Contemplative Bible Reading

John 3:1-2 (New Living Translation)

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us…”

Let’s take these sentences apart:

1. Nicodemus is an educated Jewish religious leader.
2. Jesus is the son of an ignorant carpenter from a little nothing of a town.
3. Nicodemus calls this Jesus fella’ “Rabbi” or “teacher.”
4. Nicodemus admits that God sent Jesus to teach the religious leaders.

Well, items 3 and 4 don’t make any sense. But there we have it, right in front of us.

I cannot write about all the times in my life that some son or daughter of an uneducated nothing from nowhere taught me universal truths about this life and God. They are with me always.

Please, let’s be like Nicodemus. Let’s find a teacher and allow the teacher to teach. Let us look in the least likely places for these teachers.