Nicodemus Visits Jesus
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind[e] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
My friends, the world today is not always an easy place to live with social media and differing opinions, twenty-four-hour news channels, and the hate, judgment, and division that is so often found in our families, communities, churches, workplaces, and nation. Society teaches us to focus on our differences and hold fast to our opinions and political standings. We judge instead of trying to understand, and we have no desire to look beyond what we have been told is true. Though this is a sad, frustrating, and debilitating way to live, unfortunately, it is nothing new. Because for generations and generations, people have found that sometimes it’s hard to understand where someone else is coming from. And because of that, it’s easier to just live by our own set of rules.
Today in our scripture reading, we heard about a man named Nicodemus. Now Nicodemus is only mentioned in the Gospel of John, and he only appears three times. But he is a very important example to all of us as to how to live in a world when it is sometimes hard to understand others.
Now, Nicodemus was a well-respected Pharisee or religious teacher, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the religious legislative body of the Jews, meaning he worked in the courts and it was up to him and his colleagues to decide who was right and who was wrong.
As we heard in today’s reading, Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus under the darkness of night because he didn’t want anyone to see him. Now, this was not a work call; on the contrary, Nicodemus came on his time because he could sense that there was something special about Jesus and he wanted to learn more. When Nicodemus met Jesus, he called him “Rabbi” and “Teacher” which showed his respect for Jesus. Now, scripture tells us that they had an intimate conversation just the two of them, and while they talked, Jesus told Nicodemus, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Now, Jesus was not talking about being physically born again but having your heart and mind opened and being born again or born from above spiritually. But Nicodemus couldn’t get beyond the literal words, and because of that, he could not wrap his head around what Jesus was saying. It just didn’t make sense. As much as Nicodemus tried to understand and as much as he wanted to believe, he simply couldn’t. As a scholar and a judge, Nicodemus needed facts that made sense, not out of the box, spiritual mysteries.
Sometimes, to truly understand something, we need to let go of our need to prove the facts, allowing ourselves to see the bigger picture and experiencing that which is beyond our imagination and understanding.
Last week, we celebrated Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. And we began to talk about the Trinity and how it is the Three-In-One or the multifaceted way that we experience the Divine: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity can sometimes be difficult to understand and sometimes I think it’s easier to wrap our heads around it if we picture an apple.
The apple has three parts, the peel, the flesh, and the core, just like God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. All three parts of the apple are apple. The peel is the apple; it’s not an orange or a banana. The flesh is apple; it is not pear or plum. The core is apple; it is not grapefruit or watermelon. But these three are not three apples, they are just one apple, right?
Just like God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are not three persons or three gods but one God. And the three parts of the apple have different purposes. The peel protects and keeps the apple healthy. The flesh is good to eat and good to make things with, like apple cider and applesauce, apple jelly, and apple pie. The core of the apple contains seeds for new apple trees to grow. The Trinity has different purposes, too. God creates us, protects us, and loves us. Jesus teaches us and gives us hope. And the Holy Spirit guides us, helps us, and encourages us to grow.
Now, last week, when we talked about the Trinity, several of you noticed that when I talked about the Holy Spirit, I used the pronoun “She.” Because, for me, the Holy Spirit has a feminine quality. But to be honest, to use any gender labels for the divine is our own human need to control something that is far bigger than us. And to describe something that is beyond our comprehension. But though describing the divine is beyond our own human words and descriptions, we each find our own way to connect to, imagine, and describe the divine in our own individual and unique way.
If I asked you to draw a picture of God, I wonder what your picture would look like. If we each drew a picture of God and hung all those pictures up in Maxcy Hall, I wonder, would some of those pictures be right and others wrong? If your picture and my picture were very different, whose would be the right one? The truth is, as human beings, none of us know what God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit look like. We might have ideas with the historical rendering of Jesus and symbols often used by people of faith. But those are all just attempts to describe the indescribable. Interestingly enough, when I say those names–God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit–we each have a picture that comes to mind. It might be a person, a color, a symbol, a picture, or a painting that we have seen in the past, but in the back of our minds, we all do it!
A few minutes ago, I said that sometimes, to understand, we need to let go of our need to have all of the facts, but other times, rather than facts, we need to let go of our feelings. Because though our emotions can be a gift, they can also blind us to fully seeing and understanding the world around us. Our feelings many times tell us that things are good or bad, and they dictate the actions we take.
This weekend, we celebrate Memorial Day, which was begun to remember our fallen soldiers. It was also begun because of a person’s strong faith in God and love of neighbor. In April 1863, in Columbus, Mississippi, after decorating the graves of her two sons who died representing their beloved south-land, an elderly woman walked to two mounds of dirt at the corner of the cemetery to place memorial flowers there also. “What are you doing?” her friends shouted, “Those are the graves of two Union soldiers.” Softly, that compassionate mother said, “I know. I also know that somewhere in the North, a mother or a young wife mourns for them as we do for ours.”
Folks, that loving deed set in motion our celebration which has become known as Memorial Day. It took that mother’s unconditional love and compassion to look beyond her own personal feelings and the facts that told her who was good and who was bad and who was worthy and who was not to show honor and respect to ALL human beings.
Friends, it’s easy to judge others, but it’s far more difficult to understand. Understanding requires compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe that good hearts sometimes choose poor methods. Through judging, we separate, but through understanding, we grow! Folks, can you imagine what the world would be like if we spent a little less time judging and focusing on the things that divide us and we all spent a little more time opening our hearts and minds, truly listening, and generously sharing compassion, patience, and a willingness to understand? We might not ever see eye to eye, but like Jesus and Nicodemus, and like that mother in Columbus, Mississippi we can be humble and respect one another finding ways to love one another even amid our differences.
Earlier, I told you that Nicodemus appears in the gospel of John three times. The first time was that secret meeting when he couldn’t understand or wrap his head around what Jesus said about being born again. Now, you might think that because he couldn’t agree with Jesus, he would just walk away. But in his second appearance, Nicodemus was defending Jesus in Court when the religious leaders wanted to kill him. And in his final appearance, Nicodemus was assisting Joseph of Arimathea in Jesus’ burial. His selfless acts showed that though they didn’t always agree or see eye to eye, he had great love and respect for Jesus.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead and experience the joys and struggles of being human, take time to let go of the judgment and hate that the world shows you and try your best to listen. You just might find that though you don’t understand or see eye to eye with others, you can still love and respect them in the same way.
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God. Amen!
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