16 Jun Nicodemus | A Quiet Faith

Nicodemus has never been a Bible character who stands out to me. At first glance, his story seems to be a narrative on what not to do.  In John 3, Nicodemus sneaks over to see Jesus at night in order to ask him a series of less-than-insightful questions. Somewhere during this late night Q&A, Jesus launches into an instructional monologue, almost as if to keep him from asking any more questions. To me, Nicodemus has always and only been the guy who set Jesus up to say His most famous quote- John 3:16.

However, I took some time to get to know him a little bit better. As I looked into his story- one that is actually more than John 3- I gained a new perspective on who Nicodemus was.

Nicodemus was an influential man in his day and culture. As a Pharisee, he was a scholar whose education and knowledge surpassed the masses of his day. And, as a ruler of the Jews, he was a part of the Jewish governing system.

This powerful man, someone who would seem to have it all together, was willing to risk his wealth and position, although under cover of darkness, in order to move towards Christ.

Once he was with Jesus, he launched right into what he had come to discuss- Jesus’ identity and his own response to that. Unlike many of Jesus’ followers who walked away when they didn’t get the answers that they were looking for, Nicodemus stayed. He kept asking questions. Though he didn’t understand the things Jesus was saying, he seemed to realize that it didn’t matter. His faith was in the God of Israel, and he knew the characteristics of his God when he saw them (John 3:2). He was determined to come face to face with the Truth, no matter the obstacles.

Because of his position of leadership, he understood his responsibility for truth. He would be held accountable for his choice of beliefs; his actions, even his actions of faith, did not affect him alone. I can imagine that his personal response to the question, “Who is Jesus?”, was a response that influenced many who were watching him.

And yet, for most of John’s narrative, Nicodemus is absent. Almost to the end, we’re unsure if Nicodemus ever took that step of faith. Then, when it comes time to bury Jesus’ body, Nicodemus joins Joseph of Arimathea to prepare and bury him. The remaining eleven disciples had scattered at this point, and, while their faith is in tatters, Nicodemus steps forward to associate himself with a now dead Messiah.

His doubts and questions had not disappeared. Rather, he chose to act in spite of them. But, that is faith, isn’t it? It’s the quiet movement forward in the face of hardship and confusion; it’s the sure footing that carries a supernatural calmness with it- the moments of deep knowing that propel us towards Someone greater than ourselves, in spite of the obstacles before us.

We, like Nicodemus, encounter those moments as we follow Jesus. They often don’t feel like a crucible choice when we’re there. In much the same way, Nicodemus’s decision to meet Jesus at night likely felt small and inconsequential. It’s only in retrospect that we realize that something eternal was hanging in the balance; we see that God was doing something larger than what the moment seemed to hold.  We realize that His faithfulness-in the midst of our feeble attempt at faith-is the true prize, and we are, in some small way, a step closer to our eternal, redeemed character.

So, we have to ask ourselves, are we willing to act? Can we, like Nicodemus, risk our life’s work in order to take that step of faith?

Once we’ve taken those steps of faith, are we content to be quietly faithful? Nicodemus never had his moment in the spotlight. Except for a few passing mentions in John’s gospel, he is an anonymous follower of Christ. We, too, aren’t called to fame; we’re called to be quietly faithful with the work God puts in front of us.

In a world where we are able to post, share, or chat about every small thing we do, we must learn to make the daily sacrifices that a quiet faith requires. We must willingly lay down our hopes for recognition, and, instead, follow Christ in humble obedience. May our hearts’ motives be so pure as to quietly serve Christ throughout our lives and to seek our reward in heaven alone. May our great joy in life be that His name is made known, and may our dearest hope be to hear Him tell us, “Well done.”

-Megan Gaminde, Downtown Campus