This is a continuation of my previous post, Let Us Be Gentle, Joseph: Part I – Nicodemus. It refers to a lesson that I wrote and delivered at our church in Michigan before we moved to Pennsylvania. The inspiritation of the lesson was a small book of poetry by John Anderson Barbour entitled Let Us Be Gentle, Joseph. I finished the first post with the idea that Barbour’s poetry provides a window into the soul of Nicodemus and a mirror which reflects an image of our souls.
After Nicodemus met with Jesus in the upper room, Nicodemus is mentioned only twice more in scriptures. In John 7, there is an account of a dispute between the Pharisees and the Temple Guards. The Pharisees had ordered the Temple Guards to bring Jesus into court before the Pharisees to stand trial for blasphemy. When the Temple Guards didn’t follow this directive, the excuse they gave was “Never spake man like this” (v 46). The Pharisees quickly responded, “Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?” (vs 47,48) Apparently, Nicdoemus had kept quiet about his encounter with Jesus. However, he did choose at this moment to speak up. He stopped the proceedings and said, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” (v 51) The Pharisees tired to shut Nicodemus down by pointing out that both he and Jesus were from Galilee. Then the Pharisees asked Nicodemus if any prophet ever came from Galilee.
Nicodemus again fades from view in scriptures until he and Joseph of Arimathea come together at Calvary. John’s account of this incident in verses 38 to 42 of Chapter 19, tells us that although Joseph was a believer, he was a silent believer because he was afraid of the Jews. However, with the crucifion everything changed. Nicodemus and Joseph both came out the shadows. They claimed Christ’s body in order to give it a proper Jewish burial.
This is where Barbour’s poem (of the same name as his book) Let Us Be Gentle, Joseph picks up the story:
How gaunt he looks
with outstretched arms
and bloody hands and side.Let us be gentle, Joseph
as we take his body down
and bathe the ugly wounds
which hate has made.
Can it be that this is he
who said that star-illumined night
“Believe in me,
and you shall have life
which has no end”?
And yet he lies here dead
beneath our hand.
Let us lay him gently in the tomb.
and wait–
for surely the day will come.
For Nicodemus, Joseph, Mary, Peter, John, and the other disciples, the first day of resurrection did come quickly. Althought, it was only three days, I’m sure those three days felt like an eternity. We know that day did come. Now it is our turn to wait for a second day. However, because the first day came, we know “surely the [second] day will come.”
While we wait for it, we have two things to do: The first is to make sure others know of the first resurrection day. The second is to watch for the second day. We stand with John as he ended his Revelation: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
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