Gospel Noir
Does Jesus have a good reason for not trusting Nicodemus?
by Russell Rathbun
Gospel Reading: John 3:1-17
For Sunday, March 20, 2011
Year A – Second Sunday in Lent
Danger, distrust.
Meeting in the shadows after dark, coded language and obtuse similes. What we have here is Gospel Noir.
This is one of those texts that are so well know, so well worn that is hard to read, like to stay focused and hear it, see it. What I see, here is Jesus walking down the street, after the bars have closed, collar pulled up against the cold, hat pulled down, shoes slapping against the wet cobblestone. In a hurry.
Nick, sort of half steps out of a dimly lit doorway. Letting himself be seen, he motions Jesus over. Jesus nods to him and heads over, not exactly hesitantly, but not enthusiastically. Then the two exchange a couple of sentences, almost speaking past each other, like it is two parts of a prearranged signal, or maybe it is more like verbal sparing. Nick is checking Jesus out to see if he really knows his stuff, is who he says he is. He doesn’t entirely trust Jesus yet.
Nick: Rabbi, we know you are from God — no one can do what you can do apart from God.
Jesus: No one can see the kingdom of God with our being born from above.
Nick: Born from above? How can I reenter the womb?
Jesus: What’s flesh is flesh, what is Spirit is Spirit; you were born of water, now you need to be born of Spirit.Back and forth they go, sparring. When I have read this in the past it always seemed like Nicodemus was down on one knee and Jesus had his hand on his shoulder giving him the words of life and welcoming him into the Kingdom—but as I read it now, Jesus is clearly standoffish, answering in a way that doesn’t exactly invite intimacy. He keeps Nick at a distance. This is not my Noir-ish fantasy, the writer of John actually sets up the scene that way.
Verses 2:23-25, explain that many believed because they saw the signs but Jesus did not trust them, would not entrust himself to them because he knew all people, he didn’t need anyone to tell him what people were like—he knew what was in everyone.
Is Nick So Different?
Is seems like Jesus has been hurt in the past—or he knows he is going to be hurt in the future. I never thought of Jesus not trusting people before, being a little leery. It makes me wonder if Nick is just the first of the religious leaders to try and get the goods on Jesus, and Jesus is onto him. Why is Nick treated so differently in the history of interpretation than other religious leaders? Jesus treats him the same as the others.
The Hardest Question
Does Jesus have a good reason for not trusting Nicodemus?
I, too, am preaching this text.
I’ve never considered that Nicodemus wasn’t sincere in his quest for answers. I figured the cover of night was as a shield so his less than quest-appreciative colleagues wouldn’t know what he was doing. I didn’t think the darkness was a foreboding hint of his character. Still. The possibility that he was colored by the same cloth of his Pharisaic brothers is reasonable.
But the thing is Nicodemus does show up again in a positive light in the Gospel (7:50 & 19:39). And John the Gospel writer, is very deliberate in telling us that, yes, this was the same Nicodemus. So, even if he’s not sincere in this instance, obviously he chews on Jesus’ words and decides maybe there is something to this guy after all.
With the Law you have control in living a Godly way, and if you don’t you’re in bad trouble. But in Jesus’ words the Spirit is like the wind. No control of where it goes, how hard it blows, etc. You don’t move the wind. If anything moves, it’s you by the wind’s force. Go ahead, fool. Try to push the wind and see what happens.
So, this new perspective is about letting God move you in the Spirit instead of you thinking you can move God by your adherence to the Law.
March 17th, 2011 at 3:36 pmI want to echo Jennifer here. Nicodemus comes back…and is at the cross in the light of day by the end of John’s story. Tradition holds that he actually gets it. He becomes a follower of Christ. Whether or not he has to prove himself to Jesus is a good questions, however. I think he does…just like all seem to at some point. Giving all we have over to the Lamb is terrifying, but it is what is required to follow. Jesus asked that, nay, demanded it. Those who could not (see: rich young man in Matthew), were sent away empty.
March 18th, 2011 at 8:49 amI think Nicodemus though a real person may also be part of the double entendre metaphor. Nick is us. Nicodemus is present at the edges of John’s Gospel, never a central player, but standing off looking on trying to get the whole Jesus thing. Just like us keeping to the edges, playing it safe, looking in from the outside, testing the waters. And then there is the cross and committment.
March 18th, 2011 at 1:03 pmI don’t know if Jesus was being standoffish or simply using the idiom of religious debate to show how the Pharisees were, indeed, right about law but wrong about salvation. Also let’s not forget that Nick does show up two more times. The hardest question for me is the eschatological one: if faith comes easier for some and harder for others are we comfortable with that? What if Nick died right after this encounter, would he be welcomed to life with God even with his pre-emerging faith and his half-formed questions still bouncing around his head? I think I know my thoughts on that but I’d love to hear others.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:34 pm