John 3:1-17 2nd Lent March 1, 2026
Nicodemus is an interesting character.
He
only appears in the gospel of John
and then only 3 times.
who came to Jesus by night so he
wouldn’t be seen.
are plotting against Jesus and
Nicodemus
cautiously suggests that Jesus deserves
a fair hearing.
And third, after
Jesus’ death, when he brings
an extravagant mixture of spices to
help bury him.
That’s all we get, three glimpses.
Nicodemus is
described as a Pharisee, a leader.
I had had always thought of Pharisees
as
strictly religious leaders like today’s
pastors.
Maybe it was the long robes they
reportedly wore.
But that’s not quite right.
In the first century, religion and
government
were inseparable.
The
Pharisees were not just religious leaders,
they were
deeply involved in government.
They were on councils and courts and
juries,
and they had some authority over the
police force.
They were involved in making and
enforcing laws.
These leaders were in some ways
more akin to our politicians than
pastors.
And the Pharisees
were a political party.
It was basically a two party system and
they were rivals to the other political
party - the Sadducees.
The Sadducees were
more part of the ruling classes,
they were aligned with the High Priest.
The Pharisees were
not fans of the authority of the High Priest.
A Pharisee saying was “the word of a
smart child takes
precedence over an
ignorant High Priest.”
The Pharisees started as a reform movement.
After
the return from exile, they sought to preserve
Jewish
identity and faithfulness under foreign rule.
They
emphasized purity, devotion, and
obedience to
the law in everyday life — not just at the temple.
They had high
ideals.
But over
time, like so many movements,
power
reshaped them.
Some became
comfortable. They compromised.
They enjoyed
the privileges of influence
while still
preaching sacrifice for everyone else.
Sound
familiar?
Nicodemus was
one of them —
educated,
respected, established.
No doubt he
worked hard to get there.
No doubt his
position brought security for him and his family.
He likely
wore the finest clothes,
dined in the
right places, moved in the right circles.
And no doubt
he felt he was serving God.
But then
there was Jesus.
Jesus
insulted the Pharisees and the Sadducees equally.
He was a
thorn in everyone’s side.
He disrupted
the comfortable.
He healed. He
spoke with authority. He drew crowds.
And people
couldn’t ignore him.
Apparently,
Nicodemus couldn’t either.
So Nicodemus
goes to see Jesus.
But he goes at night. Why at night?
 |
| Nicodemus and Jesus Henry Ossowa Taylor |
Because being seen with Jesus could cost him everything —
his reputation,
position, safety, maybe even his life.
So he
sneaks around to meet Jesus.
So how should we
see this man Nicodemus?
A person who was bold to do what he did?
Or a person who wasn’t strong enough
to do what he should have done?
History is not unanimous on this.
Martin Luther said
in a sermon
that Nicodemus needed to forsake
his devotion to Judaism and be baptized
(And then he insulted the pope a few
times.)
Because that’s just what Luther would
say.
John
Calvin, Luther’s French contemporary
used the word
Nicodemite
as an insult to talk about people
who compromised their protestant faith
in order to maintain their jobs and
status and sometimes their lives,
because they continued to attend Roman Catholic
mass
and keeping the outward appearance of
being Catholic
despite believing in Protestant
doctrine.
Because that’s just what Calvin would
say.
They criticized Nicodemus for being held back by his fear.
On the other hand,
There is a town called Nicodemus,
Kansas
established in 1877 and is the only
remaining
community established by African
Americans in the US
They named their town after Nicodemus
because enslaved people
who learned to read generally did so in
secret and at night,
due to risks of punishment for this
forbidden activity.
They saw Nicodemus as a symbol of
rebirth and hope —
learning and seeking freedom in secret
until the time was right.
So which one is
it?
I actually don’t think the author of
this gospel
meant for us to judge or praise
Nicodemus.
I think the point
of the Gospel is to be sympathetic with
Nicodemus struggle, and I think we’re
meant
to recognize ourselves in him.
When Nicodemus
comes to Jesus,
Jesus doesn’t tell him to make a small
adjustment.
He doesn’t say, “Tweak this belief,”
or “Add this practice.” He doesn’t say,
“Try harder.”
He says, “You must be born again.”
Not just a little
alteration and adjustment,
but completely changed. Reborn.
Now I know that these
words in Jesus mouth
are weighed down with connotations
from the modern world.
Telling people they
need to be “born again”
evokes a specific rigid modern social
practice
which has grown to be a judgmental
litmus test.
But if we can put aside that baggage
for a little while.
Jesus is saying
that Nicodemus needs to
go through a whole life alteration before
he can truly
understand Jesus and grasp what Jesus
is doing.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that his
whole way of being —
his identity, his security, his
assumptions —
has to be transformed if he
wants to truly see the kingdom of God.
And notice something
important:
Jesus didn’t say this to his disciples
when he called them
in chapter 2. He just told them ‘Follow
me’
and ‘come and see’
And notice in the
next weeks, he doesn’t
tell the woman at the well or the
man born blind. Jesus doesn’t say
they have to be born again in order to
know and understand Jesus.
They all get it right away.
They’re all at the
bottom rungs of
society, they have nothing to lose,
giving up what they have and trading in
for a new life in Christ is will not be
hard.
It’s the one with
the most to lose
who is told he needs to be born again.
Jesus is preparing
Nicodemus (and us) for the truth
that believing and following are two
different things.
And that following Jesus comes with
sacrifice.
Nicodemus believes in Jesus. But
following?
That could cost him everything.
We live in a time, a country, a place
where Christians are still very much the
dominant culture and power, this
leads us to believe
we don’t have to sacrifice anything.
We just have to
say we accept
Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior
or we believe in One God the Father
the almighty maker of heaven and earth,
and we just comfortably retain our
lives as is.
We won’t have to sacrifice anything,
We won’t have to change anything.
Society has accommodated us.
If we’re
comfortable, we can just stay the same
the world can just stay the same
and no one has to give up anything.
Martin Luther King called it “a high
blood
pressure of creeds
and an anemia of deeds.”
But Jesus journey
is about sacrifice.
Jesus told us to take up our cross
and follow, not just believe, but
follow.
And those who have
the most
to lose, those who have the most
privilege
in whatever world their living in
will probably find it hardest follow
Jesus call.
Nicodemus stands
as a compassionate warning:
those who have the most security,
the most privilege, the most to lose —
may find it hardest to actually heed
Jesus call.
Tradition says
that eventually
Nicodemus did step into the light.
He publicly came out and followed
Jesus.
And because of that he lost his status.
He was driven out of Jerusalem
by the leadership he once belonged to.
Why would he do
that?
I have to believe
he heard the truth from Jesus that night
and like so many others,
he found that truth irresistible
and worth absolutely everything:
And that truth was that
“God so loved the world that he gave
his only son.”
Jesus was talking
to a man who was afraid
of losing everything, and Jesus handed
him everything right there.
“For God so loved
the world…”
Not just the disciples.
Not just the poor.
Not just the brave.
The world.
God loves Pharisees.
God loves politicians.
God loves secret seekers.
God loves hesitant disciples.
God loves people who aren’t sure what following will cost.
I believe that Nicodemus heard this
word of God’s love for all
and it changed him. He was reborn. That
gave him new life.
As Martin Luther
said,
“The law says do
this and it is never done.
Grace says believe
in this and it’s already done.”
That love is what
transforms belief into following.
That love is what gives us courage to
step into the light.
That love is what makes rebirth
possible.
