Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-23
CONVINCED AT LAST.
When the Great Nicodemus Said He
Believed in the Savior
HE TOLD WHAT WAS NOT TRUE.
Miracles and Teachings AstOnished but
Did Not Convince Him.
THE CROSS WIPED OUT HIS DOUBTS
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArCH.1

WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPArcH.1
"There was man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews; the same
came to Jesus by night and said unto Him,
Rabbi, we know that Thou art teacher come
from God, for no man can do these miracles
that Thou doest except God be with him. I"
That is what a teacher who came from the
schools of Jerusalem said to the teacher who
came from God. Thus began the interview
of Christ with Nicodemus. Nicodemus said
that one dark night, in dim room of q
Jerusalem lodging-house, in the presence Of
Jesus Christ. Nicodemus was an old man,
Pharisee, member of that great council
of the Hebrew nation, the Sanhedrim; a man
probably wealthy, certainly of important
position, "ruler of the Jews" Take an
English bishop, and an English lord, and an
English head-of-a-college, combine the three
dignitaries in one person, and you get a
glimpse at Nicodemus. That was the kind
of place he held in the estimation of the
people of Jerusalem. A man Of eminence;
a leader in the world ecclesiastical, in the
world intellectual, and in the world 'politi-
body knew him. If he were to knock at the
door of a small house on back street and
go in, there would be 20 people to wonder
why. Thus he went in the dark, upon a
windy night, when the street would be
empty and he would be unseen.
THE SCENE AT THE TEMPLE.
Jesus of Nazareth, with whom the great
man held this secret interview, had come
n :, kafa- t1f no1;
where His home was, and had set all tongues
to talking about Him in consequence of
singular occurrence in the temple It was
the time of the Passover, and the city was
crowded with visiting worshipers. The
Temple court was thronged with people,
coming to pay their church taxes and to
offer their accustomed sacrifices. In order
to pay the taxes they had to get their money
changed into Hebrew coin; and in order to
offer the sacrifices they had to have doves
and sheep and oxen.
And Annas, the High Priest, had accord
ingly turned part of the great church into
a market. The tables of the brokers, the
stalls of the cattle, the seats for them that
sold doves, were the center of unceasing
noisy traffic. The Temple officials had
monopoly of this religious business, and
most irreligious use they made of it. 1t
was an illustration of that amazing and
scandalous paradox which every day finds
example somewhere-the imp1ety of the
pious, the rascality of the righteous. They
stole money out of poor mems pockets. The
whole thing was an organized desecration,
a consecrated robbery. And now, of sud-
den, when the crowds were greatest, had
come in Jesus of Nazareth, of whom no.
body had heard before, young man not
past thirty,a carpenters son from country
village back in Galilee; in He had come,
bringing whip with Him, and had actually
driven out the whole company Of thieves
and robbers into the street.
HAD A MIND OF HIS OWN.
There are people whom the arguments of
the Archangel Gabriel could not move out
of their accustomed way. Their eyes are
tight shut They have made up their
minds and locked them, and there is the
end of it. Christ met such men every day.
The age was one of pronounced hostility to
old dead doctors, the old dead confessions
of faith, dominated the whole thought of
the day. 'sYe have heard that it was said
of them of old time" was the preface to
the utterance of infallibility. When Christ
said, 'But say unto you" all who heard
that Independent pronoun held their breath.
Here was man with an opinion, with a
a mind of his own. 1t was amazingl 1t
was astoundingl
All honor, then, to Nicodemus, who
heard new truth taught in the streets, and
wanted to hear more of it; and was willing
to take the risk Of embarrassing discovery
and serious consequences to make visit to
this new teacher. 1t is true he came by
night and was not SO brave as he might |
have been, and went away afterward and
al ,11o he L
was no great hero. But it is worth a great |
deal, and speaks well for Nicodemus, that |
he came at all.
OTHERS BEHIND NICoDEMUs.
And Nicodemus seems to say that he is |
not alone in this laudable curiosity. 1--WE |
znow," he says, "that Thou art teacher
come from God" Who are the others,
,harers in this knowledge? Eminent men,
no doubt, rulers, Pharisees, companions OF
Nicodemus We seem to get whisper here
rom the secret councils of the Sanhedrim
Nicodemus came alone, but behind were
others, waiting to question him, eager to
earn whatever he might learn. Even in
he most narrow generation new truth finds
is way into some hearts. Christ comes to
lis own; and his own receive him not-but
ome receive him. Some Nicodemus,
hough it be iibys night, searches him out.
There is more good in the world, more
arnestness, more "thirst for Cod" than
he world gets credit for. "We know that
thou art teacher come from God" They
aid that in their hearts. They went on
ay by day, keeping the old customs,
hanging scarcely at all; nobody dreamed of
alling them followers of Christ. And yet
he words of Christ were in their ears and
n their hearts. And they were secret dis
lples of Christ anyway And who will say
hat even that is not better than being no
isciple of Christ at all? Just like men to-
ay, who stand outside the church, and
ever say that they are on Christ's side; and
ct are on Christ's side, in secret.
DIDN'T CARE FOR INFLUENCE.
Now, Jesus of Nazareth wanted His new
ruth to get into the hearts of all men. And
nybody would have told Him that the
uickest way to do that was to persuade
-ealth and influence over to His side. And
ere was His easy opportunity. Here was
Iicodemus. Pharisee and g ruler of the
ews, interested even to the point of taking
isks, standing in His own room, and ask
lg, with astonishing condescension, to be
lught. "Rabbi, we know that Thou art
eacher come from God" That was the first :
,ep to discipleship.,
The conversation that follows Is plainly
ut brief fragment of what was said that
light. But it is evident from what is writ
N that Jesus did not show any unusual
lgerness in receiving His unusual visitor
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