Coming to Jesus
This man came to Jesus. (John 3:2)
Jn. 3:1-17, 7:50-52, 19:39, 12:42, 10:9; Isa. 55:1; Mt. 11:28; Lk. 14:17; Rev. 22:17
What Is God Saying?
Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus, is the finest Pharisee we will meet in the pages of Scripture. As a Pharisee, not even Paul will qualify. Nicodemus was different. It was he who told the Council (the Sanhedrin) to be fair with Jesus. He urged them to put a lid on their prejudice and to give him a hearing (Jn. 7:50-52). Nicodemus was nearby when Jesus was crucified and he, with Joseph of Arimathea, demonstrated his grateful love and tenderness of spirit by bringing the costly spices that were a necessary part of a Jewish burial (John 19:39). Despite his earnest commitment to keep every detail of the law, he must have felt a gnawing emptiness in his heart. The Scribes interpreted and refined the Talmud with its massive regulations. It was the Pharisees who dedicated their lives to keeping them.
Nicodemus sensed that Jesus had something far better to offer. He arranged for a private interview under cover of darkness. It was the first step. Ultimately he openly made a kind, courageous, and unusual gesture as a member of the Sanhedrin. First, he came to Jesus by night. Later he stood up for Jesus in the Council and then, right in the very heart of the enemies' camp. In the scene of the Crucifix10n, he did what love could do for the lifeless form of deathless love.
How Does This Apply To Us?
As this text sends light on our path and awakens a longing in our hearts, we may know the reason people come to Jesus, then and now. It is to move away from the frustration and emptiness of trying to keep all the laws to be saved and discover we can be saved to keep His Law of Love that paves the way to the great freedom and joy of a liberated heart. It is our privilege still to come to Jesus. We come with questions about life. He gives us the life that answers our questions. If we let His love touch and His truth illuminate the secret places of our hearts, we will have the courage and even the desire to be His faithful friend where everyone can see Him in us.
Pray With Me
Lord Jesus, I come to You. You have already come to me. When I could do no more than lift a wordless cry, You spoke to me of life. In Your love, I was given the key of faith, and there it was, all the beauty and joy of living. You had words of approval and acceptance when others were jealously critical and quick to desert. You are not a distant, nameless, faceless being but a living and loving presence. Your prayer said, ‘I have made known to them your name.’
Nicodemus had doubts and questions. He waited for cover of night, but he came to You. Let the fear of what others think that may come from being known as Your disciple disappear. I plead Your promise, ‘All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me, I will not cast out.’
On the authority of Your promise and in glad response to Your invitation, we come. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Jesus doesn't keep hours. When we come to Jesus, we will not get an impersonal recording saying, ‘Our business hours are from nine to five on weekdays.’ Perhaps we will want to come to Him by night, not for the sake of secrecy, but because that is when we feel the most forsaken, that is when problems are the most magnified, that is when temptation rides high and strength ebbs low. The door of His heart is never closed.
