come before God? What's our attitude toward Jesus? Do we come before him thinking that we're equal? Do we swagger into his presence and say, let's have a nice little discussion? Do we come before God with all the answers? Do our prayers turn into nothing more than offering God advice about the way things should be?
Or do we acknowledge our true relationship? Do we say, "You're in charge of the universe, and I'm not"? Do we admit we don't have all the answers? Do we look ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives? Challenge #2.
Nicodemus addresses Jesus as an equal, and wants to have a nice discussion. But Jesus doesn't play that game. In fact Jesus blows his mind. Jesus makes a couple of statements that show that he's not going to engage in a nice little sterile debate. Instead he's going to push the envelope.
Jesus talks about being born again, or being born from above. He also talks about the Holy Spirit being like the wind, blowing where it wants to blow.
It's so overwhelming to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus would have felt very secure that he had been born a descendant of Abraham. He would have rested on those laurels.
But Jesus is talking about being born from God, being born of the Spirit. And all Nicodemus can say is, "How?" v4 How can anyone be born in a different way?
And after Jesus talks about the Spirit being as uncontrollable as the wind, Nicodemus says, v9 "How can these thing be?"
Notice his two questions, v4 and v9. How? and How? Nicodemus' envelope is really being pushed here.
Nicodemus thinks he's got God all figured out. He figures that he, as a teacher in Israel, he's got the inside track. And he has to grapple with the fact that that might not be the case.
That's challenge #3. God's Spirit blows where it chooses. You can't control it. In fact, it may disturb things in your life. You can't be complacent when it comes to God. If you have everything sorted into neat little piles, God's wind may just stir them up.
I think about my own house. This time of year, the air inside is getting a bit stale. The time is coming soon when we'll open the windows again and get some fresh spring air into the house. The only problem is, one of the windows is near my desk. And the spring breeze often rearranges some of the papers I have stacked up. Having a fresh breeze means that things might get stirred up.
Nicodemus is hearing that same message. Don't rest on your laurels. Don't think you have a lock on God. You probably need a fresh spiritual breeze to blow through you. You just might need God to sweep away the dust. You just might need the Holy Spirit to stir up the things that you have neatly piled and sorted. Don't get caught up in your own knowledge. Instead, trust and believe in Jesus. Open yourself up to the possibility of change. Challenge #3.
So the question remains, after meeting with Jesus, did Nicodemus change? Or was it business as usual after this night? We get two more clues from John.
The first is in John ch7. The council is discussing the thorny problem of Jesus. And Nicodemus speaks up. He's still sneaking around a little bit. He's not very public about specifically defending Jesus. But he does do something. He takes a baby step. He asks basically, "Shouldn't we at least hear Jesus before we make up our minds about him?" He's willing to go a few inches out on the limb for Jesus.
But we also hear about Nicodemus again in Jn ch19. And this time Nicodemus is doing more than just taking a baby step. After the crucifixion, another council member, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, are the ones who bury Jesus. This is something rather public. They have to get special permission from Pontius Pilate. They take Jesus down from the cross in a public execution area. And they bury him in broad daylight.
We don't know why Nicodemus did this. But it does show us that Nicodemus has moved out of his comfort zone. His encounter with Jesus has changed the way he lives.
We face the same challenges as Nicodemus.
1. Living out our faith in a public way.
2. Coming before God with the right perspective.
3. Opening ourselves up the the possibility of growth and change.
Nicodemus changed after his encounter with Jesus. May we let Jesus change our lives as well.
Lord Jesus, send your cleansing wind through our lives. Help us be open to the changes and growth you bring. And let us live boldly as your people in this world.
In the name...
The Rev. James P. Haney V
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
Wichita, Kansas
February 17, 2008
