Nicodemus

"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  John 3: 1-2

            That sounds like the Pharisee, Nicodemus, believed that Jesus was who He claimed to be.  He paid Jesus a high compliment when he said that Jesus was a teacher come from God.  The other Pharisees sure weren't saying that!  They were accusing Jesus of getting his miraculous power from Beelzebub, the devil.  So Nicodemus was different, he understood the truth, right?  He admired Jesus and was willing to, or had already, accepted Jesus as the Messiah, right?  Maybe not.

            I attend a lot of poetry readings.  After a reading, there's usually a chance to meet and talk with the poet of the hour.  Last fall, I attended a reading given by the gifted black poet, A. Van Jordan.  Jordan's poetry was unlike any I'd ever read.   He uses very few descriptive words in his work.  Colors, fragrances, and emotion are noticeably absent in his writing, yet he is able to convey clear and meaningful images.  I was eager to talk with him after the reading and ask him about his unique approach.

            Jordan graciously explained that he writes that way, with few embellishments, because he comes from a journalism background where he was trained to report only the facts.  For the same reason, he rarely writes from an "I" point of view. What intriguing ideas!  Brand new thoughts to add to my thinking about poetry, my ideas of what makes a good, or even a great poem.  But as much as I admire Jordan's fresh approach, I doubt that I'll ever write in his style.  It's my practice to use color, fragrance, and emotion in my writing, but I love new ideas!  Don't you?

            The rabbinic tradition, which began with the Pharisees, has as one of its basic tenets, the practice of hearing and examining differing interpretations of Scripture.  New ideas are the lifeblood of their approach. Even today, Jewish Bible commentaries contain very different interpretations from many disagreeing Jewish thinkers and scholars. Because Jesus condemned the Pharisees' sin of hypocrisy, we tend to think of them as only being a close-minded, legalistic group whose main interest was maintaining their social status and power.  While their hypocrisy was repulsive, it was even more so because they read and studied Scripture on a regular basis.  How could a people who knew the Scripture so well, fail to recognize and accept Jesus as their Messiah?

            I believe it may have been because they were open to the possibility that every interpretation was valid.  As a result of that belief, they were more interested in hearing new ideas than they were in recognizing one truth. 

              Jesus knew this about the Pharisees and understood why Nicodemus had come to talk to Him.  Nicodemus' response to Jesus' teaching may have been similar to mine at the A. Van Jordan reading: intrigued and excited by a fresh approach, but unlikely to adopt its practice.  Jesus' reply to Nicodemus suggests that may have been the case.

            "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"  John 3: 3

            Jesus' statement seems to me to be saying, Nicodemus, we can discuss and debate Scripture as rabbis are so fond of doing, but until you are born again, you're not really going to understand the things I say.

            So, I see this question for you and me today:  Are we merely excited by the idea of Jesus, the idea of a Savior, the idea of a new life? Or have we truly been born again?  If we're truly born again, then we won't just be hearing and discussing His ideas, we'll be putting them into practice in our daily lives.

            What is Jesus to you, idea or practice?

Daye Phillippo