A Fair Hearing

John 7:45-52

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

...............

Nicodemus is a fascinating character in the New Testament. In chapter three of John's account, Nicodemus has a private evening conversation with Jesus, asking him questions and getting some surprising answers. Why did they meet at night? Probably because Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees, the group of religious leaders who were largely opposed to Jesus. During this late night conversation, Nicodemus is told that he must be "born again" in order to enter God's kingdom, which seemed to confuse him. The chapter ends without a clear picture of whether Nicodemus believed Jesus or not.

Now, in chapter seven, Nicodemus reemerges. Jesus does no miracle in this chapter. He is asked by his unbelieving brothers whether he will go to the Feast in Jerusalem. We are told that Jesus is already under threat of arrest and possibly death. He goes to the Feast privately, but is drawn into open debate about his authority. John records several responses from the crowd, some of whom deny this could be the Messiah, but some are becoming convinced by both the miracles and the teaching they hear. We also read that the Pharisees attempted to have Jesus arrested at this time, but the guards actually returned empty-handed simply because his teaching was so uniquely powerful!

In response to these guards, the Pharisees are dumbfounded. Who is this man? The religious leaders don't endorse this, so why is everyone so smitten with him? They curse the crowd for being so insubordinate.

And then Nicodemus speaks up.

Little Nicodemus who has met with Jesus in private, probably for fear of his colleagues finding out that he was interested in Jesus. He spoke up and asked his fellow leaders to give Jesus a chance to speak for himself. He called them to consider that their own law did not allow an accusation without first hearing testimony. But they were not interested in fairness. They didn't even answer his reference to the law. Instead, they just berated Jesus for being a Galilean. He was different, strange, not from around here. He therefore did not deserve to even be heard.

What gets in the way of us actually hearing Jesus speak for himself. Do we give him a fair hearing? Do we buy the stereotypes that others have told us? Do we associate Jesus with some foreign culture or strange zealous cult? Do we judge him by appearances? Have we really read and researched to understand the most accurate picture possible?

Are we like the Pharisees who judged him without a hearing? Are we like Nicodemus who wanted his friends and colleagues to give him a chance? Or, if we really heard Jesus, would we be more like the officers, unable to carry out our judgment because we have never heard anything like this before?

Who are you?

(re)Learning Who God Is

Luke 11:11-13

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;  or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

...............

This chapter begins and ends with passages that challenge us to relearn the nature of God.

The first passage, on the surface, is just about prayer. But it is also about the nature of the One to whom we pray. And that nature is summed up in the word "father."

We are so removed from this first century Jewish context, but this characterization of God is just as radical today as it was then. Why else would Jesus have to appeal to these contrasting examples of bad friends and bad fathers who know how to give good earthly gifts? He is having to help us unlearn and then relearn who God is - really learning for the very first time that God is an abundantly generous and attentive father who listens and cares for his children. The contrast is both quantitative ("how much more") and qualitative (fish/egg vs. Holy Spirit). God is not just a father, but the preeminent father par excellence.

The chapters closes with another passage that challenges prevailing notions of who God is:

While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. (Luke 11:37-38)

At this dinner table, we are confronted with a vision of God that threatens our religious habits and preconceived notions of what is right and proper in the eyes of God. Ceremonial hand washing appears to have been so basic to Jewish decorum that neglecting to do so was astonishing. Again, what is really going on here is a revelation of God's character in contrast to the notions of the time, even among the religious leaders, who should have known better.

Why does this misconception of God really matter? It seems like a small matter to mistake some aspect of God's character, like his fatherhood or his distaste for extra-biblical rituals. But, in fact, these blind spots in our vision of God are paramount and have severe repercussions, which is why Jesus reacts so strongly to the Pharisees. In their case, he uses the hand washing topic as a springboard to describe how their false metaphysical position has resulted in a litany of injustices and sins, often committed in the name of the God they had so grossly misunderstood.

We must strive to see God for who He really is, and thus avoid the woes of the Pharisees ourselves. Do I really grasp the Fatherhood of God, his generosity and grace, or his version of justice? Have I searched and submitted to God's Word in order to have a more balanced and accurate view of God's character? Because of the fall and the lingering affects of our sinful nature, this will not come naturally. In fact, it takes an act of God's Spirit to open our blind eyes to the truth of God's love and justice displayed in Christ.

I pray for the humility and faith I need to unlearn and relearn who He truly is. Fortunately, if we ask, seek, and knock on this door, we have assurance that this request will be met by a gracious Father who wants us to know Him and receive the good gift of Himself.

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  (Luke 11:9-10)