The Nagging Question

8.5.2011

John 7:52 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” NIV

Nicodemus was in a precarious position, he believed there was something about this Jesus that the other Pharisees and rulers were missing; he had nagging questions in his mind so he kept trying to keep the dialogue open. He found however when minds are closed it does little good to try to keep the dialogue open; and they were convinced that this ‘Jesus’ was from up in Galilee somewhere and they were very right to say a prophet does not come out of Galilee.

I wonder if Nicodemus thought about the quote from Isaiah 9.1,2 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:15-16). I wonder if he tried to bring this up in discussion and was shouted down as a sympathizer to this Jesus. It seems to me he kept trying to get these guys to slow down a bit and not rush to judgment over Someone, when it appeared there just might be some legitimacy to what He was doing and saying.

Maybe Nicodemus began to read his Bible more intently. Maybe he did “look into it” as he was challenged by the priests to do. But what if even after all that, they still maintained their hostility toward this Galilean and His ragtag band of disciples? Well one thing is for sure, Nicodemus was closer to God as a result.

I’m not sure where Nicodemus stood even after the crucifixion. Yes, he helped Joseph of Arimathea retrieve Jesus’ body from the cross and bury it properly in a tomb but I’m not sure he ever got past the nagging questions he always seemed to have that this Jesus was truly Someone special and had something to share with them all (despite the fact that He did seem to be from Galilee and seemed to like to hang around there.)

Personally, I’m done with nagging questions but that doesn’t mean people around me are. There are many people out there with nagging questions about Christ and faith, and the presence of God Who seems to be so absent or small in a world where evil and oppression seem so prevalent and big. I think it’s my job to overcome their objections and point them to the truth; asking the Holy Spirit to help them settle the issue and deal with life accordingly.

God truly is God, and He truly is present in our world. We just might need to quit looking for Him with our heads and trust in Him with our hearts that He is indeed dealing with the human drama and has indeed provided one Way for us all to come to know Him: through faith in this Jesus.