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Unintended Timing


It may be coincidental, but my daily reading had me read John 3 rout after reading Luke 3. It also had me reading Matthew 3 (see yesterday's post).

Do you remember what happened in John 3? A Pharisee comes to Jesus about salvation. It was a pretty big deal. The Pharisees were not the biggest fans of Jesus. You could say Jesus kind of threatened their deal. But John 3 is also a big deal because of that popular little verse it houses. Yeah, that one. About God loving the world and sending Jesus.

Those words were world changing. And not just for Nicodemus. With one line, Jesus answers all of the biggest questions the world has.

Yes, God loves everyone.
Yes, God knows about sin and He sent Someone to do something about it. 
Yes, you can get in the most incredible deal you will ever see anywhere....ever.

With one line, Jesus exploded the mind of an old teacher of the Law. With one line, Jesus rocked the world forever. 

It is what Jesus intended to do. But...

I kind of think Nicodemus might have been there as a follow-up to a conversation he didn't intend to have. This convo was a one direction heated lob of warnings that came from Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. 

See, I read Matthew 3, Luke 3 and John 3 all on the same morning. I don't know about the timing of all the events, but Luke 3 records John the Baptist's shouts at the Pharisees who came out to hear him. The way I read it, John the Baptist might have left disheartened that day. That is, if John was the kind of guy to care what others thought.

If John did care, he would have left that day not seeing any Pharisees respond to his....er....loving rebuke. But what he could not have known is that one of those Pharisees would go and talk to Jesus at another time. 

I don't know if Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees who heard John the Baptist's words,.... but he could have been. It's a reminder to me to care less about the fruit I personally have a hand in and more about what God is doing in the long haul. 

Because, just maybe someone who hears the truth will end up seeking out The Man Himself to ask the questions that are really on his heart. 
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