I find myself drinking in the words of
Interestingly, my heart was drawn to a small detail that appeared in verse 2. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He [Nicodemus] 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" (1-2). It was the two-letter word ‘we’ that launched my meditation.
It could be that Nicodemus was using the word ‘we’ in order to deflect attention from himself. Maybe he was a little embarrassed by his question to Jesus?
Another scenario is that the ‘we’ sent Nicodemus as a representative to speak to Jesus and report back.
A third possibility is that the ‘we’ refers to other Pharisees and members of the ruling council who quietly believed Jesus was from God. This is where I lingered. Why would Nicodemus come to Jesus but the others stay away? What might have kept them from Jesus? Intimidation by others who loathed Jesus? Fear of what Jesus might ask of them? The loss of high standing and prestige if they were put off the council? Did they ever let this knowledge that Jesus is from God grow into true and honest faith in Him? Or where they like rocky soil that had a measure of belief but the cares of the world and heat of the day snuffed that out? All of these are guesses but it started me wondering why people who are spiritually hungry avoid Jesus.
Thinking about such things might help me when I have opportunities to speak with and answer questions of people who are spiritually seeking.
Oh, Lord, help me to grow in skill and wisdom in sharing my faith in Jesus with others, particularly with people who are seeking something more and deeper in their lives. Allow me, Lord, to point them to Jesus. In His name, I pray. Amen.
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