An Encounter with The Son of God (1)

You have heard it before you read about it, we sing about it and ponder it. But there are contradictions in his life. He is the lamb and the lion. A lawyer and a judge. He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. He is the God-Man (never did hyphen mean so much).

His teachings were the simplest and yet the most profound of all time. Tiny children were unafraid of Him, but the kingdom of darkness trembled when He came into the world. Guilty sinners found acceptance and peace in His presence, but the self-Righteous were strangely uncomfortable.

He came the first time in poverty and reproach. Majesty amidst the mundane. A clandestine God in the clothes of a man. He will come the second time in power and glory indescribable. He then will reign as king of kings and Lord of Lords forever.

His life was a paradox. The common people heard him gladly, but the priests, rulers and highly religious people rejected Him. He welcomed sinners, harlots, and thieves. He treated minority groups with dignity. Jesus showed compassion for the fearful, timid, and sorrowing, but rebuked the proud and self-sufficient. He comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable.  The result was that no one whose life he touched stayed the same. They either accepted him or rejected him.

His Ministry begins at Cana. It was a family affair. In answer to a request from His mother he turned water into wine. That’s what He wants to do with your life! Take the common and make it extraordinary. From there he went to Jerusalem and cleansed the temple. That’s what He wants to do with your soul temple! Then, that night, He had the interview with Nicodemus. And explained the essence of salvation – being born again. That’s what He wants for you!

Have you ever wondered what caused Nicodemus to come? He had stood in the shadows of the temple court and saw the whip of small cords as Jesus drove out the cattle and overturned the tables of the money changers. The temple court had become a marketplace and den of thieves. What is a marketplace? It is a place where you get what you have worked for. It is where you get what you have earned and earn what you get. It is the wrong place for a church. The church should be a gift shop. You cannot buy gifts when they are given.

Nicodemus witnessed from his shadowy position the first picture of divinity flashing through humanity. Picture Jesus as He stands surveying the noise and confusion. Then listen to the noise as it slowly dies down into a deathly stillness as the eyes of one man move over the crowd. Here are the victims of the merit mongers who had been sold the idea that they could work their way to heaven by buying sheep, goats, and doves, when sheep and doves were meant to be free.

In the crowd by one of the pillars, standing in the shadows was another man, a lone man. He was one of the religious leaders, a member of the Sanhedrin. He watched and was impressed. Nicodemus saw the merchants flee, the money changers scramble and the tables toppled. He felt the inexplicable power emanating from Jesus. He saw the tears, heard the voice, and saw the healings that day. He watched it all from the shadows. He didn’t run with the rest. He watched. TBC