The Gospel for a Religious Man

Henry Tanner

Jesus and Nicodemus - Henry Tanner

 

Henry Tanner is one of America's most celebrated African-American artists - though at art school he was kicked out of class by his white class mates.

Among his famous drawings is one which depicts Jesus chatting with Nicodemus, recorded for us in John chapter 3. Tanner travelled to Palestine to catch the atmosphere of the meeting and came up with a picture of Jesus sitting on a roof, alone, with Nicodemus.

His painting helps us to understand one advantage of seeing Jesus at night - perhaps it was the only time, away from the crowds, when anyone could have a one-to-one with Jesus. After the crowds had melted away, there was time to give to Nicodemus, an earnest seeker after the truth.

Jesus used four simple illustrations from nature and history to help this religious leader understand who Jesus was.

"A New Birth"
Just as a baby experiences a radical transformation from life in the womb to life outside, so a dramatic change is required in the heart and soul of anyone before they can even see the kingdom of God. This change is nothing short of a supernatural miracle of God's Spirit. "You must be born again", said Jesus. All the religious knowledge in the world is not enough, God must perform a miracle in the human heart.

"A Wind"
This supernatural change happens by the power of God's Spirit in a mysterious way. Just as we feel the power of the breeze but cannot tell where it is going, so the hearts of men and women are changed mysteriously - yet with divine power, so that they become new creations.

"A serpent on a Pole"
To explain what would happen to Jesus at the end of his life, Jesus used an illustration from the history of Israel. During their desert wanderings Israel rebelled against Moses and God. God sent snakes to bite them and chastise them, but in his mercy told Moses to place a snake on a pole. Anyone who merely looked at the snake would be healed and live. In the same way, Jesus was lifted up on a cross so that he might bear the punishment due to us and grant to us the forgiveness of all our sins. All we must do is "look and live", believe and be forgiven.

"Light and Dark"
Nicodemus must have been puzzled by the vitriolic hatred of the Jews towards Jesus. Jesus explained why people reject the Gospel. It's not because of difficult philosophical questions - all of those puzzles we can try to answer. It's because men and women don't want to repent of their sins. Light has come into the world but men and women prefer darkness to light, because their deeds are evil.

These four illustrations and truths went deep into the soul of Nicodemus and he was transformed by the Holy Spirit. No longer afraid of being associated with Jesus he asked for the dead body of Jesus, public enemy number one, after he was crucified, to lay it in a tomb.

Religious men need simple truths, which the Holy Spirit is pleased to use to change the heart and mind and life.