Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Nicodemus could live across the street. He is a complicated man, yet is a man who wants what anyone wants—he wants to find something meaningful, something that will lead to happiness, and something that will make him more at home in the world. However, his search is hampered by his own weaknesses—nothing as profound as failure, just places where he needs to grow beyond who he is. For instance, risk taking does not come naturally. He is not comfortable being completely open about what he believes, but rather prefers to keep such personal things in the shadows. 

He is a man of powerful beliefs. He is a Pharisee, i.e., about as orthodox a Jew as the 1st Century produced. His devotion to God’s law advanced him in his community, earning a place on the Sanhedrin, the high council that oversaw work and worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. So, he was no Sabbath disciple, but a man of deep faith, deep commitment to that faith, and with a deep need to protect that faith. 

The sincerity of that faith comes to light in ironic fashion. Captivated by the spectacle of Rabbi Jesus wreaking havoc in the Temple in the name of purification, he publicly agrees with his condemnation by the authorities, but the eyes of his spirit perceive something else. He must have heard Jesus’ declamations as he ran roughshod through the building, throwing out the commercial tradesmen and marketers—the folks profiting off faith—declaring all anathema to the holiness of God. Speculating, it is not hard to imagine a man of faith wondering—he may well have had doubts about the commercial aspect of contemporary worship, wondering if it all cheapened the devotion to God—it seemed so materialistic. This Jesus, though, is different. There was a righteousness to his fury, a righteousness Nicodemus believes he has to explore further before coming to a final judgment on him. So, he goes to meet Jesus.

But he goes under the cover of darkness. Sincerity gets muffled in fear. 

We cannot jump to judgment ourselves, however. Who has not kept silent when you realized you were in a group that did not agree with you? Who has refrained from doing something  because indications were clear that those around you weren’t going to like it? Who has not avoided conflict? Who has not hidden things even from the people you love most dearly? Who hasn’t opened a conversation with, “You’re not going to like this, but I did something…”

We’ve all been there and done that. 

What is so vitally important to note is that Nicodemus went at all! He went. He chose to hear Jesus face to face rather than follow group thinking, conventional wisdom, or public opinion. Knowing more before leaping to conclusions—now there is a definition of wisdom. Think of how many circumstances and events would’ve turned out so very differently if this simple practice had been invoked. 

Truly finding God requires such a commitment from us. God is nothing if not surprising, refusing to be contained by any human assumption or expectation. God will speak through the least likely voice. God will manifest in the most unlikely place. God will choose to turn tables on us just because. In Baltimore, lots of snap judgments were uttered and lots of opinions were expressed that painted an entire city with sweeping strokes of presumption. A lot of things were declared true without a scrap of actual experience on which to base them. But some folks went deeper. They, like Nicodemus, chose to really enter the experience, glean what they could from actually putting feet on the ground, and they listened before speaking. Closer to home, we need to do the same thing. We need to really get know our community, to listen to our neighbors, especially those we do not know so well. A perfect opportunity is before us in about a month—our Global and Local Mission Ministries are teaming up to get us on the ground in Augusta, to mix and mingle with demographic some of us have little knowledge of. They want us to get to know neighbors we do not know so well, but who truly need the light of Christ to illumine their experience. I hope we will take the invitation. Like Nicodemus, we need to be prepared to be surprised, but also to see more clearly how God works in and through us in this very place. 

Now Nicodemus’ life did not change like flipping a light switch. St. John weaves his story in and out of Jesus’ tale. Over the years of Jesus’ ministry, Nicodemus continued to look. He shows up near the end when the council is convinced elimination is the only course of action for handling Jesus. Nicodemus argues that he needs to be heard by all first. He is dismissed. But he reappears at the every end. Openly, he comes forward to minister to Jesus dead. He provides love, compassion, and mercy (some will undoubtedly reject it as too little, too late, but the ancient Church disagreed, beatifying him!). Christ’s gospel has become his new core. His world changed. He changed. Now he truly did walk with God. His faith was pure. His inner temple was finally cleansed.

Isn’t that what all of us want as we walk by faith? Don’t we want to know God intimately near us, with us, and in us?