Gospel in Art: Nicodemus said: Do we judge a man without first hearing him

The Descent from the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens. Painted 1612 - 1614, © The Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal), Antwerp

Source: Christian Art

21 March 2026
John 7:40-52

At that time: When the crowd heard these words of Jesus some of the people said, 'This really is the Prophet.' Others said, 'This is the Christ.' But some said, 'Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?' So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, 'Why did you not bring him?' The officers answered, 'No one ever spoke like this man!' The Pharisees answered them, 'Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.' Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 'Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?' They replied, 'Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.'

Reflection on the painting

Nicodemus appears in today's Gospel, and he is a fascinating figure because we meet him three times in the Gospel of John, almost as if we are watching a spiritual journey unfold alongside the story of Jesus. The first time we encounter him, he comes to Jesus under the cover of night. He is curious, drawn to Jesus, sensing that something extraordinary is happening, yet he is cautious and not ready to step fully into the light. The final time we meet him is at the very end of the Gospel, when he stands beside Joseph of Arimathea to care for the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. Between those two moments lies today's Gospel. The three encounters make Nicodemus grow closer to Jesus in three steps: from curiosity… to courage… to commitment.

Today's Gospel shows us Nicodemus halfway along that path. He is a Pharisee, a respected religious leader, yet he shows courage today and dares to speak up when the other Pharisees dismiss Jesus outright. They reject Jesus because he comes from Galilee, a distant and rather disregarded region far from the religious heart of Jerusalem. Nicodemus does not yet openly defend Jesus, but he insists on something simple and just: that Jesus should at least be heard before judgement is passed. It is a small step, yet a courageous one, and it immediately exposes him to ridicule: "Are you from Galilee too?" The moment he begins to lean toward Christ, the world he once felt comfortable in begins to push him away. Nicodemus reminds us that growing closer to Jesus often carries a cost. The path of faith can gently, but unmistakably, set us apart.

In Peter Paul Rubens' The Descent from the Cross, painted between 1612 and 1614 for the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp (where it still is), the figure of Nicodemus appears prominently at the top right, positioned on a ladder and leaning over the crossbar to help lower Jesus' body. He is holding a white sheet between his teeth. He is assisting Joseph of Arimathea (on the left ladder, with the red cap) and John the Apostle on the right dressed in red. Supporting Christ, he is shown as a strong man. Rubens created this monumental altarpiece at the height of the Baroque period, a time when the Catholic Church (especially in the wake of the Counter-Reformation) commissioned powerful, dramatic, emotionally engaging works of art to draw believers into the drama of salvation. The darkened sky and dramatic lighting heighten the sense of sacred theatre, drawing the viewer into the moment.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-7-40-52-2026/