Disciples Follow the Spirit - John 3: 1-17

Edward Hays tells the following story entitled The Great White Rabbit: There was a young person trying to decide why so many followers of Jesus walked away from their spiritual disciplines after a short time.  He went to a desert hermitage to speak with a monk.  The monk told him the following:

One day my dog saw a large white rabbit run by the hermitage.  My dog leaped to his feet and began chasing the rabbit while barking loudly. Soon other dogs, hearing the loud barking, joined the chase.  Over hills, into creeks, through thickets they ran.  The chase went on for hours. As the day grew late, one by one the dogs stopped chasing and went home. At the end of the day only my dog was still on the chase.

The young person asked what has this story to do with people who abandon the spiritual disciplines. 

The hermit said you are missing the obvious question; “Why did my dog stay on the chase and the other dogs leave?” 

The young seeker said, “I do not know!”

The hermit exclaimed, “My dog had seen the rabbit! You must see the rabbit in order to stay on pursuit.”

Nicodemus has caught a glimpse of something - a movement of the Spirit as seen through the signs and wonders of Jesus. Now he has come to Jesus under the darkness of night to decide if he is going to chase after it. If he is willing to risk everything he has worked so hard for in the light of day. We are told that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a ruler, a member of the Sanhedrin. But even as such an elevated religious ruler he doesn’t have a context or a frame of reference for what he sees taking place through Jesus. It has been years upon years since God has used someone in a powerful way. Its been years upon years since God has even sent a prophet to the people of Israel. Yet, here is this man that makes him begin to doubt that the law, the only thing that he has had to teach and rely upon is enough. So he comes under the cover of darkness to see the light.

Nicodemus has gotten a lot of flack over the centuries from the church. Questions arise about why he couldn’t just see what Jesus was doing and get on board. Why he wasn’t willing to risk more to follow the one who is the Light and the Truth. But I believe the main reason Nicodemus has been scrutinized is because we recognize something about ourselves in his story and that makes us uncomfortable.

This ruler caught a glimpse of the movement of God. But then he faced the choice, like the dogs in the hermits story, to follow it or not. The thing about following the Holy Spirit is we can’t do it half way. We can’t follow the Spirit sometimes and ignore it others. We can’t believe in Jesus with our minds, but deny him with our actions. We can’t regulate the Spirit to moving only some days of the week, where it is safe and comfortable to be a Christian, and push it aside the rest of the time. That simply won’t work. And yet that’s exactly what Nicodemus is trying to do. He is trying to come under the cover of night as a curious seeker of this thing that he has experienced, caught a glimpse of, but can’t quite explain. He wants to come in the middle of the night to keep his curiosity, and perhaps even his growing faith, a secret. To keep this Jesus from getting too close to the rest of his life and muddling up his success. 

Have you ever met a Nicodemus? Do you recognize Nicodemus within yourself? John Calvin labeled those who believed in his reform of the Church but were afraid to publicly support it “Nicodemites”. Can you think of a time when you wanted to compartmentalize your faith - believing in Jesus with your mind, but being resistant to follow him with your actions. Maybe you are fine coming to Church for an hour or two on Sunday mornings, or even serving with fellow Christians on a few projects, but the thought of actually incorporating your faith into your daily life, seems like too big of a risk. So like Nicodemus you come to Jesus in secret, trying to compartmentalize your life.

But for the Gospel of John that isn’t faith; isn’t life. Jesus came to make us whole, not compartmentalized people. In this Gospel the message is clear, believing and doing are inseparable. And Nicodemus is struggling with that. He is struggling with this Jesus, this one he has caught a glimpse of God in, who doesn’t speak his language of the law and doesn’t give concrete answers. He struggles with the metaphors and images of faith. And he struggles with wondering if this belief is really worth what it would cost him. 

However, Jesus sees Nicodemus’ struggle and he won’t let him continue to live in his darkness of indecision so he pushes him, pushes us, to come into the light of a full and healthy relationship with God. He is asking him if he will take a risk and walk in the light of day. If he will believe in the ultimate Truth, not just in his mind, or even his words, but also through his actions.

The Church throughout history has had enough fair weather Christians friends. Enough people who claim Christ for their own personal gain a few hours here and there, but don’t live like true disciples, ones who follow their Master wherever he goes. Jesus is calling out to us, collectively as the body of Christ, and individually, asking us if we are willing to be disciples. Asking us if we are willing to take a risk of faith.

The problem is that we’ve bought into the lie, like Nicodemus, that we can have it all. We can have a secret faith and the trappings of success. But we can’t follow everything at once. When I read the hermit’s story I hear the call that we cannot multi-task our faith, we have to choose to follow the Spirit or something else. Choose to have worldly success or life to the fullest.

What about you, brothers and sisters? Are you believing in Jesus under the cover of darkness, as a secret, or are you living in the light all the time? Are you chasing after the Holy Spirit each and every day, or only when you are around other Christians or it is convent? Because what Jesus is trying to tell Nicodemus and each of us, is that discipleship is a full time commitment. For Nicodemus it takes him a long time to take his discipleship publicly, moving into the light. What can we learn from him about our own discipleship? The way that we are living our lives? Jesus is calling us to come forth into the light - come forth to a mature faith that is integrated into every aspect of every day. 

Friends, Have you caught a glimpse of the movement of the Spirit? Has your entire life been captivated and define by Jesus Christ or are you not sure yet? What do you need in order to let God shine through your life? And what do you need to give up this Lenten season in order to be willing to follow him into the light? Amen.