Last Sunday, I attended bible study class as usual and I made a pretty embarrassing mistake in front of the class and my pastor. My instant reaction of embarrassment was because there were so many adults, deacons and elders more well-versed and skilled at understanding the Bible. My dad was sitting beside me.
When Rev Tang (my pastor) asked for possible explanations for why Nicodemus approached Jesus at night in the "born again" passage, John 3:1-21, some people suggested that (1) Nicodemus, being a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, only dared to find Jesus without having his reputation threatened. (The common Pharisee was a Jesus-skeptic.) (2) Nicodemus hoped to find Jesus only after His day of evangelising and healing work was finished. Nicodemus empathised Jesus' efforts of labour. In my enthusiasm to share what I had read and analysed before, I suggested that he did it at night as part of the Pharisees' attempt to tempt Him when He is off-guard, ie: without the presence of others. I even went on to back it up with v2, the collective entity "we", meaning that Nicodemus came and was speaking as a representative of the Pharisees. Then in Jesus' response, He asked "how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" (v12), thus questioning the motive of Nicodemus' visit. My conjecture was based on the many incidents in the Gospel Books where the Pharisees tried tempting Jesus, such as asking Him what the Greatest Commandment is (Matt 22:35-6).
And my suggestion turned out to be wrong, as in the misconstrued, impossible kind of wrong. At the height of my embarrassment, I comforted myself that (1) was wrong too hehe.
From what is written about Nicodemus in the Bible, he was never one of the Jesus-skeptics (virtually aka the rest of the Pharisees). He was in fact a man who defended Christ, an act made nobler and brighter when he defies popular opinions. After the preaching at the Feast of Tabernacles, Nicodemus helped thwart plans of the temple guards to seize Jesus. In front of his 'own number', he spoke for Jesus (John 7:50-51). He cared for our dear Jesus. He was there after Jesus' bloodletting on the cross. He used his money to buy 34kg of myrrh and aloes, incenses that were only used by the rich aristocrats then. With that precious myrrh, he prepared Jesus' body for burial. What I saw was not scheming Nicodemus, but a courageous Nicodemus that so loved and respected Jesus. Just like the myrhh, I believe Nicodemus' love has been a sweetsmelling incense to God just as it has been to John, who referred to him as "the man who earlier visited Jesus at night".
I have definitely read those passages before. So why did I misinterpret the Bible (and loving Nicodemus)? It's been a long time since I read the whole of a Gospel Book so I forgot certain events and their details. And the last time I read one, or any other Scripture with many names inside, I read it passively. I didn't engage myself in the text, reading it for the sake of reaching the last chapter. I could remember who Curt Lemon or Lavender was after reading O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" once. I could remember the 'moribund killer' Karl Yundt after reading Conrad's "Secret Agent". If I engage myself when reading academic literature, why didn't I engage myself even more for the precious Word?
I'm glad I made this embarrassing mistake in front of people. I know where I went wrong and how I can help improve my interpretation of God's Word. And because of what I learnt, committing my Nicodemus error isn't that embarrassing after all. :)
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