Tonight Garry spoke about Nicodemus, a man who features several times in John’s Gospel, most notably in John 3:1-21, one of the most famous parts of the whole Bible. Nicodemus was a Jewish leader living in troublesome times under Roman occupation, and the idea of the Messiah was inevitably connected to people’s political views. Many Pharisees did not admire Jesus but thought him troublesome; Nicodemus, however, wanted to know more.
He approached Jesus at night, wary of the consequences if others found out he was talking to Jesus. Today, there can be severe consequences in some countries (e.g. North Korea) for becoming a Christian, but we have the opportunity to enquire and to help others enquire about faith. Jesus took the opportunity to talk with him about the kingdom of God and made the most of his opportunity; we too need to be the same, being willing to speak openly to others about our lives.
Nicodemus came to Jesus a second time in John 7:45-52. There, he was willing to stand up for the right to listen to Jesus and was unwilling to let Him be ridiculed by others. It’s all too easy to be negative about people, but he sought to work with fact. In this scene, we see Nicodemus growing in faith and courage, being willing to speak up for Jesus.
Nicodemus’s third appearance is recorded in John 19:38-42 when he goes with Joseph of Arimathea to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus to bury. We see here that he is no longer hesitant, but is willing to nail his colours to the mast. He and Joseph were apparently on the losing side, but he was still willing to speak up and count the cost.
Are we prepared, like Nicodemus, to go on that journey with Jesus? Will we move from hesitant contact to open declaratoin? Are we prepared to stand? Let us pray to continue to grow and develop as we share what God has done for us and let everything we do be to the glory of God.