On Line Bible Study - For the Week October 24-30, 2011

Lesson 515

John 3: ¹ Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

We are looking at John 3:1-21. You can link to the entire text by clicking the passage above.

We could live in this story! But we are going to consider three things:

1. The interplay of dark and light, night and day.
2. The importance of the Holy Spirit.
3. The difference between being 'well-intentioned' and 'theologically accurate' with regard to Jesus.
   

Darkness and Light ... Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night, under cover of darkness. Why? We have already read in the prologue to this gospel the following words:

John 1: ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

Nicodemus knows there is something special about Jesus, but he is still in the dark. The evangelist uses the physical darkness as a way of underscoring Nicodemus' spiritual state of being. The passage under our consideration begins with darkness and concludes with these words:

John 3: ²¹ But those who live by the truth come into the light ...
While 'wowed' by the signs of Jesus, Nicodemus is not yet "on" to the person of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit ... Within the structure of Jewish messianic thought there lies the seeds of this reality - that God is Spirit, and can only be understood, related to, and worshiped "in Spirit". Nicodemus doesn't comprehend this fact. A question that emerges is this: Should he have comprehended this? Could he have comprehended it? He acknowledges Jesus as a 'teacher who has come from God...' Later, Jesus will pose the question to Nicodemus:

John 3: ¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher and do you not understand these things?

Isaiah 61:1 reads: The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. Nicodemus should have understood the idea that one must approach the messianic work of the Lord by way of the Spirit.

Good Intentions vs. Right Theology ... Care has to be taken not to come off as theologically arrogant. Care also has to be taken to distinguish between thinking Jesus is a 'good guy' on one hand, and believing he is the Son of God on the other. Jesus makes it clear that he is not as much interested in impressing people with signs as he is concerned with our relationship with God. For Nicodemus to presume Jesus is somehow favored by God by virtue of the signs he performed borders on patronizing Jesus, and Jesus will have none of it.

We in the Northern Hemisphere are entering the darkest season of the year. We can contemplate our need for the Light. (The same reflection can happen in June for those living in Southern climes.) Will the Light of Christ invade our darkness? Does that Light help us discern between platitudes we are tempted to offer over against the praises Christ deserves to receive?