Headquarter Happenings

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night . . . and there came also Nicodemus, which at first came to Jesus by night. (John 3:1-2a, 19:39)

Three windows are all the Holy Spirit gives us to understand His work in the heart of Nicodemus, that intriguing man who visited the Savior by night. Curiously enough, the trio of accounts are in the same Gospel, the one written by fisherman John.

We find the first in chapter three, so famous for its sixteenth verse. Here the influential teacher of Israel is introduced to us as he made his initial, secretive, nighttime visit. No specific reason is given for why he chose to approach Jesus after dark, but quite clearly he did not want to be seen. Whether that was out of pure fear, professional discretion, or simple practicality will remain a mystery until we get to heaven.

The scene closes after a lengthy answer by the Lord, in which He draws special attention to the striking Old Testament story of the bronze serpent. We have no recorded response of Nicodemus, but this prophetic illustration must have made a huge impression on him.

In chapter seven a second window opens, this time into a larger setting. A furious group of Pharisees and priests are scolding some of their officers who failed to haul in Jesus as ordered. As they ridiculed the men for being swayed by the Lord’s words, the whole bunch is stunned by a voice that spoke up in Christ’s defense.

It was Nicodemus.

Again the passage closes with no comment by the teacher.

The third and final window swings open in chapter nineteen, and this time we see things happening in the broad daylight of a crucifixion scene. As the Lord is being lowered from the cross a rich member of the Sanhedrin steps forward. This man has been in the shadows for a long time, afraid to identify himself with Jesus. But now, setting aside his fears, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for the crucified body.

As he goes to get it he is joined by another wealthy Jew.

Nicodemus!

Though it is impossible to enter his mind for the exact thoughts, the implication is that they were triggered by the “lifting up” of the Savior. For many months he had remembered, watched, hesitated . . . but when he saw Christ raised high on the cross the light of understanding pierced his soul.

This was what Jesus had told him would happen, back when they had had their private conversation. He was the one to look at! He was the one to believe in! He was the Savior who loved the world!

Nicodemus’ story can remind us all of an important truth as we sow the Gospel in tough hearts. God is not necessarily in a hurry like we usually are and can be working in a soul when we have no inkling of progress.

As His Spirit softens the mind and cracks its brittle arguments, the sinner is being guided to a specific crossroads. When it dawns on him that Jesus was crucified in his place, all the previous intellectual obstacles can be vaporized in a second.

And God alone will be glorified.

Dear Father, You are always doing way more than I realize, and Your calendar is perfect. Help me be faithful in sowing and confident in Your Spirit’s work.

After that He poureth water in a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. . . . For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (John 13:5, 15)

There is a certain concept of leadership that is faulty, or at least, incomplete.

It is the idea that leaders are mainly the visible and popular individuals, who are behind the podium, on the platform, speaking into the microphone. Often we see these people interviewed by the media, followed by crowds, and living in opulence. Unconsciously, we can adopt the common opinion that they are the image of leadership and generally define what it is.

Now I am not questioning that they are leaders. They usually are, for good or bad. But if we take a closer look at the matter in the Bible, we will discover that the real thing goes a lot deeper.

Take this passage in which Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, undeniably one of the noblest scenes of servanthood in all of Scripture:

The Savior saw a need and moved. His action spoke of initiative, of resourcefulness, and wisdom. It was stepping out to do what needed doing, regardless of whether others followed suit, agreed, or even understood what was going on.

That is exactly what a leader does.

He is one who assesses the situation in front of him and moves. With that movement, he instantly steps into a role of influence and becomes an example to follow: a leader.

It is significant that the Lord chose to act out this lesson Himself, rather than just refer to an Old Testament example. He took off His outer garments, rolled up his sleeves (so to speak), and started serving. The shock, bewilderment, and embarrassment this created among the Twelve was instantaneous. The Man now washing their feet was the Word, who according to this same Gospel, had created everything! They were scandalized, wondering how they had allowed the situation to come to this.

Quite in sync with his personality, Peter put up a fuss.

But the Lord did not back down. Why not? Was it just that He didn’t want to give in? Was He trying to shame them into service?

Clearly those were not His reasons. I believe He was trying to teach us all something extremely important about the very nature of godliness.

In Heaven, the dwelling place of the Most High, that ideal atmosphere where the Almighty lives, we will find serving others to be a part of the beautiful essence of the land. On this earth, where sin has warped human thinking, service is seen to be the career of the under-privileged, the lower class, the common man.

Who knows? Maybe in glory the Son of God will at times serve His disciples, as the eternal and perfect example of the way things really are. I don’t think we should be too surprised.

Remember, He does not change.

One double thought I believe is clear: we are all called to serve, and we are all called to lead.

Dear Father, give me a love for service. Help me see it as a privilege and act of obedience of the first order. Thank you for serving me even today as You intercede for me before the Father. I praise you for being so humble, so good, so consistent. Amen.

Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. . . . The blood of righteous Abel . . . By faith Abel . . . Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. (Gn. 4:8b, Mt. 23:35, Heb. 11:4, 12:1)

Many unusual and remarkable races take place on our planet. Some are individual; others require team effort. Some span entire continents; others cross forests, glaciers, or oceans. Some are on foot; others are on wheels, on animals, inside machines. Some use primarily muscles; others use mainly brains and savvy. Some take minutes; others take hours, days, months, or even years. Almost all have in common that they are in some way grueling and exhausting, and require dogged determination. Many also include the risk of serious injury or even death–and on and on.

But there is one race that dwarfs them all; so much so, that it really does not deserve to be placed alongside them for comparison.

Think about a race, a kind of relay race, that spans at least 6,000 years! What man or organization could keep the records? Who could possibly monitor and supervise it? By all human standards, a race that went beyond the death of all its directors and participants would not even make sense.

But this race is a real, literal race. It has an Organizer, start and finish points, registered participants, a specific timespan, and final rewards.

However, it does have some rather odd characteristics. For one thing, back when the race started, there were no human beings watching it. The first runners, after participating, then became the first spectators; well, sort of. To this very day, as each one finishes his or her leg, they are promoted into the heavens, from where they watch the rest of the event.

Each runner is unique, in almost every way, and so are their races. Some run for a long time, others hardly even seem to get warmed up. There are men and women and children from nearly every language, country, century, and social category. Each receives a brand new stage, customized for them, specifically prepared for their time and place.

This massive event has been going on since the Garden of Eden and a selective list of some of its important runners is found in Hebrews 11. The brief summary of each of their performances provides much food for thought.

For example, take the first on the list, Abel. I am always tempted to feel sorry for him. He had so little opportunity to run, being cruelly and abruptly bumped off the course before he could accomplish much at all. I’ve sometimes wondered if he could be nursing a tiny grudge because of his bad luck.

But that way of thinking is totally off track.

Why? Because the Master of the race is Jesus, the Eternal One. He’s the One who gave the initial pistol shot and who is calmly waiting at the finish line to announce the end of the contest.

He will individually and perfectly reward every faithful runner.

But is there any possibility that He might forget someone like Adam and Eve’s unfortunate boy?

Not a chance.

A few thousand years into the race He personally jumped in to run alongside some of His created ones. While running, He specifically honored His martyr Abel, and then had Matthew record His words, so that there would be no doubt that Abel was still on His mind! But just in case there still remained a few skeptics out there, He placed him on the first pedestal of faith in that famous eleventh chapter.

The Race Master’s records are perfect.

Now . . . I am in this race too.

And so are you, if you have believed in Christ. Moreover, it is a privilege beyond words to enter it and we only get one opportunity to run.

My only goal should be to be faithful and run well. The length of my race depends entirely on the Lord and is ultimately of no real importance.

Dear Father, many have run before me, but those in this list are carefully chosen for me to study and learn from. Please don’t let me ignore or neglect such an opportunity. Amen.