Nicodemus the but-er

SERMON- Reverend David Paton Williams
1st March 2026
​John 3.1-17

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​We've all know about Thomas who had his doubts. Well today we have heard aboutNicodemus who had his "buts."
 
He was a respected leader of the Jewish nation, a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish Council. And in John's gospel he has just seen Jesus driving the money-changersout of the temple with a whip. Upsetting the tables and upsetting the authorities at the same time.
 
And, at this moment of high tension and hostility, Nicodemus, comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He wants to understand what Jesus is about, but he is troubled.
 
“Rabbi” he starts “we know that you are a great teacher sent from God, because nobody can do the things you do unless God is with them, but ….”  
 
Actually there’s no “but” in his words, yet you can hear it in his tone – its hanging there in the air.
 
“But … attacking the Temple was going a bit far.”
“ But … I don’t understand what you are trying to tell us.”
“But … you’re going to get yourself killed if you go on like this.”
 
We all have our “buts”.
Every Christian has said “Yes” to following Jesus
and yet we also have our buts as well.
We are “yes-but” Christians.
 
Some of our “buts” may be doubts and uncertainties -
things we struggle to believe or trust or accept.
Such as: "I want to trust you but, given the mess the world is in, can I really believe that you the Saviour of the world?" 
 
"I'm trying my best but, given the mess my life is in, can I really trust that you love me?"
 
Or: “I sense that you are calling me to do something but I’m not brave enough; but I don’t want to.”
 
A “but” is a doubt or a hesitation, which means it is also 
a moment of decision, a moment of opportunity.
We can go forward with a “yes”, or backward with a “no”, 
or maybe just dither in between because we aren't sure.
 
For Nicodemus, his “but” showed that although 
he hadn’t rejected Jesus out of hand,
as some of his colleagues in the Sanhedrin had,
he still couldn’t see the way forward
to putting his trust in Jesus and stepping out with new faith.
 
Nicodemus had come to Jesus by night.
On a human level this was because he was afraid that he would be spotted, but John sees it a symbol that Nicodemus was still 
“in the dark”.
 
In Jesus the dawn of the Kingdom was breaking, but would Nicodemus draw back the curtains and let the light in?
 
Jesus then puts it another way.
“Look its like this – you have been born physically.
Now you have to be born spiritually as well.
 
This leads Nicodemus to another “but” moment:
“But how can anyone be born once they are old?”
 
It sounds as if this “But” is an intellectual one,
though he may have been struggling with his pride.
“But  …I’ve been a good religious man all my life.
I’ve prayed and worshipped and been faithful to God’s commands. Does all that count for nothing?"
 
Jesus doesn’t give him a straight answer – though he seems to be saying.
   “It’s not that your past is worthless, rather your past is like a womb that's been preparing you for a new birth.
You can either remain where you are - in your old life, 
or you can let God lead you into a new life, into the light,
into the deeper reality of the Spirit.
 
To respond to that challenge must have been a difficult thing for Nicodemus to do.
 
So his “but” may also have been a but of fear:
“But … I may lose my position of respect in society.”
“But .. I may end up being attacked and persecuted like you.”
"I'd like to say a whole-hearted “yes” to God, but I don’t know where I will end up.”
 
Ah yes, says Jesus, that’s the way it is.
The life of faith is just like the wind
which comes and goes
and you don’t know where it carries the leaves off to.
 
Like Abraham – he didn’t know where he was going. 
He is held up as a great example of faith, though he too was a "yes-but" person. He said "yes" to a new journey, into a new life, 
an unknown land, a new understanding of God.
 But when faced with powerful rulers he let his fears speak to him, passing his wife off as his sister, rather than trusting God's promises. He was a mixture of faith and fear, like the rest of us. 
 
As for Nicodemus, after his meeting with Jesus, he seems to have 
kept going forward in faith. And at the end of the gospel, 
he comes with Joseph of Arimathea, another secret follower,
and they prepare Jesus for burial and lay him in the tomb.
 
Did that new life, that new openness to Jesus and the Spirit survive beyond the death of Christ? We don't know.
 
But even so, Nicodemus is a helpful example to us, 
reminding us of our yes-but faith:
the way we want to follow Christ
but are held back at times by our "buts", 
our uncertainties, our fears, our pride,
 
We face choices every day, chances to live the way God is inviting us to. And they can be a struggle, and we will often fail, but it's all part of the real journey of faith.
 
And I think Jesus says: “I know it can be hard for you -
I know all about the “buts” that sometimes hold you back.
Even so, you can go beyond them. You can still say "yes". 
You can be a "but-Yes" Christian. You can say yes - yes, to 
living in the light - yes, to the new way of being that God offers."
"So come with me", says Jesus, "and see where the Spirit leads."