Today's Gospel in Art - Nicodemus came to Jesus by night

Nicodemus Coming to Christ, by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1924 © Christie's New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12th April 2021 - John 3:1-8

There was one of the Pharisees called Nicodemus, a leading Jew, who came to Jesus by night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him."

Jesus answered, "I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said: 'How can a grown man be born? Can he go back into his mother's womb and be born again?'

Jesus replied, "I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God: what is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit."

Reflection on the Painting

Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees and as we know, the Gospels present them as being more preoccupied with the outward observances of the Law, rather than addressing the inner soul, as Jesus taught them. Our Gospel reading starts with Nicodemus trying to find Jesus 'at night'. Yes, he was probably ashamed to seek Jesus during the day, for everyone to see the two of them meeting. Nicodemus wanted to be discreet and away from any publicity for his chat with Jesus.

Henry Ossawa Tanner, who grew up in Philadelphia, was one of the first African-American artists to achieve an international reputation as a painter, largely through his religious paintings such as our painting here. We see Jesus and Nicodemus seated and speaking, set against a distant, vast landscape with on the right a tomb with light emanating from it. Night time is not achieved by using blacks or greys, but rather using rich blues and subtle greens to capture the evening atmosphere.

Nicodemus in today's reading says that he did understand that Jesus was a 'teacher who had come from God'. The miracles that Jesus performed had convinced Nicodemus that Jesus was sent by God. And then comes the beauty of today's passage where Jesus says that we all have two births: one of the flesh (when we are born into this world) and one of the spirit (when we give ourselves to God)...

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/773
Christian Art - www.christian.art/index.php