A Soccerdad’s Love

Saturday, February 2, 2008 Nicodemus Embraces The Condition for Peace with God

The response of this respected leader to the condition Jesus outlined to peace with God has lessons for us. Max Lucado’s book, 3:16 …The Numbers of Hope is very much worth reading. Each person will draw different things from the book.

The book causes me to go to John 3 and read the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus for myself.. and allow God to speak to my heart the way He clearly has spoken to the heart of Mr. Lucado. Great devotionals are far more than reviewing an intellectual assessment of the scriptures. Great devotionals provide a wonderful opportunity to see how the heart of another man is moved by the words of the Bible as he thinks and ponders on its meaning for his personal life. We have the privilege of reading the thoughts and expressions that are placed on his heart.

Jesus had just said, “I assure you” to underscore the next thought he would share. Jesus then communicates, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kindom of God.” (John 3:3).

Nicodemus responds, “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” (John 3:4)… then Nicodemus asks another question.. yes, two (2) questions back to back, “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born”. (John 3:4).

Nicodemus may or may not have understood the spiritual dimensions of the response of Christ. Yet, the one thing is clear, Nicodemus embraced, fully embraced the condition that Jesus outlined to have peace with God. It is noteworthy he did not give the line of thought of the Pharisees to having peace with God… nor did he share the thoughts of so many that he tried his best to be a good man, and to live a life as consistent as he could by the scriptures. The role of Nicodemus as a public figure was to teach folks the way to peace to God and how one can be right with God.. in short, how one becomes a Christian.

Yet, Nicodemus put all those reasons that he personally believed or that he taught as a ruler to the side. Instead, he embraced, totally embraced, the condition that Christ outlined to peace with God. He did not offer another plan or way to be at peace with God. And later in this conversation Christ would address this condition from a different angle when he shared, “For God so Loved the World, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Tuesday, January 29, 2007 : Jesus Sheds Light on the Comments of Nicodemus: One Condition

Max Lucado’s book, 3:16 . . The Numbers of Hope, puts the popular verse, John 3:16, into proper focus. The verse of course arises out of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus has just indicated why he risked his personal reputation and status by coming to Christ at nite. He had just verbally expressed a position that was out of sync with that of his fellow Pharisees. Simply put, he had acknowledged that Jesus was a “teacher from God” and that God was “with him” (Jesus) (John 3:2).

It is not clear whether Nicodemus sought a similar affirmation from Jesus, … or sought to establish himself as different from his fellow Pharisees and wanted Jesus to know that he recognized and respected Jesus as a man of God.

Jesus does articulate what was required to see the kingdom of God. I like the phrase used by Billy Graham in the title of one of his books, “Peace with God”. The Response of Jesus was to clearly and simply communicate what was required to be at peace at God, “Unless one is born again, one cannot see the kingdom of God”. (John 3:3) There are conditions and requirements before one can be at peace with God.

The articulation of the condition to be at peace with God is an issue we all must address. Each person present must have also wondered what was required to be at peace of God.

Certainly, Nicodemus, as a public teacher of spiritual matters, had developed ideas on what was required to be at peace with God. Jesus does not mention that there are many possible ways or many vehicles for one to achieve peace with God and see the kingdom of heaven. He also does not mention any particular effort or code of conduct… good or bad each man must pursue. Instead, he mentions the spiritual act of “being born again.”

One can ponder long and hard on the words of Christ. This is the context of the Great Conversation where Jesus says the words of John 3:16, ” “For God so Loved the World, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Saturday, January 26, 2007 - A Final Word on a Great Inquiry from a Good Man

It has been nice to return to my quiet time this morning. It is funny that sometimes, I feel I do not have ten (10) minutes to spare for a short devotional. And then there are times when I realize how much I missed thinking about spiritual matters; and amazed at how much that feeds the inner soul.

This morning, I read about the initial response of Jesus to the opening statement of Nicodemus to begin, what has turned out to be, one of the great conversations in history. The response of Jesus at John 3:3 is itself filled with meaning: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. Yet, as conversations go between people there is often a delay or a pause between one speaker and the next. That is particularly true when men are carefully choosing their words and each thought is an expression of the heart.

Of course, that was true when this Great Conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus began to unfold. When Nicodemus had finished saying, ‘no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:3), there was naturally a pause and a brief moment of silence. To those present in the room that nite, it must have been a moment filled with inner reflection.

Nicodemus was a respected leader. He was a leader in a religious group, the Pharisees. He was known to be a man of character and integrity. In short, he was known to be a man who led a life that tried to mirror what he taught in the synagogues. The role that Nicodemus played in the public life of his day was to teach and lead others in spiritual matters. Nicodemus taught others what the Scriptures said and tried to follow those teachings himself. Nicodemus was a good man.

That fact is what makes the opening words from Nicodemus so meaningful. This good man, who sought to follow the teachings of scripture, had publicly acknowledged before others that God was with this man from Nazareth, one who was born in a manager, and who did not have the formal learning or training in scripture like him and his fellow Pharisees. Nicodemus clearly wanted to know more about Jesus and why God was ‘with him’.

All present in the room that nite understood that Nicodemus was inquiring about this relationship with God that Jesus possessed. This was indeed a great inquiry. Though Nicodemus could stand on his record of being a good man, Nicodemus clearly sensed there was something about the relationship with God that was different with Jesus… and that indeed, God was ‘with him”.

The Great Conversation was now underway. It begins with a inquiry into the relationship that Jesus had with God…. a relationship perhaps that Nicodemus also wanted for his own life. It was in this context that the conversation would end with the now famous words, “For God so Loved the World, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

My hope is that you guys.. Jonah, Josh & Joel.. would be be men of character and integrity. Good men. I also hope that you will make inquiries like Nicodemus into the relationship that Jesus had with God and covet that for your own life as well.

Dad

Thursday, January 17, 2008

This morning was a time to reflect on what drove or caused a deeply respected religious leader like Nicodemus to visit Jesus at night.. .and what he wanted to discuss with Christ that nite. There are probably many reasons that drove Nicodemus.

Yet, the thought that stays on my mind the most is that Nicodemus, as a dedicated religious leader, saw that not only were there large crowds following Christ but could see that the lives of the people following Christ showed changes in values, lifestyles and priorities. These life changes must have been so dramatic that several thoughts may have been triggered with Nicodemus that compelled the decision to visit Christ.

One thought may have been to know more about what Christ was teaching that was having such an impact. A separate thought may have been to know more about Christ himself as a man. An additional thought is that Nicodemus saw changes in the personal devotion and commitment of many and wanted to have a deeper commitment to God in his own life.
So, it must have been a shock to many at the house that nite when they discovered that the man who knocked on the door was one of the successful, respected religious leaders of the day who often taught others himself in the church and synagogue. Those present must have also wondered why a man of Nicodemus’ stature would risk damage to his career by a secret visit at nite and what drove Nicodemus to be there.

Of course, at this stage, the words of John 3:16 had not been spoken, and no one knew how the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus would turn out. This conversation between an established, religious leader and a non-leader who was changing the lives of people around him is the subject of Max Lucado’s book, 3:16…Words of Hope. The book itself is a reflection on John 3:16, “For God so Loved the World, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.”

My hope is that as you guys complete college and begin your careers, you will continue to explore spiritual values, and like Nicodemus, find a way to have a heart to heart talk with God about issues that mean the most to you.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

I often use Wednesdays as a day of catch-up or to rest a bit. Many professional offices such as doctors or dentists are closed half a day on Wednesday to provide a chance to get caught up on paperwork. In many rural areas, they also close half a day on Wednesday.

I became aware of the practice… which is what I call “a Wednesday reflection”.. when travelling to Blount County, about 45 minutes outside of Birmingham, one Wed years ago. Of course, at the time, I was a bit upset because I wanted to conduct some legal business that day. Yet, ever since then, I have made a mental note of the number of areas and businesses and professionals that change their routine on Wednesday.

I have gradually adpoted a ‘Wednesday reflection’ in my own life.. where I slow down a bit on Wednesday, take inventory of what’s going on in my life, pay bills, run errands and so forth. Today, I must pay Jonah’s rent, get $400 for mom and try to get my car tag renewed.

This morning, I had breakfast at ‘Cracker Barrel’ because Daniel took Joel to school. That gave me extra time to in Max Lucado’s book, 3:16…Words of Hope. The book itself is a reflection on John 3:16, “For God so Loved the World, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.”

The first chapter introduces the background and circumstances surrounding when Christ shared those words. Of course, the interesting thing is that these words were not shared during a time of preaching. Nor were they shared with the disciples of Christ as inside knowledge on what must a man do to be saved.

Instead, the words were shared during a private conversation with a man named Nicodemus. In his day, Nicodemus was a man of rank and stature. He was a religious leader who dedicated himself to the scriptures. Yet, the Bible says that Nicodemus waited until it was night time so he could visit Jesus and talk to him without being seen. One wonders what Nicodemus saw in the life of Christ that made him want to talk to Christ in private without being seen so he would not risk damage to his personal reputation other than to those who were always around Christ.

It is clear that there was something about the life of Christ that made a respected leader in the synagogue want a private conversation with him.. it makes one wonder what it was that Nicodemus saw….