Thursday 20 July 2023

Psalm 75:1-7

Background

In today’s passage, the controversy surrounding Jesus’ presence at the Festival of Booths in Jerusalem continues. Some commentators have made connections between Jesus’ declarations about ‘rivers of living water’ and the sights the festival-goers would have seen; according to the Mishnah (the oldest authoritative post-biblical collection of Jewish laws): these included fetching water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it out before the Temple. However, the author of the gospel makes no mention of this ritual, and other scholars believe he was simply developing the theme of Jesus offering living water that can be found in John 4:10-14. Certainly, any reading that suggests that Jesus was ‘hijacking’ or ‘nullifying’ the significance of this Jewish festival is unhelpful.   

Throughout chapter 7, theories abound as to who Jesus might be. Was he a good man, a deceiver, someone possessed by a demon, or perhaps the Messiah? (This is reminiscent of the argument popularised by the writer CS Lewis that Jesus must have been 'mad, bad or God'.) In this passage, one of the people drawn into the argument is Nicodemus, who was ‘one of them’ (ie a Pharisee). He appears earlier, in chapter 3, when he comes to Jesus ‘by night’ (3:2), which many have taken to mean that he had begun to believe in Jesus, but felt he had to hide his beliefs from his fellow Pharisees. In today’s passage, he remains ‘one of them’ but argues for Jesus to have a fair hearing. By John 19:38-42, however, Nicodemus seems willing to share in the public burial of Jesus. Perhaps Nicodemus’ journey from darkness (coming to speak to Jesus under cover of night) to light (sharing publicly in his burial) signifies his journey from uncertainty to the belief in Jesus that, according to John’s Gospel, leads to eternal life (John 3:15-16). 

To Ponder:

• What arguments can you think of (based on his words and actions) that Jesus was either 'mad, bad or God'? 
• Had the crowds known that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, do you think they would have been willing to accept him as the Messiah?
• How do you think Nicodemus felt in this passage? Are there times we are afraid to speak about our faith? 

Prayer

Ever-loving God, give us the courage to speak openly, generously and wisely about our faith, and of the hope that lives within us. Amen.  

Note from 'A Word in Time' 
Are you a regular reader of 'A Word in Time'? Has it helped you? As the editor, I would love to get your views. You can email me in confidence at wit@methodistchurch.org.uk and if you leave a number I can call you back. Thank you!