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washing the body, and then bound Him in linen strips with spices according to
Jewish custom, and deposited Him in a tomb.
It’s true that in the Gospel he does not give up his position as a Pharisee.
He does not sell everything that he has, abandon his wealth, and become a
disciple the way the 12 apostles did. But it cannot be denied that he took up his
cross and worked for the benefit of Jesus and His ministry.
What did he do after the death of the Lord? Did he throw away the life he
had always known to help grow the Christian Church? Did he die a martyr on
account of his devotion to this rebellious rabbi? We don’t know because the
Gospel ends. His story after that time was not written.
Nor is our story written – not fully. Not as students of the Word, not as
disciples of the Lord, not as citizens of heaven, and not as The New Church on
earth.
We experience the Nicodemus Tension as anxiety when we believe we are
doomed. When we do not trust in providence. When we become impatient
and do not wish to wait and when we let anxiety overtake our view of the
future.
But we can turn this anxiety into excited anticipation when we believe
that the Lord will keep His promises. When we believe that those promises
are not impossible standards, but are achievable goals, we can work diligently
with anticipation that the Lord will come into our lives, that He will build His
church, and that the New Church will reign for ages and ages, that it IS the
crown of all the churches ever to exist, and will ever be.
Let’s delight today in that tension, take a look back and see where we have
been, rejoice in how far we have come, and get excited about where we are
going.
The Rev. Christopher A. Barber teaches religion at the
Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools. He says it is
his joy to help students grasp biblical and theological concepts
in the light of the New Church worldview. He thoroughly
enjoys working with adolescents, as they are in the springtime
of their critical analysis. Chris loves researching obscure figures
from New Church history, studying the Fourth Gospel, and
watching documentaries. He lives in Huntingdon Valley with
his wife, Annika (Fitzpatrick), and their son, Jaiell. You can read more about him at www.
chrisbarber.info. Contact: [email protected].
(Photo Credit: Olivia Brock, Girls school ‘16, ANC photography student.)
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