Gospel of John 3:1-17
Nicodemus
February 17, 08 (Lent 2)
Patrick Preheim
I am accustomed to my hosts reading through my vita before I speak. I am
Nicodemus ben Jeshua, currently on faculty with at the Gospel of John
University, formerly in a member of the Jewish leadership’s council known as the
Sanhedrin, having earned my doctorate in “Levitical Holiness Codes” from Bat
Qohl University. Post doctorate I worked in the private sector promoting Roman
understanding and protection of Jewish purity laws. These facts about my past
are important because they inform my pilgrimage to a faculty position at the
Gospel of John University. In short--- I am educated, sometimes too much so for
my own good. I am Jewish, sometimes too religious for my own good. I have
controlled interpretation of the Torah, sometimes too controlling for my own
good.
It was as a member of the Sanhedrin that I first encountered Jesus. We had heard
reports that John the Baptist had singled out one of his group as someone
anointed with the Spirit of God (Jn 1:32-34). We then heard that this Jesus
changed jars of water into wine (Jn 2:1-11). And finally Jesus came to Jerusalem
and cleared the money changers out of the Temple (Jn 2:13-22). Many in the
Sanhedrin were antagonistic toward Jesus and what he was doing. I, on the other
hand, was curious. There was much in what Jesus was saying and doing that came
from our scriptures, at least a certain interpretation of our scriptures. I
wanted to visit in person with him, so I found out where he was staying and I
went to see him.
I went at night. It is a rabbinic custom to stay up late at night studying the Torah (see Raymond Brown’s comments (p.130) in the Anchor Bible’s commentary on John’s Gospel), so I decided to do my study through conversation. Well, this is only partially true. I also had some concerns about others from the Sanhedrin seeing me visit Jesus. There were those on the Sanhedrin who passionately hated Jesus, and I didn’t want to be automatically associated with the Jesus movement. I needed to learn more. In many ways the visit at night reflected my inner darkness. Darkness and night symbolize the realm of evil, untruth, and ignorance in our tradition (Ibid). I would like to think that I was not evil or untrue, but I would confess to being ignorant.
Jesus and I had a lengthy conversation. At times I felt like Jesus was being
hard on me. I almost felt mocked when at one point he said, “Are you a teacher
of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things.” Is it wrong for the
learned to have questions? Is it wrong to be part of the establishment? Is it
wrong to visit at night if you have questions? The process of moving from
darkness into light takes time, especially for people like me. For people like
me it is not all about “just believing”. I need to understand what it is I am
being asked to believe. I am not so sure that Jesus or his movement have always
been that considerate to people like me. But I remained in conversation with
Jesus because it did seem they had some significant insights. From the visit
that night I remember three key areas.
The first of these had to do with the spirit. I have seen the written accounts
of our visit that night in your language--English--, and to be honest English
does do the conversation justice. What is wrong with education today-- doesn’t
anyone study Hebrew or Greek anymore? The word for wind and spirit is identical
in both those languages. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the
earth it is the Spirit of God, the wind of God, which blows over the face of the
deep. God promises the prophet Ezekiel that he will give him a new heart and a
new spirit—a new wind. To the prophet Joel God says that he will pour out his
Spirit, his wind, in the last days. The wind and the Spirit are quite similar.
You do not see the wind, you see the effects of the wind. In like way you do not
see the Spirit, you see the effects of the Spirit. The essence of Jesus’ point
was that the wind, or spirit, goes where it chooses. This was a hard teaching
for me to accept. All of my life, you see, has been about controlling the
Spirit. I studied the Levitical laws which control right from wrong behaviour
and our atonement when we err. I worked with the Roman government to control
what is acceptable for the Jews. I have been a part of the Sanhedrin which
controlled how we interpret the texts. But the wind is not controlled. Have you
seen these pictures of the wind that I brought with me today? The wind is not
controlled; it blows where it will. The Spirit is not controlled; it blows where
it will. It is extremely difficult to relinquish control. I like control. Most
in today’s culture like control. I want to control my work, my health, my
family, my synagogue. If you try to control the Spirit, however, you may find
yourself face to face with a blizzard, or a sand storm, a hurricane or a
tornado. This is not a new teaching, but a hard lesson to remember.
The second area of conversation I remember from that evening had to do with the creative power of the Spirit. Hurricanes are not bad for coastlands—they bring nutrients to land. Blizzards bring moisture to crop land. The Spirit of God comes to create, create anew, and to heal. Jesus got at this idea when he made reference to Moses raising the bronzed serpent in the wilderness. This was an allusion to a story found in the book you call Numbers of your Old Testament (Num 21.1-10). The Hebrew people were complaining that God was not taking care of them. They had lost faith. So God allowed poisonous serpents to bite the people. Well, the people complained to Moses and Moses complained to God. God did not remove the poisonous serpents but did give Moses an antidote for the poison. The antidote was the placing of a bronze serpent on a rod for people to see. When people were bitten by the snakes (their disbelief, their anger, their addictions-- all the things that drive us away from God) they could choose to look at the bronze serpent and be healed. They were saved not by what they saw, but by God. Choosing to turn to look at the serpent is like turning to be healed by God (Brown, 133).
As Jesus was talking about the bronze serpent I realized that I was suffering from a snake bite. I was in the midst of a sand storm, a hurricane, a tornado. I had a deep and abiding hostility against the Chief Priest who chaired the Sanhedrin. I was angry at the way he had allowed money changers into the Temple space. I was jealous of his power in leading the Sanhedrin. I was angry that he did not value my scholarly gifts. I am a teacher of the law and yet found myself paralyzed by the poison of jealousy and anger. In this story Jesus was asking me to look into my pain. I was asked to look at it and then to remember that God can deliver me from that poison. Look not away from the hurricane, the tornado, the sand storm, the snake bite-- look into them and then look to the God who delivers. Do not complain about yourself, or others, or your health, or any of the storms of life-- pause and consider the God who saves and creates anew in the midst of turmoil. This reflection takes me to the third point Jesus was making.
Jesus, himself, was sent by God to help us remember this important lesson from the book of Numbers. God loves us. God loves each of us, even when we are unlovable. God loves us even when we are angry, jealous, fearful and mean. Jesus claimed to be sent by God to relieve our suffering. Jesus comes to free us, not condemn us. That night Jesus confided his suspicion that he might need to be raised up in the same way as the bronze serpent on the pole. I did not understand what he was saying then, but I understand it better now. Jesus was willing to be crucified, raised up on a cross, for our sakes. When we look at the cross and to Jesus we can be reminded of the deliverance God offers us: in this life and the next. When we look at the cross we can be healed from the poison of past mistakes, current fears, or present hostility-- we do not need to remain in bondage to them. Do you understand what it means to be freed from the poison of past mistakes, or the poison of health fears, or the poison of... you fill in the blank. To let go of these poisons is, I believe, to embrace life and life eternal.
It took me some time to process the conversation from that night. I had been
reminded of the power of God’s spirit. I had been challenged to look at the
bronze serpent and release the Chief Priest from poisoning my feelings. In time
I learned to pray for myself and for him. When Jesus died I took spices to his
tomb ( Jn 19:39). I continued with the Sanhedrin until a teaching position came
available in the Jesus wing of Judaism. I teach about law and grace from the
Torah, and from personal experience. I do not have all the answers about Jesus
or what it means to follow him. I am still learning. What I have experienced,
however, convinces me to keep asking questions and to keep following. Grace and
Peace to each of you as you keep questioning and following. Amen.