Stepping Out of the Shadows

John 3:1-11

Lent 2, March 1, 2026

Holy Trinity Cathedral

“Stepping Out of the Shadows”

A leader, no matter how autocratic, cannot govern alone.  There is always a system surrounding an individual which gives him (or her, but usually him) the means to carry out decisions.  That person is supported through advisors or a council or officials.  Their purpose is to provide information and justification through established rules.  But we know that once someone is in power, they intend to stay in power.  Privilege and wealth and security are attractive.  So although human beings in most societies have some wisdom in electing or appointing those who are responsible for the ordering of life, where we often fail is in holding them to account.  Even those close to the centre of power prefer to hide in the shadows rather than speak up and question.

Even if the decision comes down to a president or a prime minister or a senior cleric, responsibility also rests on those who can and ought to exert influence and serve as checks to over-reaches of authority.  But there are many things that can silence opposition. Sheer force of personality, disinformation, the encouragement of conspiracy theories, threat of punishment, fear of others- all these keep people silent even when they know, or sense, something is terribly wrong.  For a time, charisma and propaganda serve to justify what is happening.  Sooner rather than later, however, these do not mask the reality of harm.  Those who challenge the narrative find themselves ridiculed and discounted, blacklisted, or openly persecuted and deprived of what influence they held.  Ordinary people don’t know who to believe.  Their leaders, upon whom they placed their hope, or the dissonant voices which are suggesting something different is true? 

We are witnessing this failure of courage amongst leaders in our world today.  Figures have exercised power unchecked by tradition, law, or even public opinion.  Dictator-like power seems to have been grasped by the leaders of Russia, Israel, Iran, the United States, and other countries, even when they have had a history of leadership with input from the population.  Unlike a strict monarchy, these individuals are responsible to a larger body of government.  But when those in government are more concerned about politics than policy, about keeping in good with the supreme leader than serving humanity, who is able to speak the truth?  How do you speak up from within a system that you are part of? How do you find the courage to step out from the shadows of power?

Nicodemus learned- very carefully.  In John’s gospel, we meet this man three times.  In his encounters with Jesus, we can trace his journey of understanding into the light.  He evolves from being curious, to finding the courage to defend his faith in Jesus, to becoming a disciple in the face of death.  Although he is a religious teacher who has both privilege and wisdom amongst the Jewish people, the gospel shows the path of how he must die and be born again in the kingdom of God.

In our introduction to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John’s gospel, Nicodemus comes to visit Jesus under cover of darkness.  He is a member of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.  These were 70 senior Jews- elders, scribes, and rabbis- under the chief priest in Jerusalem.  Together, they formed the authority that oversaw life in Judea and even had influence in the diaspora: the Jews living abroad.  The Sanhedrin was like a supreme court and parliament all-in-one, with jurisdiction over both religious and secular matters for the Jewish populace.  The one except was capital punishment: they could not pass death sentences as punishment.  Only their Roman overlords had that power in their hands.  Yet the questions that Nicodemus raises have to do with questions of life and death, and Jesus answers him.

Nicodemus, as someone with authority, recognizes that Jesus also has some authority from God.  He begins by admitting this: “no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God” (John 3:2).  This is not a view shared by many of his peers on the ruling council.  But believing in the signs is not enough, counters Jesus.  “No one can see the kingdom of God without begin born from above (or anew)” (John 3:3).  The discussion that follows unpacks Nicodemus’ misunderstanding and hesitation.  He’s not stupid- neither he nor Jesus are speaking literally here about birth.  But to be born again means the courage to die to the old self and to let the Spirit enter in.  This challenge is to allow God to transform and renew one’s life, even when that means giving up and giving over to a higher power.  This night-time conversation leaves Nicodemus with much to consider.  It is not abstract theology.  Jesus has confronted him with choices for his own life and ministry.  How is he to live anew, considering the responsibility that has been given to him?

Later on in John’s gospel, we will meet Nicodemus again.  This time the setting is during the week of the Passover celebrations in Jerusalem, just before Jesus is arrested.  The Pharisee, using his influence within the Jewish ruling council, advises his fellow members of the Sanhedrin not to condemn Jesus without a fair trial.  “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” (John 7:50).  He is now described as “one of them”, that is, a disciple of Jesus.  There is pushback. The council members  protest that no prophet can come from Galilee- and therefore Jesus is not a prophet.  But Nicodemus has stepped forward to defend the process and therefore the man.  He has found the courage to speak up. 

The third mention of Nicodemus occurs after the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  In the 19^th chapter of the same gospel, it is Joseph of Arimathea who asks for the body of Jesus for burial.  He is another member of the Sanhedrin and is described as another secret follower of Jesus.  But he does not act alone.  It is our friend Nicodemus who comes with him to claim the body.  He comes with sacramental materials for a funeral: myrrh and aloes and linen cloths for a shroud.  And as they lay the body of the one they came to know as their Lord to rest, was Nicodemus pondering death and life?  Jesus had preached and demonstrated that one was necessary for the other.  In aligning himself with Jesus, this man found courage to step out of the shadows of earthly power into the light of truth.  What happens now with the one who had proclaimed he would rise from the grave?  Can he hold onto his faith for two more days, until resurrection?  Can he testify to those in power when he witnesses what God will make possible?

Nicodemus, like many of us, are in a moment when life and death and new life hang in the balance.  He found the courage to move from the shadows into the light, defending Jesus with compassion and fairness to those in power.  When we are tempted to stay silent or to naively accept the decisions of our leaders without examining them in the light of faith, let us hold to his example.  We each have a role in holding others to account, and using the privilege and influence we have, so that we may be born anew.  Amen.