John 3:1-17
Nicodemus was a man in his late fifties.
- Gray hair…physically distinguished…accomplished…trim…successful.
- He was a teacher of the law…a professor of religion at the temple in Jerusalem.
- He had twelve children…all gone from home.
- He had fifty grandchildren plus ten great grandchildren.
- He just heard that the eleventh great grandchild was to be born and he thinks to himself:
- “Another great grandchild? I cannot remember all their names.”
- Nicodemus was a man who had seen it all.
In his relationship with God…Nicodemus was going through the motions.
- His inner enthusiasm for God was not there anymore.
- He was not quite right in his relationship with God anymore.
So…Jesus of Nazareth showed up in town…and Nicodemus went to hear Jesus preach in the temple.
- Nicodemus sensed that Jesus had something that he no longer had.
- Jesus touched him deep in his core.
So…one night…Nicodemus quietly went over to where Jesus was staying.
- It was midnight…he did not want his fellow religious professors to know.
- He rapped on the door…softly.
- And Jesus came to the door and said: “Yes?”
“I know it is late…but my name is Nicodemus. I am a professor of religious law over at the temple…and I would like to speak with you a minute.”
- Jesus said: “OK. Shall we go for a walk?”
- Nicodemus said: “Oh…no…no…no…no…no.
- We don’t want to be seen outside.
- Do you mind if I come in?”
- Jesus invited him up to the roof of the house where it was cooler and offered him a glass of wine.
- Jesus asked: “How can I help?”
Nicodemus said: “Things are not quite right with me.
- They are not quite right inside of me.
- You have something that I don’t have anymore.
- I am tired. My lectures are stale. I want to know what advice you might have for me?”
- Jesus said: “I know the problem you’re are having Nicodemus.
- The problem is that you are no longer close to God. God is no longer living in the center of your heart.
- Nicodemus…you need to be born again.”
Nicodemus said: “Born again? Take and push me back into my mother’s womb? Come on…I can’t be born again.”
- Jesus said: “You don’t understand Nicodemus. You need to be born anew…You need to experience rebirth in your mind and heart and spirit.”
- Nicodemus said: “I’m not sure if I understand. But it’s time for me to go now. Thanks for the wine.”
- Nicodemus then left…closed the door behind him…looked down the street both ways to make sure nobody was in sight…and he disappeared into the darkness of the night.
So…how does the story end?
- Well…this what we know.
- Later…Nicodemus reminds his colleagues in the Sanhedrin (the powerful committee of 70 men who ran the Temple) that the law requires that a person be heard before being judged.
- And then at the end of John…Nicodemus appears after the Crucifixion of Jesus to provide embalming spices…
- And to assist Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus for burial.
- And so…Nicodemus and Joseph are the only two members of the Sanhedrin who vote no…
- Not to have Jesus crucified.
- And so…Nicodemus became a follower of the New Way of Jesus.
Most of us have experienced the dark night of the soul…like Nicodemus.
- We start to have the habits of faith without the heart of faith…without the Spirit of faith.
- We go through the rituals of faith…but we do not have the real thing…the power of faith.
OK then…when we have times in our lives when things are not quite right.
- When our faith has become more of a ritual than the real thing.
- Then…we need to come to Jesus’ home…knock on his door and say:
- “Jesus…I need some help. I’ve got a problem…here…in my heart. It is not quite right.”
And Jesus will say: “Come right in. Sit down for a while. Let’s talk.”
- Jesus has this uncanny ability to look deeply into our hearts and say:
- “You need to be born again…to be born anew…to be born from above…to experience a rebirth of God’s love in your heart.
- You need to be born of the Spirit.”
- To be born of the Spirit means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of us.
- It means that God’s gracious love comes and lives in our hearts.
It is a way of loving…a way of forgiving…a way of caring.
- It is a way of prayer…a way of worship.
- It is a way of thanksgiving and praise.
- It is a way of being in tune with the Spirit of Jesus.
It is loving another person in their uniqueness.
- No longer trying to change that person to meet my expectations.
- But to truly love them in their individuality.
- Rather than trying to remake them into the kind of person I want them to be.
- Gracious love is loving another person in their sinfulness.
- Gracious love is loving myself in all my sinfulness.
- That is grace. That is gracious love.
- That is the Spirit of Jesus.
- That is how we are born again.