Search
September 17, 2023: Having the Spirit of God Within
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One of the more spiritually fascinating stories in the Gospels is that of Nicodemus coming out in the dark of night, searching out Jesus for a quiet, one on one conversation. I’ve always been struck by the contrast between Jesus and the good-hearted Pharisee. Nicodemus was an elder, wise gentleman at this point in his life, with years of religious experience and wisdom. Jesus, the much younger of the two, being the perfection and Creator of every virtue. Yet, the older religious leader who knew the Law inside and out, sought out the younger Teacher because his heart was stirred at the words our Lord spoke, alongside the miraculous actions that came from his voice and hands.
Nicodemus understood that no one could do what Jesus did, and no one could teach with such authority as the Lord did, unless they were from God. Nicodemus knew in the deepness of his heart that God was at the heart of all that Jesus said and did. What he did not yet know, and what the good Pharisee was trying to figure out was, “How much of God was in this man from Nazareth?”
We may tend to think the same thought about some folks we personally know in our lives. People we encounter daily, or even someone we meet in a short moment of time. A person who causes us to think in that short space of contact, “Wow, this person has the Spirit of God within them.” Or, we may pause to reflect upon any of the Saints in the Communion, and how much “Godness,” if you will, did they have going through their physical and spiritual veins. Honestly, I ponder this much of the time when trying to figure out some folks I’ve encountered, or folks I’ve known for long periods of time. How much “God” do they have going on in their lives? I understand, obviously, they are not God. But they sure look, act, and speak like God much of the time from what I’ve seen and heard.”
This would be Nicodemus with Jesus, and searching out the Lord to arrive at a deeper and more accurate understanding of just who this man from Nazareth is. What we can call “The Search of Nicodemus,” the search for wanting to understand how much God is present in any given person, is one that affects each of us, if we’re open to such a search in ourselves and others. I’ll say one thing; the search for God in another person’s life (as well as our own, or course), is far better than searching for the lack of God in another’s person’s life, or our own. It’s way too easy to be critical of someone else who, in obvious ways, lacks an awareness of God’s internal presence in their lives. Where a person has no interest in the Lord as their Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and Friend. It would not be inaccurate to say this abounds in our present, secular culture, where the search for how much God is present in the lives of others and ourselves is, shall we say, questionable, or even non-existent.
Of course, this should not happen to a professed Christian, for the Lord himself tells us that to see the face of others, especially the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, and I would add the unborn child, is to see the face of God. This leaves lots of room for trying to search for God in the lives of those who do not know through authentic faith, or no faith at all, the living and risen Lord. I suppose a professed Christian would at least see the religious potential in the life of, say, an atheist. Personally, I see this potential with self-professed Catholics serving in public office who support the horror of abortion in any way. The potential they hold to see God in the unborn, the preborn life of a child, and not just the circumstances that will surround any given pregnancy. Such a person holds within themselves the greatest potential for a turn to God through conversion to right thinking and practice. They actually hold the potential to become Saints in the eyes and service of the God who created them. The God who gave them life through parents who chose to bring them forth, leading to the growth of who they now are.
The Search of Nicodemus, wanting to know who this guy Jesus really is, is to be our search as people who do our best to live faithful lives, as well as lives of faith. Nicodemus knew at this point, after a few instances of being in the Lord’s presence, witnessing and hearing Jesus the man, that he needed to know more. Through the Spirit’s inspiration, this Pharisee was moved to make certain decisions that other Pharisees, if they knew he was searching out Jesus, day or night, would have accused him of cooperating with a person who threatened their positions of authority and power, their positions of wealth and easy living. Pharisees did not have to be concerned about where their next meal came from, unlike the blind beggar who planted himself each day at the Pool of Siloam. The heart of Nicodemus was stirred to know more of the important, factual details about Jesus of Nazareth and who he really was/is.
How incredible would it be if Nancy Pelosi went on the deepest search for Jesus in her lengthy life at the age of 83, and came out the other side of her search as a pro-life advocate, understanding that this belief is fully consistent with knowing the Person of Christ Jesus? Or even her good friend, the local Congressman? How earth-shattering would it be if they took up The Search of Nicodemus in their faith lives, searching heartily and hungrily for who the real Jesus is – The Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Author of Life, the Creator of Adam and Eve – and came out the other side of their search with a new, accurate, holy, and profound understanding of what Jesus calls us to in our worship of him? Wow! The stars would be shaken, the angels would rejoice, the choirs of heaven would belt out a tune in the not-so-political dreams of these two people, and I believe God himself would reach down, shake their hands, and say, “I forgive you. Welcome home.” Which is far, far better than playing Russian Roulette with their faith in Christ Jesus as the Giver and Author of all life.
The Gospel that has within its chapters The Search of Nicodemus, John, Chapter 3, was the Gospel the Church proclaimed this past Thursday on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. When we consider that God came to us in Person, that the Word became flesh, having suffered and died for us so that we may live forever, how can we not consider a much deeper search in our lives about the man Christ Jesus? Where not even the most intrenched politician would bypass a greater search in their life for this Man? Many of us would say that God sure had a strange way of bringing about salvation for a world in crisis. A cross? For his only-begotten Son? Really? Is that the best God could come up with? The Answer? Yes, it is. Instead of taking the easy way out by stretching his hand across the universe for all time saying, “I forgive all of you for your disobedience, your violence against one another, your cheating and scandals, your amount of waywardness that only I can keep track of,” God knew the best plan for our eternal life was to send his Son into the world as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, our sin, proving who he is through being raised by his Father on the third day after death. Who would not want to go deep in their search concerning the One who carried out this unexpected plan to perfection? This is one situation where more curiosity would not kill the cat, but lack of more curiosity may kill our souls. The same soul Jesus warns about in the Gospels to protect at all costs, making certain it does not get killed with the death of our bodies.
The Search of Nicodemus, however, is more than curiosity. Jesus is not a side-show, or a circus act. And Nicodemus knew this much. The Good Pharisee was blessed with a healthy spiritual understanding that Jesus was from God. This is a good place to start with any level of search for the greater understanding of who Jesus is. We live in a time when even some Catholic college presidents, or local high school administrators in this section of the world, fall far short of understanding the deeper meaning of who the Lord truly is, openly contradicting their own local Bishop, a Bishop who has searched and knows the deeper meaning of Jesus in humility and truth. Instead, they keep God’s struggling children at a greater distance from Jesus his Son who calls us to holiness and chastity, affirming confusion as something to be protected. Strange indeed. This is far from The Search of Nicodemus. Nicodemus would have seen such things for their source, walked away from them, and drawn himself closer to the One he needed to know more about. This Good Pharisee would have understood with clarity that God does not make mistakes, and certainly does not deceive. Such belongs to the ancient serpent, with whom some college presidents and high school administrators apparently and blindly participate.
The Search of Nicodemus, whether attempted in the dark of night or the open light of day, is a search meant to lead all people to a deeper understanding of the fullness of truth of who Jesus is. God’s Church holds top priority, and has held it for 2000 years and running, on what these truths are. The Search of Nicodemus was, we pray, a search that led to his conversion to Christ Jesus, the younger man from Nazareth. Nicodemus had a personal “Jesus talk,” the same talk we all need, some more than others. His courageous search was for accuracy in understanding this man Jesus who boiled Nicodemus’ conscience. May we as individuals and a world imitate the Good Pharisee.