Day 53 – Nick at Night, Again

Read: John 7:45-53

The crowd at the festival was divided in their thinking about Jesus.  Some thought Him to be the Prophet who would precede the Messiah; others claimed He was the Messiah. "After all," they reasoned, "do we expect anyone else to be able to do these miracles?" This sort of "last ditch" faith came not from a sincere belief, but from a fascination with Jesus' miracles. And then there were the doubters who held onto Jesus' earthly origins as proof that Jesus was a fraud.

The temple guards had been sent to the festival to bring Jesus back for questioning. Following this lengthy exchange, they returned to the chief priests and Pharisees without Him. The religious leaders' response to the failure of the temple guards to apprehend Jesus reveals the level of their hatred. The Pharisees accuse the guards of being deceived and go on to arrogantly claim that unlike all of the uneducated commoners, no ruler or Pharisee has fallen for this "hoax." Little did they know that in their ranks was one who had indeed heard and been touched by Jesus.  Nicodemus, the night visitor (see chapter 3), was still unwilling to acknowledge his encounter with Jesus publically. He offers a tepid defense, asking the rest of his colleagues if the law allows a man to be condemned without a hearing. Nicodemus's defense got a good laugh from the others who accused him of being from Galilee too. It is ironic that these leaders, so intent on enforcing the law, were themselves dismissive of it when it conflicted with their desire to silence Jesus. Nicodemus's objections were enough to table the issue for the moment. The group disbanded and went home, but they would not be idle for long. Their hatred for Jesus would eventually overrun their love for the law.

Nicodemus plays a subtle but significant role in John's gospel. He comes to Jesus in the dark in chapter 3, quietly defends Jesus with his colleagues in chapter 7, and assists with Jesus' burial in chapter 19. John wants his readers to know that not everyone who claims to believe endures, and not everyone who doubts is a lost cause. The fickle crowd believes today but walks away tomorrow. When the miracles are beneficial, they follow, but when the teaching becomes difficult, they flee. Even one of Jesus' disciples will eventually betray Him. But there is always a Nicodemus in the crowd, struggling under cover of darkness, but acting in faith in spite of doubt. There is a good chance that the disciples did not know of Nicodemus's faith before the resurrection. None of the other gospel writers mentions him, and John's account suggests that he may have gone unnoticed by the disciples. It may have been at the burial of Jesus that John first met Nicodemus and discovered that he had been a secret disciple all along.

Fair weather followers, doubters, critics and cynics always surround faithful disciples of Jesus. It is tempting to classify and label people quickly, but that is almost always a mistake. The disciples had no idea that the treasurer for their group was a traitor. They also had no way of knowing that among the accusing Pharisees stood a quiet disciple, working from the inside to protect their Teacher. We should rest in the knowledge that Jesus knows the hearts of everyone (John 2:24).

Son of God,

Forgive me for being quick to judge the faith of others. Unlike You, I do not know the hearts of all people. Help me to live with the hope that even those who seem far away may be turning toward You in ways I cannot know. Grant me an enduring faith that stands the test of doubt and difficulty. I want to stand for You in the midst of the trials and not shrink into the darkness of my fears.

Amen