Read John 3-4 ~ I confess, I
love Nicodemus. I think he has gotten a
bad reputation from the church. Oh, we love to criticize him coming in the
middle of the night. What, Nicodemus,
afraid of what your peers will think of you? We love to laugh at his expense. What, Nicodemus, can’t wrap your mind
around Jesus’ being ‘born again’ puzzling comments? And then, Nicodemus, fades into the
background, steps back into the cover of a starlit night, not to appear
again…until chapter 7 when he defends Jesus.
And also, at the end, chapter 19, when he is there at the last breath of
Jesus’ life.
You see, I love Nicodemus,
because I am Nicodemus. I
sometimes hide from my faith. I don’t go
around blurting and blasting to everyone that I am a pastor. I sometimes duck and cover, especially when
the people around me start criticizing religion. I justify this by saying/singing, “They will
know we are Christians by our love.”
Which, yes actions speak louder than words, but sometimes words, sharing
our faith, is helpful too. Second, I am
often baffled and bewildered by Jesus. I
don’t get him. I’d rather shake my head
with a smirk at Nicodemus than confess that I don’t have Jesus
figured out. I have some thoughts on
being born anew/afresh, which is what Jesus is saying to him, but I also don’t
get what Jesus is saying entirely. And I
can fade into the background, be a wall flower, slip off the sidelines of life
silently, hoping that no one notices.
And, I want to be like
Nicodemus, showing up in places and spaces to share God’s love in real ways on
behalf of those who are being hurt (see chapter 7). Yes, I want to be like Nicodemus showing up
in pain of death, when resurrection isn’t on anyone’s radar as the next logical
step. Thank you, Nicodemus, you don’t
get the credit you deserve for showing us how to live our lives. Thank you, Nicodemus for helping us realize
that faith is complicated and contradictory and isn’t neat and tidy. Thank you, Nicodemus for showing me a way to
live this day. Amen.
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