Day 19
In today’s video, we engage with Rembrandt’s painting The Descent from the Cross (1634). In the painting, the individual who stands in the foreground watching Jesus’ body being lowered from the cross has been said to be Nicodemus.
Nicodemus is a recurring character in John’s Gospel, first occurring in chapter 3 and appearing at various junctures (chapters 7, 12, and 19). The Pharisee who was a member of the Jewish ruling council serves as an example of a seeker of religious truths, someone who is blind at first but moves toward belief.
In this way, we can identify ourselves or others we know as a type of Nicodemus. He moved from the cover of darkness, to publicly acknowledging an open-mindedness to who Christ was, and finally to a public expression of love of Jesus. Similarly, we all began “in the dark” as Nicodemus did in John 3. But hopefully we didn’t stop there. Just as Nicodemus, we must be persistent in seeking answers to our questions and curiosities, continuing in the pilgrimage toward a full and proper faith in Jesus.
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3 replies on “Abide Bible – Day 19 in The Gospel of John”
Jesus died for my sin. He paid my sin debt, descending into the pit for me. Not just for me but for every person who lives and has lived on this planet.
the painting shows darkness, a crowd of onlookers who want to know what is going on with Jesus, even though He is dead. people who must tend to dead bodies, people who mourn his loss because they do not know God’s plan for Jesus, or His real mission; people who have lost hope of a Messiah who will save them from Roman rule somehow. When i stand at the foot of the cross, I bring my sins and troubles, looking for forgiveness and guidance, comfort. I see my Savior, who suffered the shame, the death, and who arose with the power to end my separation from God the Father, to forgive my sin debt forever just because i acknowledge that He is the Son of God and I need His precious, eternal gift.
I can’t find the painting so I can look at it.