The 20th anniversary of my high school graduation is this summer. I am really conflicted about whether or not I will go to it. There are a number of barriers to attendance. Part of me just doesn’t feel like carving the time out to go. That is perhaps the most superficial of reasons. Another piece of me doesn’t feel like explaining how the guy most likely to own a used car lot, became a priest in the Episcopal Church. I don’t really care for the-do you remember when-conversations. Mainly, because I do remember when, and now, I want to look forward.
The conflict really resides in wanting to know what 20 years has meant in our lives. I want to know how the people I knew, way back when, have turned out. I only know part of my classmates’ stories. It would be useful to know more.
We are given only a snapshot of the life of Nicodemus. We know him to be a Pharisee that approaches Jesus with a desire to understand more. Jesus gives him a confusing explanation. You must be born from above to grasp what Jesus is doing. Nicodemus can’t quite take this onboard. It doesn’t seem to make sense, being born a second time. Jesus means it is necessary to gain a new perspective and vantage point to get it. Perhaps, he means that is necessary to attempt to see the world as God sees it. Perhaps, he means to understand his teaching, one needs the aid of God, to see God and one’s fellow humans with the eyes of God. One must be remade to have this kind of vision.
Nicodemus fades from the scene, seemingly confused. He reappears twice in the Gospel according to John. His second appearance, in Chapter 7, shows an escalation of conflict, where Nicodemus’ peers seek to foil Jesus. Nicodemus speaks up that the law, which orders his ay life, demands a fair trial. This foreshadows the end Jesus will meet. Nicodemus appears a third and final time in the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to John. He is there with Joseph of Arimathea, to take Jesus body and prepare him for burial.
In each encounter with Nicodemus we see a person in process. He comes to Jesus first by night seeking understanding. He then incorporates Jesus into his vision of life by placing him within the law. Finally, Nicodemus’ new birth is complete, at the end, as he grants Jesus a decent burial.
Through the choppy story of Nicodemus, we are given a picture of the development of faith. It starts slowly and can be confusing. It becomes an integral part of our lives, touching every part of our lives. At some point along the way, we are reborn.
Through an unfolding process, we are granted a new vision from above. Then, we can see. We see something of the way God sees, and we see ourselves.
Maybe I will go to that reunion after all.
The conflict really resides in wanting to know what 20 years has meant in our lives. I want to know how the people I knew, way back when, have turned out. I only know part of my classmates’ stories. It would be useful to know more.
We are given only a snapshot of the life of Nicodemus. We know him to be a Pharisee that approaches Jesus with a desire to understand more. Jesus gives him a confusing explanation. You must be born from above to grasp what Jesus is doing. Nicodemus can’t quite take this onboard. It doesn’t seem to make sense, being born a second time. Jesus means it is necessary to gain a new perspective and vantage point to get it. Perhaps, he means that is necessary to attempt to see the world as God sees it. Perhaps, he means to understand his teaching, one needs the aid of God, to see God and one’s fellow humans with the eyes of God. One must be remade to have this kind of vision.
Nicodemus fades from the scene, seemingly confused. He reappears twice in the Gospel according to John. His second appearance, in Chapter 7, shows an escalation of conflict, where Nicodemus’ peers seek to foil Jesus. Nicodemus speaks up that the law, which orders his ay life, demands a fair trial. This foreshadows the end Jesus will meet. Nicodemus appears a third and final time in the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to John. He is there with Joseph of Arimathea, to take Jesus body and prepare him for burial.
In each encounter with Nicodemus we see a person in process. He comes to Jesus first by night seeking understanding. He then incorporates Jesus into his vision of life by placing him within the law. Finally, Nicodemus’ new birth is complete, at the end, as he grants Jesus a decent burial.
Through the choppy story of Nicodemus, we are given a picture of the development of faith. It starts slowly and can be confusing. It becomes an integral part of our lives, touching every part of our lives. At some point along the way, we are reborn.
Through an unfolding process, we are granted a new vision from above. Then, we can see. We see something of the way God sees, and we see ourselves.
Maybe I will go to that reunion after all.
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