So I looked at the calendar this morning just to make sure it was in fact the month of April and sure enough it is, the only problem is that it was 46 degrees this morning. I don't know about you but that seems a bit cool for the month of April in South Texas.
I want to thank everyone for the nice comments you left of on the series of posts on the book of Proverbs. It was an amazing journey for me and I really enjoyed helping to lead all of you through that amazing book of God's word. I'm not really sure where I want to go next. I enjoyed a daily post on a chapter from a book of the Bible but not all books lend themselves as well as Proverbs does. So until I decide where I want to go next I just want to give you something to chew on today.
Nicodemus is an interesting character in the Gospels. People like to use Nicodemus as a whipping boy for the purposes of feeling superior in their own faith. We look at what we have done as Christians and compare that to the life of Nicodemus and think "hey, I'm doing alright". This is a dangerous way to live your Christian life (a whole other post) and if you choose to look at the story of Nicodemus in its entirety you would see it is also an invalid way of looking at his life. Let's take a look.
John 3:1-4 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Nicodemus was at the right place, at the wrong time but for the wrong reasons...let me explain. Nicodemus was at the right place, with Jesus, a place where I believe we all wish we could be. Nicodemus was at the right place at the wrong time, night. Why would Nicodemus go to Jesus at night? There are a lot of people who have tried to answer this question but the best I can see is that he went to him at night because he didn't want to be seen. The Gospel of John is full of light and dark imagery and every time dark is the negative of the two. So, Nicodemus was in the right place (with Jesus), at the wrong time (night), and for the wrong reasons. Obviously Nicodemus knew he couldn't physically enter his mother's womb a second time so what he was trying to do was trip Jesus up on something.
This is usually where people quit reading the story because they say things like, "Sure I may have cheated on my taxes but I would never try to trick Jesus.",the whole time feeling oh so superior when in reality I know a lot of Christians (myself included) that from time to time act like Nicodemus. I see Christians who come to the right place (amongst God's people in worship or in congregational activities) and they may even be there at the right time but they are there for the wrong reasons. Maybe they are there because they feel the need to check "church" off the list for the week, or maybe they are there solely for the social aspect or maybe because they have nothing better to do. Whatever the incorrect reason for being in the right place at the right time the fact of the matter is you're not that much different that Nicodemus...at least the Nicodemus on John 3. When was the last time you looked at Nicodemus in John 19?
John 19:38-428 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
This is the same guy that was trying to trip up Jesus back in Chapter 3. I was talking about this with one of my ministry buddies and he asked a good question. What happened between John 3 and John 19? I don't have an all inclusive answer for you because those facts are not revealed to us in Scripture, but, what I do have is a simple answer of redemption. Something along the way made Nicodemus believe in Jesus enough that he would openly go and ask for the body and make a huge financial commitment is providing the spices for burial.
Some people look at Nicodemus and see a coward that was trying to test Jesus. I look at the story of Nicodemus and I see myself, a flawed individual that has been blessed to come into contact with Jesus Christ, and I see a great story of redemption. I hope that when I come to the end of my life that I look like Nicodemus in John 19 and not like the one in John 3. What are you doing to make sure that you are more like the Nicodemus in John 19? I would love to hear some good ways to look more like that Nicodemus so let me know. I hope you are all blessed today because I am blessed for knowing all of you.
Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul
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