Johann Quisumbing

Spiritual Lessons for those who Listens by JQuisumbing

I was so elated when the producers of “THE CHOSEN” chose Erick Avari to play the character of the venerable Nicodemus, a high stationed Pharisee and Rabbi. 

His performance was so convincing and rich in spiritual lessons that I may have to present these lessons in two parts. Again, the producers had taken a lot of creative license to build up their version of Nicodemus. Well, I like it a lot, but the right thing to do is to first show what the Bible actually said about him.

• The first time Scriptures bring up Nicodemus was when he had that clandestine visit with Jesus in John 3.
• In John 7, when the priests and other religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus, he logically defended him. 
• Finally, in John 19, he, among others, prepared Jesus’ body for burial. 

At a glance, there seems to be little data on who Nicodemus really was, especially for those who are curious about him. Remember that the four Gospels focused mainly on Jesus Christ and only provided enough relevant backgrounds on other biblical personalities befitting the narrative. Fortunately, the producers practiced what my favorite pastor taught me to use and that is to exercise sanctified imagination. 

To give you an idea what I’m talking about, I write a lot of biblical fiction for my blog. I had so far creatively filled in the blanks in those very same personalities like Simon the Leper, Mary (sister of Martha), the Gerasene demoniac, and the thief on the cross. Now, I am tackling an even harder creative story of Jesus Himself. Why do I say harder? Well, when it comes to writing of Him in the first person, I have to be very careful that I don’t write beyond God’s will. I thank the Lord that His Spirit in me both guides and inspires my imaginings (hence the sanctified part).  

In developing the character of Nicodemus as well as the other Pharisees, The Chosen had ingeniously compressed much of Jesus’ lessons in their mannerism, their philosophies and in their sermons. 

For example: Nicodemus said that, “What goes in the body of a man defiles him.” His premise was that if you ate the fish caught by a sinner then you would be stained by the sins of the catcher. The words uttered actually reflected the opposite of what Jesus originally taught – “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” ¹ The overall meaning is that what is spoken (such as from sinful thoughts) is what really defiles you.

Nicodemus started out as the quintessential Pharisee. ‘The Great Nicodemus! Teacher of teachers’, he was called. His importance was evident in the scene where he was lecturing to an attentive class of white-robed novices, low-level Pharisees and teachers of the law. He, like all others of his sect, struts importantly through the street like a peacock showing off their embellished plumes. And they were also the strict religious police of the common folks. In one scene between Nicodemus and Mary, she instinctively covered her head in the fear that she’ll be harshly rebuked by him. The fear was that multiple infractions of rabbinic laws eventually would lead to being cast out of the Synagogue branding them as outcasts. It is no wonder that the Son of God had warned that unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!²

By Nicodemus’ earlier attitude and bearing, he probably considered himself quite blessed. But then listen to what Jesus declared, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ³ If you consider that the opposite of being poor in spirit is to be a holier-than-thou type, then there is no way that the venerable Nicodemus could be mistaken as one who is so humble especially when he strived to elevate himself to lofty holiness. In that teaching scene, he had spoken that “God has entrusted you to be exemplary in every way.” This is definitely a far cry from when Jesus declared, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ⁴

Twelve minutes into the storyline of episode 1, we see an accomplished man emanating an aura of such self-confidence that he truly believed that he was doing God’s will. Well, Nicodemus’ world was about to be rocked to its foundation. And it is all because the Lord did not wish that any should perish, but that all (including him) should reach repentance.⁵ But first, he needed a little softening or I should say humbling. Enter a Roman Centurion. 

The scene started in a darkened room of the Synagogue. Nicodemus was being highly praised for his sermon. Then a Roman haughtily barged in demanding that Nicodemus come to the so-called Red Quarter to deal with a Hebrew woman that needed a ‘holy man’. The Roman was forcing him to do things that were beyond his expertise and experience, hence setting him up to doubt his own holiness. We’ll talk a little more about that in a while. 

We pick up the story with the Roman bringing Nicodemus to the Red Quarter. I don’t think I need to fully explain what ‘Red Quarter’ stands for. Every city has one. Anyway, it is quite clear by his facial reactions that the ‘holy man’ was definitely out of his element. But he buffed himself up depending solely on his own ‘self-holiness’ and his official station. But then he was confronted with the reality of facing the supernatural. When hearing the alien screeching of the possessed, the learned Nicodemus was visibly flustered, but then he fell back to his intellect. With a slight panicked voice, he ordered his assistant to quickly gather some natural materials (sulfur, nettles, hyssop & wormwood). No doubt, materials (that he had read about) used by those priests who practiced exorcism. At this point, thinking that his high position as a religious leader and the way he always publicly identified himself as the ‘man of God’ as if it gave him divine authority, Nicodemus believes he was the only one who could free the possessed. 

Let us jump to when the locked door was forced opened by the Romans. Nicodemus slowly entered through the door holding up before him a swinging vessel spewing some kind incense smoke; probably the concoction from those natural materials he demanded. Behind him, his two assistants timidly waited just outside the door peering in. Funny thing, though, they reminded me of a nervous Scooby-doo and the scaredy-cat Shaggy peering left and right, hoping that they will not run into a ghost. 

Just inside from the door, at first seeing no one in the darkened room, Nicodemus called out to the possessed and commanded it to come out by first conjuring the names of the High Angels of Lord. He moved toward a moaning sound and spoke out commandingly, this time fervently invoking the names of the patriarchs, then climatically he uttered the very name of God. Then, silence. He thought he succeeded. So, he reached out a helping hand but pulled it back when he saw coming out of the darkness, the evil leering face of the possessed. I am sure he felt the hair at the back of his neck stand especially when coming out from the possessed mouth were several voices telling him that he had no power over them. He bolted out of there. And it is a good thing too, for if he stayed longer depending on his pride, the possessed person could have overwhelmed them all. I know this because in the book of Acts, some professional Jewish exorcists tried to drive out evil spirits by invoking the name of ‘Jesus whom Paul preaches’.⁶ The spirit told them that he knew of Jesus and even of Paul, but of them, he did not know them. The possessed fell upon them and gave them such a beating that they ran away naked and bleeding. 

Getting back to Nicodemus, though he felt like a big failure, which to a Pharisee of his high standing was an unthinkable thing to admit, lest he lose the respect of his peers and of his own confidence. At that time of the storyline, unknowing to him, the Lord had prepared him to experience the blessings that come with ‘Fear & Wonder’.

How? You’ll have to wait for part 2.

Footnote: [1] Matthew 15:17-19; [2] Matthew 5:20; [3] Matthew 5:3; [4] Matthew 11:28; [5] 2 Peter 3:9; [6] Acts 19:13-16

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