Sermon

3-16-14

Can’t you just picture Nicodemus? I imagine him waiting in his house until he was sure that his neighbors were all in for the night. I picture him dressed in black sneaking around through the streets looking behind him and to the sides every so often to make sure he wasn’t being followed – to be sure that no one would know about his late night visit.

After all as a leader of the synagogue he couldn’t let it be found out that he had asked for a personal visit with this itinerant preacher who was upsetting absolutely everything in their town. How would he explain something like that to his fellow Pharisees? And worse yet, how would he explain it to all those people whom they had told not to follow this man? 

Nicodemus has taken a great risk having this meeting with Jesus. If he was accused of being a follower of Jesus he would be kicked out of the temple.  Everything he was and had would be taken away from him.  Nicodemus must have felt it was worth the risk.  But why? Why would Nicodemus put himself in such danger to speak with Jesus?

Some say Nicodemus was on a mission from the Pharisees sent to scout out more information on Jesus. If that was true then why this secret nighttime visit? If Nicodemus – a member of the Pharisees wanted to question Jesus he could have done that in the light of day. No it seems that Nicodemus’ late-night visit is personal. Something is nagging at Nicodemus’ heart. Could it be that despite what the other Pharisees said – despite their accusations that he was an imposter –that indeed Jesus might possibly be the Messiah they had waited for so long?   Clearly Nicodemus felt he had to know.

So, Nicodemus begins his conversation with Jesus with the statement:  “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus’ response to this statement from Nicodemus is quite puzzling.  Rather than saying you’re right, I come from God.  Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”  Rather than clearing up some of the questions that Nicodemus had about who he is Jesus muddies the water.  Nicodemus’ mind, attached to the world in which he lives, just doesn’t comprehend what Jesus is saying.  Finally all Nicodemus can ultimately say is:  “How can this be?” 

Like Thomas, Nicodemus has often been ridiculed for his failure to understand what Jesus was saying. Even Jesus gave him a hard time about being a leader of the people but not understanding these words.  However it’s hard to criticize Nicodemus when we realize that this one sentence in the Gospel of John has caused, and continues to cause, great controversy in the Christian Church.  Some have translated these words as “born from above” others as “born again.” Perhaps for you as it does for me, the phrase “born again” brings up memories of people questioning your faith experience.

As a high school youth, I dated a guy who belonged to the Nazarene church.  On Sunday evenings I would attend church with him and his friends.  This group of high school youth participated in a small singing group at their church which was preparing to go on a mini tour.  At the last minute, one of their altos was unable to go so they asked me to join them.  On that trip I began to receive a lot of pressure from these friends to “accept Jesus – to be as they said “born again.” They were concerned for my eternal salvation.  At that time I didn’t fully understand the Lutheran church’s view of this issue, I just knew that we didn’t speak of “accepting Jesus” and that we didn’t have altar calls. 

They persisted, sure that I would not make it to heaven if I didn’t make this public acceptance of Jesus.  This was the first time in my life I had experienced people who believed differently than I had been taught.  It was uncomfortable to have several friends telling you that what you believed was wrong. I wasn’t well-equipped to respond to their pressure, but did make it clear that I was Lutheran not Nazarene and that’s not the way we did things in the Lutheran Church.

If I were to face these friends today… I would tell them that in the Lutheran church we speak of being “born from above” as God’s action and not ours.  I would point them to the waters of the baptismal font in which God – because of God’s grace - chooses us rather than us choosing God. I would point them to those waters in which we are given new life and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  

I would tell them… I would tell them what is right…

But wait a minute… is that really what’s important here? In the end is the way this passage is interpreted really the most important part of the reading here?  I mean after all, I would venture to guess if I had grown up in the Nazarene church as my friends did that I might look at this text differently than I do coming from a Lutheran background.  We don’t read the Bible in a vacuum.  We see things through the lens of our own life experiences and our upbringing in the faith.  I don’t think it’s about pointing fingers at other Christians and telling them you’re convinced they aren’t going to heaven because they haven’t gotten this faith thing right – according to your beliefs.

Instead, in the end it seems to me that the most important thing is that God’s people learn about the kingdom of God that Jesus tells Nicodemus cannot be seen without the presence of God’s Spirit within us.   However we are “born of the Spirit” whether through God’s grace flowing through the waters of our baptism, because of a decision generated by an experience with God, or some other way, isn’t the most important thing that we encounter the Son of God and that our encounter with Jesus changes our life?

Isn’t the most important thing the new life we have in Christ – a new life in which filled with God’s Spirit, we, according to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, can “see the kingdom of God?” Isn’t it most important that filled with God’s Spirit, we can see more clearly where God is at work in the world through God’s people and in turn how God wants us to be involved in that kingdom work? Isn’t that more important than being right about what Jesus meant by being “born again”?  Amen.