“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.”
(John 3:16-17, N.I.V.)
There is no denying the ‘truth” in that statement. As believers we affirm and confirm that statement as “truth”. We have heard it over and over again as the basis for the life and ministry . . . the purpose . . . of Jesus. Jesus came to save us as individuals and as the children of God . . . came to save the world . . . to bring about God’s Kingdom. And, he came to show us how. That is, as they say, the gospel truth. None of us here this morning is going to deny that “truth”.
As we examine our scripture reading this morning, that statement is a big part of what is being shared. But just as big is Jesus’ words about rebirth . . . being born again through the Spirit. He also pretty much reveals himself as the Son of God, though not quite coming right out and saying it. But the part we remember the best is the “truth” about who Jesus is and what his purpose is. We remember John 3:16 and 17.
Knowing that . . . well, what else is there for me to say? Pack up your bags and head on home . . . but, wait! This is the Gospel of John we are dealing with . . . the theological and spiritual gospel unlike the other three gospels. The metaphorical gospel. The gospel always pushing the readers and listeners to delve deeper into what is being shared . . . to look deeper for the meaning and purpose.
Dang!
I was ready to call it a day until I remembered that we are dealing with the Gospel of John. With this gospel one must be ready to step back and experience it in new ways. As I read the story, I could not deny the obvious messages and truths . . . who could? They are there for us in black and white . . . or should I say “red”? What kept bugging me was the context of the story and the little lecture Jesus delivers to Nicodemus.
Now remember this is the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee. He is a member of the Jewish ruling council. He is a man of power and prestige within the community. One who is seen as an expert of the religious teachings. A bearer of the faith. The people look up to him and follow him. Jesus, on the other hand, is an itinerant evangelist, a rouge teacher whose popularity is growing minute by minute among the people. He is a curiosity and a concern. His message is intriguing and scary as it speaks of a new kingdom. The man is not only a curiosity, but a threat. A threat to bring down everything and ruin the balance of power.
Nicodemus, though, has a hunch about this Jesus fellow. Knows that there is something special taking place and that Jesus is the impetus behind it all. Knows that things of this magnitude can only come from God. Nicodemus knows . . . knows something but isn’t quite sure of it all. So, he does what all inquiring minds do . . . he goes to the source of his curiosity and asks.
Only he does it under the cover of darkness.
Why the darkness of night to visit Jesus? Because no one can see it. Nicodemus is sneaking around. Sneaking around so that no one can see what he is doing. His fellow Pharisees cannot see what he is doing . . . thus, he cannot be pointed out as a traitor from those in power. Nor can the people see him visiting Jesus . . . in this he cannot be said as endorsing Jesus and message. In order not to reveal himself he sneaks around in the dark.
So, here is the thing that bothers me . . . if he has a pretty good idea of the specialness of Jesus as being one “who has come from God” . . . which, if true, means that there is a whole lot of credence in what Jesus is saying and doing . . . then why is he sneaking around? Why does he tip toe around the obvious truth?
I mean, isn’t it unusual for one to visit another in the darkness of night unless there is something to hide? Also, Nicodemus is a smart, educated individual, so why does he act so ignorant with Jesus? Why does he act so literal when Jesus talks about being born again? Nicodemus knows the power of words . . . knows their symbolic and metaphorical power . . . after all, he is trained in religion and theology. Yet, he plays dumb to what Jesus is saying. I think he knows exactly what Jesus is saying and he just tip toes around the truth.
Jesus confronts him about his behavior. “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?”
Jesus wants Nicodemus to quit avoiding the “truth”. Those who see God’s will through Jesus and choose to pursue it must turn from the past and embrace the new . . . they must be born again of the Spirit. They must become “new” and go in a different direction . . . a direction that often goes against everything that one knows and lives.
So would be the case for Nicodemus.
What would Nicodemus lose in following Jesus? He would lose his place on the Jewish ruling council. He would lose his place among the Pharisees. He would lose power and prestige. He would lose respect among those he moved around with. He’d lose his place in the community. He would lose everything he had spent a lifetime working for. He would lose it all. Not only would he lose it all if he just would join Jesus, but he would lose it all if he was even caught associating with Jesus. Thus, he sneaks around in the darkness of the night.
Nicodemus gets it. Nicodemus understands what Jesus is saying . . . what he is offering. But it is hard to give up what one has in one’s grasp to embrace something that sounds too good to be the truth. It is difficult to give up one’s life even though being told that one will gain one’s life. So, he tip toes around it . . . sneaks around in the dark. Nicodemus, despite being pretty certain that Jesus is quite special and from God, is not ready.
But Nicodemus is not the only one.
We all do it.
We have all been guilty of sneaking around in the dark when it comes to following Jesus. We have all been guilty of tip toeing around the “truth”. And, why shouldn’t we be a little reluctant to follow Jesus? What Jesus asks of us and expects of us is not simple and easy to pull off. If it was would we be sitting here this morning going over the same things that we have been since the “church” was born? To follow Jesus demands a whole lot from each of us . . . how often did Jesus speak of the cost of discipleship? Grace is not cheap . . . it has come at a great cost to God and the expectation is that we will take it seriously as we live our lives in following Jesus.
There is no aspect of our lives that is not impacted by the call of Jesus to love God completely and others as we love God. There is not anything that we see in our newspapers or on television that is not touched by God’s demand to act like Jesus. There is nothing. And, unfortunately so many of those things are immersed in anything and everything that has nothing to do with God and God’s love. To embrace God’s ways as demonstrated through Jesus is to step out of the frying pan and into the fire. It is to risk everything in order for all to be included. And, who wants to risk that?
So, what do we do? We sneak around in the dark. We tip toe around. Apparently, like Nicodemus we might not be ready.
Last Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we celebrated the birth of the “church” . . . we celebrated new beginnings and life . . . as the Spirit came down and marked the followers of Jesus. We also celebrated ourselves . . . our birth stories as the followers of Jesus . . . of having been marked by the Spirit. Because of this we know the “truth”.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.”
It is time for us to come in out of the darkness and fully embrace who we are . . . we are the children of God called to love. The world needs us now more than ever. Let us step out of the darkness and live in the “light”. Amen.
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