A Word from the Pastors
To all of you Nicodemuses out there
This Sunday many churches around the world will read from John 3 in their worship services. This passage tells the story of Nicodemus, the religious leader who comes to Jesus one night. It is actually quite a famous passage, especially verse 16, and I encourage you to read it if you haven’t in a while, or ever.
Nicodemus is such an interesting character in the story. Here is this powerful guy who sneaks out at night to see Jesus. As the dialog unfolds, it turns out that Nicodemus is not just in the dark literally, but he is also “in the dark.” Jesus is talking to him about being born of the Spirit, and the Son of God being lifted up just as Moses lifted a serpent, and the people loving darkness rather than light – a harsh word for this nighttime visitor. And through all of this, Nicodemus is lost and confused.
Biblical scholars like to make a big deal about Nicodemus coming by night. They say that because he comes by night, Nicodemus shows at most only a partial faith. Or they note that Nicodemus had firm beliefs about the truth, and that his coming by night is symbolic of his desire to not have these beliefs shaken in any way. They compare Nicodemus to the woman at the well in the next chapter of John. This woman comes by day. This woman’s world is turned upside down by her encounter with God, and she goes to tell the world about it. Nicodemus is a nearly faithless stick in the mud, while the woman is an example of faith. Or so they say.
And they are probably right, these scholars. They have given this much more thought than I have. But maybe we shouldn’t be too hard on Nicodemus. He may have lacked any real understanding of who God and Jesus are. He may have come by night because he was embarrassed to be seen by God. But he did come. He did do just what Nathanael encouraged Philip to do in John 1: “Come and see.”
Perhaps the real reason I want avoid coming down too hard on Nicodemus, is that I am sort of like him. I haven’t got a clue a lot of the time. Yet, I’m also arrogant enough to think I do have it figured out a lot of the time. I’m even embarrassed in my faith some times. I find coming at night to be the easier and more appealing option. And I bet that is true for you too sometimes.
But here’s the thing. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus just as he spoke to the woman at the well. Jesus didn’t care that he came by night. Jesus doesn’t insist that Nicodemus come with a certain mindset, knowledge base, piety, or even willingness. God engages Nicodemus’ faith despite all of this. And the same is true for us.
So if you feel like you don’t have it figured out well enough to encounter God, come and see. If you feel like your life is too much of a mess, come and see. If you feel like only partial faith is the most you could hope to muster, come and see. God will not turn you back. Come and see. Come to a worship service some place. Come to the Bible and read again, or for the first time. Come to your knees in prayer, by day or by night. Come and see.
Pastor Dan
June 3rd, 2009