The story of Jesus and His dubious religious leaders continue with the leaders sending some of their temple guard to bring Jesus in for questioning. No doubt Jesus knew why they had come, but He was not intimidated, but continued to speak openly without fear of what they could do to Him.
The troops listened to the discourse between Jesus and the people in the temple and must have been blown away by what they heard. He talked like no one else and with the authority that He knew what He was talking about. They could not even fulfill their mission, but came back to the council empty handed. When the leaders asked why they had not obeyed their orders, the soldiers just said that this Man was different. His words rang with authority, and they were too awestruck to lay a hand on Him.
The Pharisees accused them of being fooled by Jesus. "No doubt this man speaks well and has a certain charisma, but He is a Galilean and we know that no future Messiah can come from up there. Forget Him and do your job."
Then Nicodemus spoke up and reminded them of the portion of the law that said that no man should be judged without a hearing, and maybe they ought to listen before making a judgment like that. But the leaders mocked him as well as the temple guard, by asking Nicodemus if he was a man of Galilee also. They told him that he should go back and see if it was not true that no prophet arises from up there.
Sometimes we give Nicodemus a hard time because he came to Jesus by night when it might not be noticed. But he came. He came to inquire of the Man who taught with such authority. Nicodemus knew authority when he encountered it. He was on the religious council, the body charged with the spiritual and moral upkeep of the Jews during that time of Roman occupation. As long as the land was somewhat peaceful, the Roman authorities let the Jewish people have some autonomy. Nicodemus took a risk, in that council, by even suggesting that the leaders might ought to take a second look at Jesus, rather than dismissing Him because of where they thought He came from.
Maybe God gave Nicodemus a little nudge even though he was surrounded by men that ranked higher on the spiritual ladder, at least from an earthly point of view. Could God be telling one man of that group that maybe they might be relying on what they thought rather than God's will? Would he be committing political suicide by questioning authority in this case?
Where and when do I need to stand up? In a church council of men that I consider much more spiritually astute than I? In a secular setting when there is an antagonistic attitude and speech about something religious? In a group where the name of Jesus is degraded?
If God gives me a check, I need to take a risk, regardless of the setting. My risk could be one of two things; the risk of my self image to those in which group I might be, or the risk of God's disappointment. No need to worry much about which is the most important in the long run, that is a given.
God, help me to stand when You lead, and keep my mouth shut when it is just me talking. Help me to know the difference.
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