I am a guest at a couple of Iftars this month. The Iftar is Muslim tradition of breaking of the daily fast at the end of each day of Ramadan. This year for the first time in decades Ramadan coincides with the Christian season of Lent, and both of our traditions engage in a season of fasting and prayer. It is a time of spiritual renewal. It’s been a gift to be among Muslim observers of Ramadan as I considered my own observance of Lent. This past week my family joined me at one of the Iftars. I was so glad that my children were able to witness deep commitment of people practicing a faith tradition different than their own; that they heard the prayerful witness of Muslims who are experiencing in a very immediate way the Middle East swept up in a war that is being waged with our own troops and weapons and tax dollars; and I experienced the great gift of our being welcomed into their community where we broke bread together; in that place my children were welcomed into a different tradition where they ran into teachers and friends from school and sports and were reminded of all that we share.
It is so important to be among different people who are different from ourselves. So frequently we prejudge the opinions and attitudes and intentions of others; and often being among others who are different helps us to appreciate that difference—and it also helps us to think harder about who we are and what we ourselves are doing.
Today, as a part of our Lent series on understanding Jesus, I’m going to preach the first of a couple sermons about who Jesus is in his ministry and what kind of teaching he does. Today we will meet Nicodemus, who is struggling to be free of expectations and perceptions others may have of him. Nicodemus, who is struggling to remember who he is. Jesus will help him.
This is the story of Jesus and Nicodemus, who meet three times in the Gospel of John. Nicodemus is trying to figure out who Jesus is, and who Jesus is calling him to be.
Jesus is a Rabbi, a teacher from the small village of Nazareth, who everyone seems to be talking about.
According to what has been told to us in the first two chapters of the Gospel of John, people first started hearing about Jesus from John the Baptist—the popular and magnetic desert preacher, the one to whom people flocked to have their lives touched by his wisdom and conviction and passion, and he kept saying to the crowds, “Do not look to me for wisdom, for one who is much greater is coming…” and he was talking about Jesus. Jesus then appears at a wedding in the town of Cana, where according to the rumors, he worked a joy-filled miracle turning water into wine so that the celebration of life and love could continue on.
Then immediately after that comes a very different story; Jesus enters Jerusalem, and witnessing the predatory buying and selling that is going on in the Temple yard, he turns over the tables of the moneychangers and the crooks; he demands that the Temple be cleansed and restored to its sacred purpose. Jesus is gracious and merciful and forgiving, but he has a line of what qualifies as acceptable behavior and it has been crossed.
So Jesus, this young teacher, is not a joyless judge—he likes a good party; and at the same time, he’s serious enough that he won’t stand for injustice and oppression and he’s unafraid to make it known…who is this man?
That is exactly the question that is being asked by…Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee—a religious leader, so he would have been subject to all kinds of prejudices and assumptions and expectations about who he was. Some people would have seen him as an upright and righteous man, a humble person of faith who had dedicated his life to serving God. Others, who had had a different experience with religion would have seen him as a hypocrite, a lazy person who used religion as a way to live an easy life and enrich himself by praying on the vulnerable people. And there would have been his colleagues—some of whom were friends but others of who were the hypocrites and the power brokers of the Temple, the guys who were in it for the wrong reasons and were always waiting for a guy like Nicodemus to make some kind of public mistake, some error in judgment that would allow them to call him out and have him cancelled.
So for all these reasons, John tells us clearly in verse 2 that Nicodemus comes to see Jesus…at night. Under the cover of darkness, Nicodemus seeks out Jesus to find out who Jesus is and what he is about. Nicodemus knows that some among the Pharisees are very curious, even enthusiastic about the conviction and vitality Jesus is bringing to the faith; but others are deeply suspicious of him and of the ruckus he is stirring up. So when they are alone, under the cover of darkness, Nicodemus says to Jesus words that are very affirming and curious “we know that you must be from God, for no one could be working these signs unless God is with that person.” And Jesus has a talk with Nicodemus that is less about the things Jesus has been doing and more about what is going on with Nicodemus, and why he is there, seeking out Jesus under the cover of darkness.
They have a great, challenging conversation, a conversation that too often gets reduced to quoting John 3:16 or asking if someone is “born again” as some litmus test of faithfulness, but there’s so much more going on here. They do talk about this idea of being born again, they do talk about eternal life, but the real thrust of the conversation seems to be about this idea Jesus brings up all the time—the kingdom of God. Talking about the kingdom of God is Jesus’ way of challenging people to live for things that matter. Is your life about material things that fade away or loving things that last? Is your life about building your resume or preparing for what will be said at your funeral? Are you following the wisdom of every passing fad or the wisdom of the ages? Do you trust in the kings of this world, or are you focused on the kingdom of God? People who are focused on the kingdom of God are leading lives that matter.
Jesus suggests these things for Nicodemus to think about, and then he does something else: he names for Nicodemus what is going on—that Nicodemus has come to see him under the cover of darkness. Here is what Jesus tells Nicodemus about himself, Jesus says: “the light has come into the darkness, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light…But those who do what is true come into the light…” Jesus, the light of the world, has come to show us the difference between living in the shadows because you are embarrassed or scared, and living in the light of day because you know who you are. Jesus invites us to live in the light.
What will happen to Nicodemus? Let me take you on a quick journey through his two other appearances in the Gospel of John—for this night is not the only time Jesus and Nicodemus will meet. By chapter 7, Jesus has performed more signs, engaged in more love and healing, presented more challenges to the corrupt authorities of the day…and the arguments are getting heated about whether this Jesus is a faithful Rabbi or a threatening rebel. At this point, in a debate between the Temple police and the religious authorities, we read that: “Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people first without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” Nicodemus, who was haunted by his first encounter with Jesus under the cover of darkness, has asked his question in defense of Jesus, in the light of day. Skip to the end of the story, to the day after Jesus is put to death on the Cross, and it is Nicodemus who appears at the burial site when just about everyone else has fled from Jesus in fear, and it is Nicodemus who anoints his body for burial—in the light of day. Nicodemus has figured out who he is.
So what does it mean, practically speaking, for Nicodemus and for us, to be born again, focused on God’s kingdom, leading lives that matter? It might mean to stand up for what you believe in, to speak up with your questions and your convictions, to do so in the light of day rather than under the cover of darkness, to focus your energy and your passion not on the passing things of the world but on building the kingdom of God.
For Nicodemus, it meant being willing to step out of the dark and visibly ask for Jesus to have a fair hearing…and then it meant showing up at Jesus’ burial and anointing his body, probably at great risk to his own reputation. That was Nicodemus’ calling—that is where his journey took him. Of course I am not Nicodemus, and neither are you, so what is your calling and mine—and where is Jesus’ trying to lead us?
This is the business of Lent, figuring out who we are and who we are going to be. A friend of mine recently shared that his prayer refrain during this month is to say a meditative prayer of “remembering and return.” God, in the midst of all the world’s stresses and distractions, return and restore me to an awareness of who you created me to be. Help me to remember. This is a season of remembering who God created me to be and returning to that idea.
For some of us that may mean a new or renewed sense of conviction about the world around us. As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our country this year, most of us enjoy liberties and luxuries that are but a dream for so many of the world’s people, and people in our own country too. How do we reconcile our good fortune with the bombings we inflict upon innocent civilians and the genocides we have enabled, the injustices toward immigrants, or the food deserts and poverty that continue in this land of such incredible wealth? What is your role; what is God stirring in your heart? No one can fix it all but we all must do something. What is God asking of you?
For others the stirring of God’s presence may be very different. There are daily struggles and stresses that many of us have never named as the spiritual matters that they surely are. Perhaps you find yourself caring for an aging parent or a struggling child or teenager; perhaps you are struggling with a health concern or an addiction of your own—and you sometimes in the midst of any of these things, you wonder if you have what it takes. Does it help to consider that this isn’t just your bad luck; it’s a role for which God has no doubt given you special gifts of compassion, patience, and kindness, and even on the days when you may feel that you cannot go on, you are already exercising those gifts. Would it help to pray honestly about the struggle, share it with friends, and ask God to support you? Life is hard. What if you were invite God more intentionally into your burdens?
For all of us, I hope we will listen to the story of Nicodemus, and as he did, go to Jesus with our questions, prayerfully asking what challenge or mercy he wishes to place upon our hearts. How is he trying to show us meaning and purpose in our lives that are too often full of distractions? Did you miss the start of Lent and the naming of the spiritual discipline you will adopt these 40 days? Who cares? Start today or this week. Set aside time for prayer. Fast from social media. Keep a journal about your priorities. Read your Bible and listen for God’s voice. Did you miss a day or a week—who cares? Receive the grace of God who loves you and start over—Lent is not a resume builder or a signal of your virtue, it is an invitation to a renewed life with the God who has always loved you and who always will.
When have you needed to come to Jesus in the night? What kind of understanding did God begin to stir in you? Amen.