"Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" the people demand of Moses. Think about it... It's been forty years and they haven't gotten anywhere. They've being doing nothing but wandering around in circles, eating the same manna and sleeping in tents. No wonder the people are impatient!
Listen to Joseph's gracious response: "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."
Nicodemus perceived God as a demanding task-master who had to be appeased with rules, and rules, and more rules. But in this late night conversation, he began to see God as one who loves, and forgives, and welcomes sinners home. And it changed Nicodemus' life forever.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great and you will be children of the most high." To be children of the most high is to be people who live by a higher standard.
John 3:16 was a flamboyant character. I never knew his original name (I think it was John Cook) but he changed it to John 3:16 when he became an evangelist in St. Petersburg, Florida. I don't even know if he is still preaching, but when I was an intern pastor in Florida, he was very well known.
Count yourself blessed every time someone smears your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that person is uncomfortable. You can skip like a lamb, for even though they don't like it, I do...and all heaven applauds.
Anyone can build a statue or hang a picture of Jesus. That's not enough. Jesus Christ is no bronze serpent on a pole. He's the crucified and risen Lord, and he calls us to live in relationship with him day by day. To lift high the Cross of Jesus is to serve others in his name and glorify him as Lord of all creation.
Walter Wink talks about the Third Way which Jesus embodies and teaches. It is a third way beyond both passivity and conventional violence. It is an alternative to both fight and flight. This Third Way that Jesus promotes enables people to resist violence so that love prevails.
Nicodemus is a decent man, yet decency is not enough. His world, like ours, must hear time and again that a society short on mercy is an offense against God. The Nicodemus story in John ends before the resurrection. Our story as Church depends on the resurrection.
After Jesus breathed his last and the Roman soldiers hoisted him down from the Cross, two men stood there to receive his body. One was a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea. He provided the tomb. The other was Nicodemus. He brought costly myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus' body for burial. (John 19:38-40)