John 3:1-17
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Are You Afraid of Jesus?
Fear is an interesting thing. It’s so subjective. Yesterday during breakfast I read an article about a guy in Australia who had to run to his car to grab something out of his glovebox and hanging from the visor were a pair of huntsman spiders. I don’t know if you know anything about huntsman spiders, but their average size is a little smaller than my hand. Now, they’re not deadly to a guy my size, but I wouldn’t care. I’d be out of that garage before you could say, “Peter Parker.” I’d be on a flight back to Canada where we might have 9 months of winter, but at least we don’t have spiders like that. I don’t know how anyone lives there. My arachnophobia wouldn’t allow it.
Just for kicks, I looked at a list of the most common phobias, or fears. Do you know any of these? Coming in at #1 was glossophobia – the fear of public speaking. #2 was thanatophobia – the fear of death or dying. #3 was acrophobia – the fear of heights. Other phobias include arachnophobia, claustrophobia, thalassophobia. I looked at several other lists of fears, including some of the silly ones, like hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (the fear of long words) or arachibutyrophbia (the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth).
There are all kinds of fears, and it’s amazing how many of them have names. But no matter how long I looked at these lists, there was one fear that we read about in our gospel for today, that didn’t appear anywhere. I’ll call it mathetephobia, and ask, “Are you afraid of Jesus?”
Nicodemus was. That’s why when John records his visit, he is careful to say that Nicodemus came to Jesus under cover of darkness. You see, Nicodemus was a Pharisee and he was afraid to be seen with Jesus. As a rule Pharisees hated Jesus. He threatened their power and exposed their hypocrisy. Pretty much from the moment that Jesus popped onto the scene, the Pharisees were plotting to discredit Jesus, to destroy his reputation and, ultimately, to plot his murder.
You can understand, then, why it was risky for Nicodemus to pay Jesus a visit and why, when he did, he made that visit at night. If anyone saw him, his reputation would have been ruined. He could have lost his job and career just for talking with Jesus. Nicodemus was afraid of associating with Jesus.
Are you? Are you afraid of associating with Jesus? There are plenty of times that I dread that moment when my faith comes up in a conversation because I’ve seen it too many times. I say I’m a Christian, a pastor, I talk about going to church, and the person opposite me clams up and the conversation is basically over. It’s uncomfortable. It’s discouraging.
What would your teammates think if you couldn’t make Sunday morning rink time or the weekend tournament because you were at church? Would you lose your spot on the team or the respect of your coach? What about when you’re out with friends and someone brings up a touchy subject, that touches on your faith? Are you afraid of what people will think about you, so you speak shallowly and skirt the issue, just hoping to survive the conversation? Then you’re no better than Nicodemus was, slinking off to meet Jesus at night so that no one would know.
“But at least Nicodemus went!” you might say. “At least I’m here at church today!” or, “I did talk to my friends about Jesus at lunch the other day!” That may be true – and kudos to Nicodemus for taking that risk; kudos to you for when you risk associating with Jesus too – but for Nicodemus (and I think for us too) the fear of being associated with Jesus wasn’t even half as bad as his fear of what being a disciple of Jesus would mean.
Nicodemus was willing to admit that Jesus was special. No one else could turn water into wine or walk on water. Nicodemus was willing to acknowledge Jesus as a gifted teacher, but he wasn’t ready to admit that Jesus was his Saviour. To admit that Jesus was his Saviour would be to admit that Nicodemus was sinner who needed to be saved, whose life needed to be changed.
Think about how especially galling that would be for a Pharisee who prided himself on being a good person and a rule follower. Think about how galling that would be for a Pharisee who looked at the immoral world around him and considered himself a light in the comparative darkness.
Nicodemus wasn’t just afraid of associating with Jesus. He was afraid that Jesus might actually be who he claimed to be, because if Jesus really was his Saviour, then Nicodemus was a sinner who needed salvation, who needed to change his sinful way of life.
What about you? Are you afraid of who Jesus really is and what that would mean for you and your life? I think a lot of people are, even those of us who call ourselves Christian. We’d rather have Jesus be a teacher than a Savior, because a teacher is working with students who can learn and grow. A Savior, on the other hand, is only needed by the helpless and the hopeless. We don’t just need a push in the right direction; we need salvation! That’s scary.
And as if that weren’t enough, if we accept that Jesus is our Savior, then that means that we are sinners and that there are parts of our lives that are sinful and need to change. Maybe for you the thing that needs to change is the thing that keeps you from hearing God’s Word with God’s people on Sunday mornings – your favourite weekend getaway, a hobby, sport, habit or career that takes you out of town or out of commission on Sunday mornings. Maybe the thing that needs to change is the company you keep – people who don’t support you spiritually or who put stumbling blocks in the way of your faith. Maybe the thing that needs to change is no deeper than your heart – a pharisaical heart, like Nicodemus’, that allows itself to think better of itself than it should, that plays (and thinks it wins) the comparison game with other “lesser” hearts who make bad decisions when we make good ones.
Mathetephobia is real and, I think, the most undiagnosed fear among Christians. We are afraid to be seen with Jesus; we are afraid to need him; we are afraid to give up our sinful lifestyles for him.
What a sad state we’d be in if Jesus, in any way, felt the same way about us! What good news to know that he doesn’t!
Jesus was not afraid to associate with you or to change his life for you. He made the biggest lifestyle change in all human history because he loves you. He gave up his throne in heaven and exchanged it for a humble human body to become just like you. Jesus wasn’t afraid to associate with you. He became your brother so that he could become your Saviour.
We were lost in sin and damned for it. But Jesus came, not to teach us how to be better or how to rise above our sin, not to modify our behaviour so that we could earn our place in heaven. No, Jesus came to be our Saviour – to associate himself with us so thoroughly that his life could serve as a substitute for ours, that his death could count for all of our sins, that he could give the universal promise that so many Christians have committed to memory, and for good reason:
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.[1]
That’s how much God loves you: to associate himself with you and to change – to give – his life for you, so that you could live with him forever in heaven, without fear or guilt or shame.
Do you know the next time we hear about Nicodemus in the Bible? It’s not until after Jesus’ crucifixion. Apparently what Jesus said to him here had an impact on him, because when it became obvious that Jesus was dead and that it would be appropriate to bury his body, Nicodemus bravely approached Pontius Pilate. He wasn’t afraid anymore who might see him with Jesus. He just loved Jesus and wanted to show that love for his Saviour no matter how many people saw it, no matter what it might cost him.
What about you? How is the knowledge of Jesus’ love for you going to change your life? Are you going to give up your embarrassment at being a Christian and look for opportunities to talk about your Saviour? You should read the newest Mission Blog from our synod. One pastor even created an opportunity to talk about Jesus while he was getting his teeth cleaned. Imagine that! How many opportunities do we miss because we think it’s inconvenient or the wrong place or time? How many opportunities does God give you everyday to share the good news of John 3:16?
Which parts of your life are you going to change – which sinful habits are you willing to break – to show your thanks to him? What hobby, sport, or career changes could you make so that your spiritual life can flourish even more than your social life?
Whatever it is, know that your God loves you. Your salvation does not depend on the changes you make or the opportunities you take. You will see the kingdom of heaven because he sent his Son from heaven to earth for you, not to judge you, but to save you, to associate himself with you and to give you eternal life. Now use the life he has given you here to associate with him and rejoice in his salvation. Amen.
[1] John 3:16