|
| It was in a quiet spot near the temple in Jerusalem
that they met. There were three of them, all members of the Sanhedrin,
the Jewish Council. |
| EZRA: | You're saying, Nicodemus, that this carpenter
from Nazareth, this Jesus, is no ordinary carpenter. |
| NICODEMUS: | Look, Ezra, I wasn't really commenting
on his carpentry, though I have heard it said that he made the
best-fitting yokes in the north. But he's left that now - he's
a teacher! |
| JETHRO: | And some teacher, I hear! That's what has
us worried. That's what's got the whole Sanhedrin worried! I mean,
the man has no authority from us to go around teaching. What authority
has he got? |
| EZRA: | Jethro's right. Even if he says some good,
helpful things, lives an unselfish life… I mean, where might
it end? Where would we all be if anyone could just get up and
start teaching? |
| NICODEMUS: | I can see what you're worried about, Ezra,
but... isn't that how it always was with the prophets? If
they'd had to wait for official approval, we wouldn't have the
Scriptures today! The officials didn't have much time
for what the prophets said! |
| JETHRO: | Careful, Nicodemus! Lower your voice! You
know that the priests are still a bit touchy about that! |
| NICODEMUS: | Sorry! ... It's a long time since
there's been a prophet, and things have been so dark... the
Persians, the Greeks, now the Romans! |
| EZRA: | Ah, but there is comfort in
the Scriptures! |
| NICODEMUS: | But is there hope? |
| JETHRO: | Hope, you ask? We've had a chance to think
about that. There's a thread through the Scriptures - God has
promised someone - a Messiah will come! |
| NICODEMUS: | But will we recognise him
when he comes? |
| EZRA: | I think we will. He will come here - to the
Sanhedrin - and say, "The time is fulfilled and here I am".
We'll ask him a few questions and then he'll... he'll... |
| JETHRO: | Yes, I wonder what he'll do?
|
| NICODEMUS: | To change the subject... Now, about
this Jesus, when I heard that people were saying what a marvellous
teacher he was... |
| EZRA: | "He doesn't teach like the scribes"
- something like that? |
| NICODEMUS: | A carpenter from Nazareth, not a likely
sort of teacher! So I thought I ought to hear the man myself.
That's only fair! I happened to be in Capernaum. |
| JETHRO: | That's the deep north! |
| NICODEMUS: | There had been a stir in the city. A paralysed
man had been brought to Jesus by four friends. They had been so
anxious to get their friend to Jesus that they broke a hole through
the roof and lowered his bed through on ropes. That man was healed!
He got up and walked! |
| EZRA: | I hear this Jesus said the man's sins were
forgiven. You must agree, Nicodemus, that's blasphemy! Only God
can forgive sins! |
| JETHRO: | If what you say is true, Ezra, this Jesus
in dangerous! He ought to be stopped! |
| NICODEMUS: | That man was healed! I talked to him myself,
talked to his parents, talked to some long-time residents. He
really was paralysed. He really was healed - in an instant -
completely healed! |
| EZRA: | That's no guarantee of what sort of person
Jesus is. He obviously has some power, but ... what power? I
don't like it at all! |
| NICODEMUS: | I had that question too! So I went along
to the synagogue on the Sabbath to find the answer. Jesus was
there. There was this fellow there with a paralysed hand. Everyone
was watching - what will Jesus do? At first I thought he might
be a plant, brought along specially to test Jesus. But no, he
was a regular - everyone knew him. |
| JETHRO: | But it was the Sabbath. Even Jesus wouldn't
have done any work on our holy day of rest, surely! |
| EZRA: | Quite right, Jethro. No work
on the Sabbath! |
| NICODEMUS: | I wondered too. And Jesus called the
man up to the front, then looked us all in the eye and said, "What
does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm?
To save a man's life or to destroy it?" |
| EZRA: | I see what you mean... That's a clever answer.
No... I mean a remarkable answer! |
| JETHRO: | But what did he do? |
| NICODEMUS: | He looked around at us all as if he could
read our thoughts - some were really angry and stubborn! Then
he said to the man, "Stretch our your hand!" He stretched
it out, and it became well again! |
| JETHRO: | But that sort of thing doesn't happen. It
can't have happened. |
| NICODEMUS: | Jethro, I don't know how it happened,
but I did check up afterwards - rather carefully, in fact. It
did happen. In Capernaum, no one, not even the enemies of Jesus,
can try to deny that! |
| EZRA: | Who is this Jesus, then? What kind of person
is he? He seems basically a good man. Says some fine things.
But disagrees with our teachers in some things. Who is he
really? |
| JETHRO: | I'm suspicious. Just watch out for him. He'll
be making more rash claims before he's finished! |
| NICODEMUS: | My strong impression is that he is a teacher
sent by God. Look - no one could perform the miracles he is doing
unless God is with him! |
| EZRA: | Be careful, Nicodemus. Don't talk like this
to any other Sanhedrin members. |
| NICODEMUS: | For the moment, you may be right. I would
like to see him by myself, ask him my own questions. Who is he
really? I'm not at all sure! |
| And Nicodemus did go by himself at night to talk
with Jesus. What did he think about him then? |
| Reader: | John 3.1-17.
|