Monday, February 18, 2013

Meeting at Night

"Christ and Nicodemus,"
Crijn Hendricksz, C. 1601
Following Jesus’ first miracle, where he turned water into wine at a wedding celebration in Cana, his “getting acquainted time” with five disciples, and his cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem during Passover – all of which were covered in recent posts, the Apostle John tells about an intriguing conversation held late at night. By the way, it is not clear that Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night because he was afraid or wanted to meet Jesus in secret. It is possible that he came to see Jesus at night because he knew he could have a more extensive conversation with him then without crowds of people clamoring for his attention.

In any case, this conversation is very interesting because it shows Jesus relating to an important Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of 70 men who were the religious leaders of Israel. It is estimated that there were approximately 7,000 Pharisees during the time of Jesus and they were an influential group in the 1st Century because of their knowledge of the law and Jewish traditions; they were also intellectuals with high ethical standards.

Pharisees play a prominent role in the New Testament – in large part because they are interested in the teachings of Jesus and Jesus takes them seriously. Unlike the Sadducees, who are collaborators with the Roman authorities, or the Zealots, who want to overthrow the Romans by force, or the Essenes, who separate themselves from society and retreat to isolated locations, the Pharisees were active and respected religious leaders.

Read the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus recorded in John 3:1-21. Don’t let your familiarity with this story get in the way of a fresh encounter with Jesus.

Did you notice how Nicodemus addresses Jesus? “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Nicodemus knew about the miracles Jesus performed in the early stages of his public ministry and he wants to know more about him. He is courteous and there is no hostility evident in how he approaches the young rabbi.

Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus is short and cryptic. He tells Nicodemus that unless he is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. By the way, this is only time the Apostle John uses the word “Kingdom of God” is his entire Gospel – unlike the other three Gospels where this term is used frequently.

It is hard to follow this conversation because the contextual framework of 1st Century Jewish religious beliefs is unfamiliar to many of us. Here’s the bottom-line: Jesus says that getting into God’s Kingdom is not the right or prerogative of any particular race or culture and you don’t pass qualifying exams by any legalistic practices. Jesus shares a mystery with this powerful Jewish leader – entrance into God’s Kingdom is by a direct act of God. It’s a gift of God. Being a high-ranking ancestor of Abraham isn’t enough.

As the conversation continues, Jesus explains with great authority that he will be “lifted up” – a direct reference to his crucifixion – and this sacrifice will be a cure for sin. To be a follower of Jesus and a member of his Kingdom require that this gift be received by faith. Jesus offers this gift to Nicodemus and now it is up to Nicodemus to decide for himself.

We don’t know what happens to Nicodemus or what he decides about Jesus’ offer, although I suspect he became a follower of Jesus. He is mentioned two more times in John’s Gospel. During a debate among Jewish religious leaders, Nicodemus takes on his colleagues for condemning Jesus without “finding out what he is doing” (John 7:50-52). But more importantly, Nicodemus assists Joseph of Arimathea in removing Jesus’ body from the cross and preparing it for burial (John 19:38-42). Why would he do this, why run the risk of an attack from those who demanded Jesus’ crucifixion, if he is not a believer? I think he does accept the offer of salvation from Jesus.

So What?

  • For some Christians, “born again” are special code words. It is so interesting to me that these words are only used here in Scripture and nowhere else. Have you ever had anyone ask you if you are “born again”? A positive response to this question doesn’t give you free access to the Kingdom of God. A life of faithful discipleship is much better proof!
  • There is a powerful mystery in this conversation and it reminds me of what one Biblical scholar wrote: “Is any conversation with Jesus easy?” Jesus’ responses to Nicodemus are hard for him to understand, as they are for us today. Salvation is a gift of God, not something we earn by heredity or legalistic behaviors. It is offered to all of us as a gift, but we need to accept the gift. “Born again” is better translated “born from above” – born by an act of God. Our response needs to be one of acceptance and gratitude.
  • How have you responded to this gift of God, this gift of salvation? If you haven’t yet or are uncertain about whether or not you have, this is a good opportunity to do so. There’s so much more to learn, but this is the important first step.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Cleaning House

“The first thing to notice about Jesus is the hardest thing for many Christians to notice about him. It helps if we back away for a moment from our Anglicized version of his name and call him Yeshua; better yet, Yeshua bar-Yosef, and do our best to envision him, a bronze-skinned young Middle Eastern man, lying down next to a low table to enjoy a meal with his friends. . . . He speaks Aramaic at home, a language we have never heard, and reads Biblical Hebrew in the synagogue. Even through layers of biography and translation (Aramaic to Greek to English) we can hear him say things we would never say and do things we would never do” (Andy Crouch, Culture Making, p. 134). 

"Casting Out Money Changers,"
Giotto di Bondone, 14th century
These words by Andy Crouch came to mind when I read the story of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple at a very early point in his public ministry. I would encourage you to read about this event in John’s Gospel (2:12-17). I can’t imagine doing that myself, although I might think about it! For many of us, the picture of Jesus we have been taught is of a very gentle man, a teacher, someone who we would be drawn to because of his warm, caring attitude.

But charging into the Temple, knocking over the merchants’ tables, scattering their coins, and dispersing their livestock – this is a radical act! Would you do this? How do you think Jesus’ disciples felt about this, so soon after they joined him as their rabbi?

After the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, an act that surely impressed the disciples, John tells us that Jesus went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover with some of his disciples, entered the temple, and caused havoc by overturning tables, making a cord of rope, and driving out the animals that were for sale to pilgrims for their sacrifices.

The other three Gospels record a similar event during the last week of Jesus’ life, but this encounter was different. While Biblical scholars argue about whether it was one event or two, it seems likely to me that there were two separate occasions when Jesus did this.* The first time there was no response from the temple authorities, but the second time so enraged the Jewish leaders that they took drastic action.

Let’s set the context. Throughout the history of Israel, the temple in Jerusalem played a very significant role. Solomon had the temple built around 950 B.C., but it was destroyed approximately 360 years later by the Babylonian Empire. Seventy years after its destruction, it was rebuilt on a modest scale, but in 20 B.C. Herod the Great began a major rebuilding project of the temple that was even more extraordinary than Solomon’s structure. This rebuilding project by Herod was completed in 63 A.D., many years after his death.

Herod’s temple was not only magnificent, it was also a huge financial center controlled by the Sadduccees. One of its major businesses was operated by money exchange dealers in the Court of the Gentiles. Many Jews who came to Jerusalem for Passover had Roman or other foreign coins that were not accepted in the temple. The leaders demanded that worshippers use certain Tyrian half-skeckel coins to pay their annual temple tax. You can imagine what the exchange rate was like – just like at today’s airports when you travel to Western Europe and need to exchange dollars for euros. For poor villagers, this was a painful welcome to Jerusalem!

The second major industry concerned the animals brought for sacrifice. If temple inspectors found the animals were blemished, the visiting worshippers were forced to buy “unblemished animals” at above market rates. Between these two businesses, a great deal of money was being exchanged in the temple and visitors were being exploited to the benefit of the merchants and the hierarchy that shared in the profits.

The temple and its crowded courts were thoroughly corrupted by merchants and their sponsors in the temple leadership. We know from historical records from this time that the temple leadership was corrupt and that the ruling elites had worked out arrangements with the Romans that allowed them to conduct business in this way.

This helps us to understand why Jesus is so enraged by what he sees. What is striking to me is that there is no resistance to what Jesus did! The temple leaders don’t respond, nor did the merchants or other visitors to the temple. In fact, it is likely that the Pharisees approved of what Jesus did.

For his disciples, as John notes, the prophecy that the Messiah would have “zeal for your house [that will] consume [him]” came to mind. This is a clear link to Old Testament prophecy. But when Jesus is asked by bystanders with what authority he did this, his answer was very mysterious. He said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days” (v. 19) – a response that neither they nor the disciples understood. This is a sign-post that Jesus deliberately puts in place to explain his mission, a sign-post that will only become understandable after his resurrection.

What a powerful story and what a dramatic beginning to Jesus’ public ministry! Is this the Jesus you know?

So What?
  • Have you ever been in a church or cathedral where there are many commercial booths in operation, where the area around the sanctuary is a hub of business enterprises? I admit this action by Jesus has come to mind on occasion. I do worry about how commercial our churches and their “coffee times” have become and how this can detract from a worshipful environment. Has this ever occurred to you? • 
  • For Jesus’ disciples, as well as for others, his teachings are sometimes difficult to understand and often not clear until years later. I think this is still true. There are times when I read teachings by Jesus in the Bible and simply don’t understand them at the time, but later they become clearer. Sometimes my uncertainty remains, but I still trust his words. There are times when Jesus doesn’t explain his teachings to his disciples until much later, when they have experiences that help them more fully understand what he said. I think this is still true today. Has this also been your experience? 
* NOTE: For my reflections on the second cleansing of the temple, see my post of June 6, 2011, “Get Out of This House!