Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-23


versation breaks off suddenly in the record,
and nothing is said about the answer OF
Nicodemus But he did not come out OPEN
ly for Christ. We know that. He kept
his office.
Nothing can be imagined more unworldly
| than this interview with Nicodemus. To
Christ, a man was of consequence exactly In
proportion to his manhood. No other con-
sideration whatever entered in. He cared
just as much for poor man as He did for
rich man, and Just as much for rich man
as He did for poor man. That is, He cared
for the man. He set no more account upon
the mans position, or popularity, or money,
than He did upon the color of his hair. As
for the notion that influential names would
help His cause, nothing could have been
further from His wish.
And Jesus looked into the eyes Of Nico-
demus, and He saw that he was not that
sort of a disciple, and he did not want him.
Yes; He wanted him-but changed, first;
man with a new heart, born again. He
did not want the Nicodemus that He saw.
He listened to Him, and He answered him
with truth which tested him. And Nico-
demus did not stand the test.
NIcoDEMUs NOT CONVINCED.
For Nicodemus was not really convinced.
He was impressed, there is no doubt of
that, and strongly impressed-but he was
not fully persuaded. Listen to 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."
would rather hear Nieodemus say "1"
than tive" That would sound better This
is the way the Christian creed begins, with
that significant pronoun ''I''. The Chris
tian stands alone as he will stand in the
day of judgment, and looks up into the
face of God, and speaks for his own SELF
Others may say this or that; thus and so
may the official teachers teach; here and
there may blow the wind of popular doc
trine; but 1, holding up my hand, alone,
with all my heart hold this. That is the
attitude OF Christian faith There is some
thing evasive, timid, half-persuaded, about
this desire to get among a crowd and say
"we know" And then, notice how Nico-
demus thinks of Christ. He is a teacher
and miracle-worker. Nicodemus has been
won to admiration by His doctrines, and
has been struck with amazement by His
wonders That, indeed, is the beginning of
discipleship. Men everywhere came under
the influence of Christ by the attraction Of
His words and His works.
NOT CONTENT WITH WONDER.
But Christ was not content that any man
should stop there. He wanted more than
that. He was not satisfied with admiration;
He wanted allegiance. '"The Jews ask for
signs" st. Paul says, ''and the Greeks seek
after wisdom" The Jews will be per-
suaded if you can show them miracle, and
the Greeks will be convinced if you can
bring them to the conclusion of an argu-
ment '!But we preach Christ cruci6ed,'
he says, "unto the Jews a stumbling-block
and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto
them that are called, Christ the power Of
God, and the wisdom of God"
There it is Nicodemus is part Jew and
part Greek; he has seen signs and heard
wisdom, so he comes Christ wants him to
translate his admiration and his wonder
into love. Don't you see how Nieodemus
stands of, and looks at Christ from dis
tance? Don't you feel the difference be-
tween the courteous respect of Nicodemus
and the warm affection of John and Peter2
There is what the matter is with Nicode-
mus Let no man think that Christ is satis-
fed with such discipleship. Christ may be
your philosopher and saint and hero; you
may regard him as the wisest Of all teach
ers as the flower of humanity; YOU NAV
even confess that there is something divine
about Him, that He worked wonders, that
He came from God. And yet, you may
still stand only in the steps of Nicodemus.
DIDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID.
No; Nieodemus was not really convinced.
He says that he knows that Jesus is a
teacher come from God Listen to that,
and look at Nicodemus shutting the door
behind him and going out into the darkl
For what shall man do when he has dis
covered a ''teaeher come from God?" Why,
follow him devotedly, and obey him unre-
servedly. Between the whole unanimous
Sanhedrim on one side and teacher come
from God on the other, what sane man will
hesitate? Who will care what the fathers
said, who will mind what the brethren say,
VIXEN he can listen to teacher come from
God? What is wealth, place, dignity,
popularity, beside allegiance to a teacher
actually come from God?
But Nieodemus did not believe what he
said. He said, "We know; and very
likely he thought he spoke the truth, but
he did not 'tknow," at all For Nicodemus
did not follow Christ. He listened to Him,
and went away, impressed, no doubt, more
deeply than ever, but still not impressed
enough. Secretly he reverenees Him. But
he does not really believe that He is
teacher come with a message from the Most
High God.
By and by the chief priests and the Phar-
isees send officers to arrest this divine
teacher, and the officers come back empty
handed, crying, "Never man spake like this
mani" They did not dare to touch Him.
Whereupon the rulers answer SC ornfully,
'Are ye also led astray?" Then speaks
"Doth our law Judge man ex-
,ept it first hear from himself and know
What he doeth?"
NOT A CHRISTIAN CREED.
He has, perhaps, hope that if Christ can
,ut speak to them as He spoke that night to
lin they may be persuaded. But they ex-
lain, cart thou also of Galilee?" And
Nicodemus has not a word to say. This
nan is not convinced. This creed of his is
lot the Christian creed; and even such as it
s, he does not actually believe it. He
would stand up in the council, if he did, and
ay so. Nieodemus, then, went away after
whole evenings talk with Jesus Christ,
nd stayed outside the Christian company.
\ good man, man of estimable char
eter, a man of wealth and education,
nd of standing in the community,
ne of the rulers This good
nan heard sermon preached for his own
benefit by Jesus Christ Himself,
nd after the sermon he went on, so far as
nybody can see, in Just the same old way.
Iven the Masters sermon did not persuade
i'm into the company of the disciples, into
pen and confessed allegiance, into the
hurch. That is good thing for the dis
outraged preacher to remember. Nicode-
lus comes to church Sunday after Sunday,
nd the preacher has him in his mind when
e prepares his sermon and when he
reaches it. He prays, Sunday after Sum-
ay, that his sermon may persuade this good
Iicodemus
TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP,
speak out what he is hiding in his
cart, and to come into the church. And