n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 6
There are so many kinds of tension that we could talk about.
So often we look at the difference between where we want to be and where
we are, and have a negative or a depressed reaction. We might become angry
or afraid, even frustrated, and most acutely, anxious.
The Bible is one Tense Book.
If there’s a book that thrives on tension, it is the Bible. It is full of people
examining their current state and wondering when it is going to change. Think
of Abraham and Sarah waiting for their descendants who will be innumerable
like the stars. Or Moses who was asked to speak for God, despite his slowness
of speech and tongue. How about Simeon, who was told he would not die until
he saw the anointed one?
And who can forget the Israelites taken captive, stuck in Babylon, even
though they knew they belonged in Israel. There are countless examples I
could cite. The Bible is full of anxious waiting and reflection. But there is one
example in particular that I want to focus on and use as a model.
Nicodemus
At the time of the Lord’s ministry in the world, there was a ruler of the Jews
named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee. We often hear about the different
political classes in Jerusalem at the time, and they seldom are presented
in a favorable light. Usually they are trying to trap Jesus or trick Him into
blaspheming so they could have Him executed. This man, Nicodemus, was
quite different from his political brethren.
It’s true that Nicodemus, by virtue of being a Pharisee, was influential
politically, socially and perhaps even economically.
Nicodemus would also have been extremely educated. The Pharisees
were responsible for studying, interpreting and determining application of
the Laws of Moses. That’s a lot to read and understand at a time when the
majority of the population (97%) couldn’t even write their own names.
In addition to being well-off and learned, Nicodemus would have been
an extremely pious person. His job demanded it. His actions would have
been seen by the locals, and most importantly for his professional life, by his
colleagues. Regardless of how he felt and what he did behind closed doors,
his external life must ha ve shown his position in the leadership, from his dress
to his activities.
The combination of these, his political power, his social standing, and his
economic security, combined with his education and piety, would have made
him a very elite person, the kind of person you would let ahead of you in line,
or would step aside in a crowd so that he could pass.
224