Night had finally settled over the town. It was time for his mission. The dark blanket of sky lit only with a handful of stars and a sliver of moon offered the perfect cover. And he was ready. So ready. Pulling the hood of the dark cloak tightly around his face, he tiptoed to the door, carefully lifted the latch, and slipped through the portal. Pausing on the stoop, he furtively glanced to the right and left, studied the neighboring houses, searched for signs of people milling about. No one. The neighborhood was silent, still. Good. Quietly closing the door behind him, he hurried down the street, making a quick turn into an alley at the sudden sound of approaching voices. He didn’t want to be seen. Couldn’t afford to be recognized. Wasn’t interested in the possible consequences of being followed. Winding his way around buildings and down alleys, Nicodemus finally reached his destination, squared his shoulders, and prepared himself to find the truth.
Slipping up to the door, Nicodemus knocked and held his breath. He forced himself to stand tall and still as he waited. It didn’t take long. As Jesus’ face appeared around the open door, Nicodemus released his pent-up breath. He had made it. Safely. No one had seen him. No one had questioned his movements. No one knew where he was. Except Jesus. And it was safe here. Safe to ask questions. Safe to find understanding. Safe to place his faith in what he believed to be true, in what all the evidence suggested was the truth. Because there was more to Jesus than everyone thought. He wasn’t just a miracle worker with special dispensation from God. He wasn’t only a gifted teacher sent from Heaven. Those were the things everyone believed. Everyone knew from the visible evidence that Jesus had been sent to earth by God. There had been no subterfuge, no effort to hide the fact. There was also no arguing with his miracles. Proof right before their eyes. A mountain of evidence manifesting that Jesus was absolutely heaven-sent. God-given. A gift to mankind. A teacher full of spiritual revelation. They all knew it. Nicodemus knew it. But he also believed there was more.
Perched on the edge of his seat, his head full of questions and his time limited by the few remaining hours of darkness, Nicodemus plunged right to the heart of his visit. There was no reason for small talk. He didn’t care about the weather or what type of flowers were blooming out front. He wanted to get to know Jesus. Really know Him. So he started by stating what he already knew and believed. What everyone already knew. What the physical evidence had proven to be true. God had sent Jesus. To them. Everyone knew this to be true. It was irrefutable. His miracles had given Him away. He was sent by God. The question remained, was He the promised Messiah, or simply a teacher, a prophet, a person with the gift of healing?
The facts of His power spoke for themselves. No one could do the things Jesus did unless they were authorized by God. Everyone knew that. Whether or not they chose to publicly admit it, they knew it. It was undeniable. No one had come along with healing power since a handful of old prophets centuries ago. Even John the Baptist, with all his preaching and baptizing, hadn’t performed miracles. Only Jesus had done that. But it wasn’t just the miracles for Nicodemus. It was more than that. It was the way He taught. It was the things He taught. It was how He confidently referred to God as “my Father.” It all held an air of more. More presence. More power. More authority. And Nicodemus was starving to know if he was right, if there was more. More to know. More to experience. More Jesus for mankind.
Nicodemus’ instincts were spot on. There was more to have than simple knowledge about Jesus. There was a relationship. With Jesus. In fact, relationship with Jesus was imperative. He needed it. He needed to repent and be born again. He needed spiritual life breathed into his soul. He needed to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and place His faith for salvation and eternal life in Jesus alone. Not in knowledge. Not in tradition. Not in religion. Not in all the laws he could quote or his own obedience to them. No. Nicodemus had to know Jesus. Personally. He had to obey Jesus. Daily. Eternal salvation was available, but only to those who believed that Jesus was God’s Son, who obeyed His commands, who daily lived in relationship with Him. Though many others chose not to, Nicodemus believed. (John 3:1-21)
Jesus wasn’t alone in telling His story and calling people to Himself. In another town, John the Baptist was preaching the same gospel. Inspired by God, he was busy teaching that Jesus was God’s Son. The miracles were from God. The teaching was about God. The Teacher was God. His own Son. The fulfillment of prophecy. God in human flesh. Over and over, he pointed out the truth. Jesus was God. The Messiah. They still weren’t getting it. Refused to believe it. He had no idea what it would take to make them believe. Finally, in words that could not be misunderstood, he told them. “Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and enters an obedient relationship with Him will have eternal life. Everyone who denies Him will experience eternal death.” It couldn’t have been plainer. No one could miss the facts. They were as obvious as Jesus’ miracles. Everyone who had seen the miracles and heard the teaching knew how to find eternal life. They all knew. Still, not everyone chose to find it. (John 3:22-36)
It’s such a familiar story. Not the one about Nicodemus. The one about humanity making poor choices. The one where people seek book knowledge and degrees and titles and status, but never seek eternal life. The story where the activities and pull of the world are more important than sitting at the feet of Jesus. The one where full church seats on Sunday are not indicative of full obedience on Monday. The tale where selfish humanity begs God for physical and financial miracles, but offers nothing of themselves in return. Not their time. Not their money. Not their resources. The deeply disturbing narrative so prevalent in our day, where everyone knows the truth in their heads, but denies it in their hearts, because the social construct is to serve yourself, love yourself, care for yourself above everything else. It leaves no time, no space to follow the command of Jesus to love God with your entire being and love others as you love yourself. It is a story that allows no place for an obedient relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter what you know. It is a story about humanity, a depiction of the human heart, that hasn’t changed since the dawn of time. What you know doesn’t matter. Who you know does. (John 17:3)
You see, knowing about something means nothing unless you employ that knowledge. You can know all about Jesus, His miracles, His teachings, His promises, but if you choose not to take it a step further and actually know Jesus Himself, your knowledge is useless. It will gain you nothing. Not forgiveness. Not peace. Not eternal life. You can quote the entire Bible in the original language, pontificate on the historical meaning of every passage, interpret the words of Jesus to the best of your ability, but unless you choose to enter a relationship with the Author, all you know is the Book. A collection of stories. A list of ancestors. A tome of teachings. Unless you know Jesus, you know nothing. But when you know Jesus, you know everything you need to know.
This was the whole point of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. The man came to Him, an avid student of Jesus’ teachings and miracles, knowing all about Him. He had listened to every religious leader’s opinion regarding Jesus. He had listened to his neighbors and friends ideas. He had gathered as much information as possible. He knew everything he could about Jesus. It all meant nothing. Until Nicodemus came to know Jesus personally. That personal knowledge was the point of all the miracles and signs. The sole purpose. To draw people to Jesus. To bring them near. To foster a relationship. Proper relationship. Obedient relationship. Jesus wanted to bring people, all people, to a place where their sins were forgiven and their eternity was settled. Jesus came to know people and to be known by people. He came to be in relationship with us. All of us. It is the reason He came. Relationship with God the Father. Peace through the blood of the cross. Erased sin. Evaporated guilt. Eternal life. We can all have it. We can all know Him. Not just about Him. We can have more than knowledge. We can have a relationship. We can know Jesus. He is everything we need to know. (John 14:15; Deuteronomy 5:33; I Samuel 15:22; I John 5:12; Colossians 1:20; 2:14)