Are You Afraid of Jesus?

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

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It's Not Fair

Romans 5:12-19

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

It’s Not Fair

“It’s not fair. It’s not my fault. He started it.” says the 7 year old boy who was just caught fighting with his 9 year old brother, and now has to go the rest of the day without screen time.

“It’s not fair. It’s not my fault. He started it.” says the wife whose husband didn’t help with the kids all day and now he has the audacity to complain that the house is messy and the dishes aren’t clean. Now they’re both grumpy.

“It’s not fair. It’s not my fault. He started it.” says the driver who got t-boned at the intersection and now not only has to give a report to the police, but also has to deal with a beat up car and an insurance claim and all kinds of headaches, both procedural and medical.

It’s not fair. It’s not my fault. If it wasn’t for this other person or this other thing that’s going on in my life – if I had gotten more sleep, more food, more support – none of this would have ever happened! How many times a day do you feel that way? How many times a week do you make yourself the victim? How many excuses can you come up with to justify your behaviour or to explain away your circumstances?

Sometimes it feels like whenever something goes wrong, it’s someone else’s fault. If it weren’t for other people messing it up for everyone else, I’d be just fine. It’s even tempting to feel that way when we read Bible passages like Romans 5:

Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people… one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people… through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners.[1]

C’mon, Adam! You couldn’t have eaten from any of the other trees? You had to eat from that one? Now look at this world. It’s certainly not Eden. Now I have to bundle up in 12 layers before I go out the door. Now I have to deal with people who make my life miserable. Now there are wars and inflation and environmental disasters and acne and anxiety and death. Imagine what could have been if Adam had not ruined it for everybody, i.e. if Adam could have just kept that one command. You had one job, Adam!

It's tempting to look at all the fallout from that first fall into sin and to blame Adam, which is just another of saying that if I had been there, none of this would have ever happened. We’d still be living in a tropical paradise with the perfect tan, with free food at our fingertips whenever we wanted it.

It may be tempting to think that way, but the truth is that the end result wouldn’t have been any different had any of us been in Adam’s place. When Satan came to Adam and Eve, he was tactical in his temptations. He started by getting them to question God and his goodness. And even though, at first, they defended God, the seed of doubt had already taken root in their hearts, so that by the time Satan suggested that God might be holding out on them – that they would experience the next level of enlightenment and pleasure and satisfaction if they ignored God’s draconian laws – they were primed to believe Satan and to give in to his temptation and lies.

And then, when they did, they refused to take accountability. They passed the buck. They shifted the blame. Adam even blamed God for putting Eve there with him, as if he would have been strong enough to resist the devil had it not been for her.

We can read Genesis 3, like we did today, and shake our heads at Adam. We can read Romans 5, like we did today, and blame Adam. But what we have to be careful to do as we read these passages is to realize that the devil tempts us in the very same ways.

The devil loves to get us to doubt God, to fear that God is holding out on us, that there are certain joys in this life that Christians miss out on; that the Christian life is boring, unfulfilling, incomplete; that there’s so much more out there. The devil is so good at pinpointing our insecurities, our anxieties about ourselves, our fears, and then tactically targeting them with his temptations.

And the result is the same. We give in, and when we get caught, we shift the blame. We get defensive. It’s not my fault. He started it. He provoked me to anger. She practically begged me to do it. I was tired, stressed. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. Basically, it’s everyone and everything’s fault except for mine. And, before you know it, when you look in the mirror, you look an awful lot like Adam and Eve.

And so, even though Paul repeatedly lays the blame at Adam’s feet, e.g. “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people…” he doesn’t end his sentence there. He goes on to say, “because all sinned.”[2]

Adam is not the only guilty party. Death, judgment and condemnation are not just things we inherited from our ancestors. They are consequences we have earned entirely on our own.

Sure, he may have provoked you, but you didn’t have to respond. She may have pushed you, but you didn’t have to go along. What Paul wants you to know in Romans 5 is that you have no one to blame but yourself for your sin.

We are losers. We have lost so many battles with the devil. We have given in to so many temptations. Our willpower has not been strong enough.

But then we read Matthew 4, and we see a totally different Jesus. Here he is in a one-on-one dogfight with the devil. Satan is using the same tactics that he used on Adam and Eve – the same tactics he uses on us today. He comes to Jesus when he’s isolated and alone and hungry. He tries to pick at Jesus’ insecurities. “If you are the Son of God,” he says. He tries to provoke Jesus to act in pride or overconfidence. He holds out the forbidden fruit and suggests that Jesus’ heavenly Father is holding out on him, making him suffer unnecessarily.

But Jesus did something that no other human was ever able to do. He resisted every temptation. Even at his weakest, Jesus had the power to tell the devil where to go. Even isolated and alone and hungry, without the aid of a smartphone or Google, Jesus was able to rattle off Bible passages that perfectly responded to the devil’s temptations. And at the end of it, Jesus emerged victorious.

Forget UFC, MMA, WWE, this is the fight I would pay to see. Jesus won the victory. And if that were all that Jesus accomplished, it’d still be worthy of our study to learn just how Jesus was able to win the victory, so that we could try to follow his example.

But if that were all that Jesus accomplished, and if passages like Matthew 4 were just meant to be blueprints for us to follow, they’d be setting us up for failure. We can learn from Jesus and we can try to do what he did – and with some success – but never as well as he did.

God doesn’t record these moments from Jesus’ life as a way to motivate us to follow his example. It’s to give you the assurance that Paul gives in Romans 5:

Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.[3]

The victory that Jesus won over the devil was much more than personal. It was universal. What Jesus did – not just in the desert for those 40 days, but for every one of his 33 years on earth – what Jesus did changed your destiny.

Now you don’t need to fear the judgment and condemnation and death that you deserve for your sin. Now you don’t have to worry that your weakness will make you unworthy of God. Now you don’t have to try to live up to his love.

In other words, because of Jesus, God does not treat you as your sins deserve. He shifted your blame to the most blameless person possible and sentenced him to die the death that you deserve. Because of Jesus, you are forgiven for when you fall into temptation. Despite your guilt, God declares you “not guilty” in his sight because of Jesus’ guiltlessness. Even though you will die someday, death will not reign over you. You will “reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”[4]

It's not fair. It really isn’t. It’s not fair that Jesus, of all people, should suffer for all people. It’s not fair, but it is grace. That’s how much God loves you. He sent a champion to win the victory for you. And now, as Paul says, God’s grace “overflows” to you. Now, you have received “God’s abundant provision of grace.”[5] No matter how often we fail or fall into temptation, no matter how many sins we accumulate over a lifetime, his grace is greater.

Thank God that it’s not fair. Thank God that my salvation does not depend on me or what I do. Thank God that he not only started it but finished it for me. Now may he continue to work in you a humble heart that sees your sin, but rejoices in his forgiveness and love. May he continue to work in you a strong faith that recognizes temptation and resists it through the same power of the Word that Jesus used. May he who began a good work in you, carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Romans 5:12,18,19

[2] Romans 5:12

[3] Romans 5:18,19

[4] Ibid

[5] Romans 5:17

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