Sunday, April 28, 2013

April 29, 2013

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”  John 3:1-2
 
The term "seeker" has been thrown around a lot for the past quarter century or so. It is unsually attached to the words, "friendly" or "sensitive" - as in "seeker-friendly" or "seeker-sensitive". Thousands of churches have designed their entire style and strategy around these concepts.
 
I am sure some of them truly understand what a seeker is while many of them do not have a clear concept.
 
For either and all, Nicodemus represents the definitive seeker.
 
First, he wasn't satisfied with being religious.
 
This is a man who had dedicated his whole life to studying, teaching and following his religious beliefs but they left him unfulfilled. After observing Jesus he now wondered if He hadn't something Nicodemus needed.
 
A true seeker is looking for something more than just being religious.

Second, he was seeking something real.

His religious experience consisted of many rules, regulations and rituals but no real relief from the guilt of sin. He was familiar with condemnation but a stranger to comfort.

Third, he was seeing supernatural reasons to believe in Jesus.

It is hard to ignore transformational life-change. And it is hard to deny miracle healings when blind men are now seeing and lame folks are now walking. How do you explain away people who Jesus raised from the dead? How do you cast doubt on those who one were once lepers but now fully restored to health?

His religion seemed to lack the power that this Jesus and His followers possessed.

Nicodemus came seeking Jesus! He came looking for answers and solutions that he wasn't finding in his own religious observance. He wanted more than what he was getting from his Jewish faith. So, when he came that night he was filled with questions but he was open to answers.

THAT describes a seeker!