Coming Out Of The Dark

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Reading: John 3:1-21

Reflection: As I read this passage for perhaps the hundredth time, something stood out for me that seems a bit ominous if your name is Nicodemus. Now, I can’t prove this…and I haven’t done an in depth study of it…so take this with a grain of salt to prayerfully ponder. In verse 19 Jesus gives what he calls a verdict. Now, I have not paid much attention to that word before. However, it might be meaningful to explore it for a moment. The Greek word is krisis (crisis). How appropriate! The idea is that of a judge weighing evidence and giving a verdict that is authoritative, accurate and consequential. So, having spoken with Nicodemus, now Jesus brings him to a point of krisis…a verdict.

Now, what is that verdict? Simply put, that Jesus is the light of God that has entered the world. He is the revelation, or Word, of God in flesh. However, some have decided they prefer the darkness. In fact, some actually love the darkness because it tends to hide the motives and means of their evil actions. Not wanting their hidden motives exposed or their sinister deeds revealed, they stay away from Jesus afraid that He will expose them for who they truly are. The end result is that they lose the eternal life that could have been gained by submitting to the light.

Now, this seems straight forward enough. However, this may force me to view Nicodemus differently than was previously the case. I have always looked at Nicodemus as a kind of secret believer. After all, he does openly state that Jesus is from God. However, notice that Nicodemus doesn’t “openly” state this at all. Nicodemus comes at night, when the darkness shall hide his deeds. In addition, while light is often an image of faith leading to truth, Nicodemus not only comes at night but is revealed to be a “teacher without spiritual wisdom.” (vs. 10-12) In fact, Jesus accuses Nicodemus of not believing many of the basic things that He has taught.

What does this mean? Well, I’m not sure, but it does seem ominous…doesn’t it? It does seem like Nicodemus is less of a believer and more a creature of darkness than I thought. It’s also a reminder that it is harder to judge a person’s motives than I tend to think. In fact, sometimes its hard to judge my own. Do I try to follow Jesus secretly in the shadows, or in the bright light of the day? Am I ashamed to admit to people that I love Jesus, or am I excited to do so? Am I willing to have my actions openly displayed before the world, or do I seek to hide my motives from others? These are searching…dare I say ominous things to ask…but if I want the light to bring me to full truth and greater faith, I must come out of the darkness and into the light…and so must you.