Stand UP And Be Counted!
August 14, 2025
Among the Jews there was a powerful man named Nicodemus. He was one of the Pharisees. One night, this man came to see Jesus and said to him, “Teacher – we know that you have come from God for no one can do the miraculous signs you are doing unless they have come God.”
Jesus answered him by saying to him, “I solemnly and truthfully tell you, unless someone is born again/anew/in the Spirit, they cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:1-3, (KL)
Nicodemus is a powerful man. He is on the School Board, the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, he teaches theology at the local University. Nicodemus is not someone to mess with.
Driven by a desire to know him better, Nicodemus goes to see Jesus, but only under cover of darkness. Why darkness? In the Ancient World, being out on the streets after dark was a good way to get mugged. Or worse.
Partly, John is telling us something about Nicodemus’ state of mind. Nicodemus is uncertain and confused. He is wandering around in darkness.
But also, John is telling us about Nicodemus’ fear. He doesn’t want anyone to know what he’s doing. He’s afraid someone will see him and start spreading tales. He has so much to lose!
Last week, (link to August 7 devotion) we learned that being a disciple is more than learning bullet points from a book. Being Jesus’ disciple means hanging out with him, getting to know him, doing the kind of things he does with the kinds of people he wants us to care about.
Today, we learn that being a disciple is NOT something we can do under cover of darkness. We can’t hide our relationship with Jesus. We have to be open and honest about it. Upfront. Being a disciple means sharing our experiences and what we’ve learned about Jesus. Being Jesus’ disciple means openly being a part of his community.
We also learn that being a disciple requires radical change. We can’t go on doing business as usual. Being a disciple means a change so complete it’s like being reborn, born again, born anew. There has to be a clean break with the past and a radical starting over as Jesus’ follower. We can’t dictate to Jesus what our discipleship will look like. Like the wind, Jesus will go wherever he wishes. As disciples, our commitment is to going with him.
May we all grow in discipleship.
Pastor Ken.
