Much has been
made of the fact that Nicodemus seeks out Jesus at night. Beyond the fact that doing so makes sense for
a man of his social and religious status, I cannot resist the thought that
coming to Jesus at night is as much a declaration of the time of day as it is a
description of the condition of his life.
Not unlike many of us wrapped up in our self-importance and busy lives,
it is often in the dark and silent moments of our lives that we finally hear
the “still and silent” voice of God, calling us. When that moment comes we set aside all our
rank and pretense to seek him.
In Nicodemus’
case, perhaps only rank is set aside, since his opening salvo is dripping with
propriety and pretense. He is, in
typical Jewish fashion, laying on the compliments in order to elicit a similar
response from Jesus. Don’t get me wrong;
what he is saying is altogether true.
After all, I am sure that by now Nicodemus is aware of the miracle in
Cana, the temple incident, and perhaps even news of the many miracles Jesus has
been performing during the Passover season in Jerusalem. He has his facts in order. But he begins his encounter with typical
flattery.
It is funny how
we often think that God, who Jesus has come to reveal, is somehow impressed or
even moved by our platitudes. Let me be
clear, God is not dependent or in need of our praise to be moved to act on our
behalf. Nicodemus feels it is necessary
to shower Jesus with praise. But as was
stated just a couple of verses prior, Jesus does not need human affirmation in
order to be convinced of who he is or to validate his mission. Nicodemus, to borrow a well-known phrase, had
Jesus’ heart “from ‘Hello.’” The same
applies to despicable me. Whatever the
time of night (or day)—he is waiting for me to approach Him. I can even come and do nothing but sit and be
quiet. He already knows what I
need. If only I aside the formalities
and sit a spell. I always will find a most
willing Friend.
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