Lanem Leson From Nicodemus
“Sapos eniwan hem want for kam bihaenem mi, hem mas lusim will bilong hemseleva and karem torture-stake bilong hem evriday and followim mi olowe.” (Luke 9:23) Olketa fisherman and wanfala man for kolektem tax wea pipol heitim hapi for acceptim datfala invitation. Olketa leavim evriting for followim Jesus.—Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 5:27, 28.
Disfala invitation bilong Jesus go aot yet, and staka acceptim finis. Bat, samfala wea interest for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hol bak for ‘lusim will bilong olketa seleva and karem torture-stake bilong olketa.’ Olketa hol bak for acceptim responsibility and privilege for kamap disaepol bilong Jesus.
Why nao samfala hol bak for acceptim invitation bilong Jesus and dedicatem olketa seleva long Jehovah God? Hem tru, olketa wea no growap witim wei for worshipim wanfala god nomoa needim moa taem for acceptim wei wea wanfala olmaeti Creator hem stap. Bat nomata bihaen olketa biliv God really stap, samfala hol bak for followim step bilong Jesus. Olketa maet fraetem hao olketa relative and fren bae ting long olketa sapos olketa kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa narawan, wea forgetim hao important nao taem wea iumi stap insaed, olketa aftarem riches and bignem. (Matthew 24:36-42; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10) Nomata wanem, for olketa wea go ahed for delay for disaed for kamap disaepol bilong Jesus, wanfala leson stap from story abaotem Nicodemus, wanfala rich Jew ruler long taem bilong Jesus.
Nicodemus Kasem Blessing Bilong Olketa Nambawan Chance
Sixfala month nomoa bihaen Jesus startim ministry bilong hem long earth, Nicodemus luksavve Jesus hem “wanfala teacher wea kam from God.” From hem tinghae long olketa mirakol wea Jesus duim long Jerusalem long Passover bilong 30 C.E., Nicodemus hem kam taem hem dark, for talem wei wea hem biliv long Jesus and for lanem moa samting abaotem disfala teacher. From diswan, Jesus talem Nicodemus wanfala important truth abaotem need for “born moa” mekem man savve go insaed Kingdom bilong God. Long taem hia, Jesus sei tu: “From God lovem world tumas dastawe hem givim only-born Son bilong hem, mekem evriwan wea showimaot faith long hem no need for dae bat kasem laef olowe.”—John 3:1-16.
Nambawan hope stap front long Nicodemus! Hem savve kamap klos fren bilong Jesus, fit for barava lukim olketa difren saed bilong living bilong Jesus long earth. Olsem wanfala ruler bilong olketa Jew and teacher long Israel, Nicodemus garem savve long Word bilong God. Hem garem bigfala fasin for luksavve, wea showaot from wei wea hem luksavve long Jesus olsem teacher wea God sendem. Nicodemus interest long olketa spiritual samting, and hem barava hambol. Hem masbi hard tumas for wanfala member bilong barava hae kot bilong olketa Jew for sei God nao sendem son bilong carpenter! Evrikaen fasin olsem hem important for man wea kamap disaepol bilong Jesus.
Wei wea Nicodemus interest long disfala man from Nazareth hem no katdaon. Tu and a haf year bihaen, long Festival Bilong Olketa Smol Leaf Haos, Nicodemus attendim meeting bilong Sanhedrin. Long taem hia, Nicodemus hem “wanfala long olketa” yet. Olketa chief priest and Pharisee sendem olketa officer for arrestim Jesus. Olketa officer kam bak and report: “No eni nara man toktok olsem hem.” Olketa Pharisee start for daonem olketa: “Waswe, hem giamanim iufala tu? Waswe, eni ruler or Pharisee showimaot faith long hem? Bat disfala pipol wea no savve long Law olketa nao garem curse.” Nicodemus hard for kwaet nao. Hem tokaot and sei: “Law bilong iumi hem no judgem man sapos iumi no herem toktok bilong hemseleva firstaem and savve long wanem nao hem duim, hem tru?” Diswan mekem olketa Pharisee for tokspoelem hem: “Waswe, iu kam from Galilee tu? Lukluk and bae iu lukim hao no eni profet bae kamaot from Galilee.”—John 7:1, 10, 32, 45-52.
Samting olsem sixfala month bihaen, long Passover Day bilong 33 C.E., Nicodemus lukim olketa karem body bilong Jesus daon from torture-stake. Hem and Joseph bilong Arimathea, nara member bilong Sanhedrin, redyim body bilong Jesus for berem. For duim diswan, Nicodemus tekem “wanfala roll bilong myrrh and aloe” wea hevi bilong hem samting olsem 100 Roman pound, wea semsem olsem 33 kilogram. Hem kostim big selen. Hem needim fasin for no fraet for feisim wei wea olketa sei hem fren witim “man for giaman,” wea olketa nara Pharisee kolem long Jesus. Bihaen tufala kwiktaem redyim body bilong Jesus for berem, tufala leim Jesus insaed wanfala niu grev wea no stap farawe. Nomata long taem hia, Nicodemus hem no wanfala disaepol bilong Jesus yet!—John 19:38-42; Matthew 27:63; Mark 15:43.
Why Hem No Duim Samting
John no talem insaed buk bilong hem why Nicodemus hol bak for ‘karem torture-stake bilong hem’ and followim Jesus. Bat, hem talem samfala samting wea maet helpem iumi minim why nao Pharisee hia no savve disaed.
Firstaem, John talem hao disfala Jew ruler hem “kam long [Jesus] long naet.” (John 3:2) Wanfala Bible savveman sei: “Nicodemus go long naet, no from hem fraet, bat for stap klia from pipol wea bae disturbim story bilong hem witim Jesus.” Nomata olsem, John storyim Nicodemus olsem “datfala man wea kam long [Jesus] long naet firstaem” long semtaem wea hem storyim Joseph bilong Arimathea olsem “wanfala disaepol bilong Jesus bat hem secret wan bikos hem fraetem olketa Jew.” (John 19:38, 39) So maet, olsem olketa narawan wea fraet for joinim Jesus long datfala taem, Nicodemus go lukim Jesus taem hem dark from hem tu “fraetem olketa Jew.”—John 7:13.
Waswe, iu delay for disaed for kamap disaepol bilong Jesus bikos long wanem olketa relative, fren, or wakfren maet sei? Wanfala wise toktok hem sei: “Wei for fraet long man hem wanfala trap.” Hao nao iu savve deal witim fraet hia? Wise toktok hia go ahed for sei: “Bat man wea trustim Jehovah bae kasem protection.” (Proverbs 29:25) For buildimap disfala trust long Jehovah, iu need for experiencem seleva wei wea God bae saportim iu taem iu kasem hard taem. Prea long Jehovah, and askem hem for givim iu strong for disaedem nomata olketa smol samting saed long worship. Gogo, faith and trust bilong iu long Jehovah bae grow kasem taem iu savve disaedem olketa big samting followim will bilong God.
Position and nem bilong Nicodemus olsem member bilong sekson wea rul tu maet mekem hem hol bak for duim datfala important samting for lusim will bilong hemseleva. Long datfala taem, hem masbi laekem tumas position bilong hem olsem member bilong Sanhedrin. Waswe, iu hol bak for kamap follower bilong Christ bikos iu maet lusim hae position long community and maet need for missim samfala chance for hae position? No eniting hia hem savve kasem nambawan honor bilong wei for servem Most Hae bilong universe, wea hem willing for givim iu wanem iu askem followim will bilong hem.—Psalm 10:17; 83:18; 145:18.
Nara reason wea maet kosim Nicodemus for delay hem saed long riches. From hem wanfala Pharisee, maet olketa narawan affectim hem, olketa “wea barava lovem selen.” (Luke 16:14) Wei wea hem fit for peim wanfala expensive roll bilong myrrh and aloe showaot hem rich. Samfala distaem delayim wei for disaed for duim olketa Christian responsibility bikos olketa wari abaotem material samting bilong olketa. Bat, Jesus kaonselem olketa follower bilong hem: “No go ahed for wari abaotem soul bilong iufala long wanem iufala bae kaikaim or wanem iufala bae drinkim, or abaotem body bilong iufala long wanem iufala bae werem. . . . Father bilong iufala long heven hem savve iufala needim evri samting hia. So, go ahed for lukaotem firstaem kingdom and raeteous fasin bilong hem, and iufala bae kasem olketa narafala samting hia.”—Matthew 6:25-33.
Hem Missim Staka Samting
Hem interesting hao story abaotem Nicodemus, wea kamap insaed Gospel bilong John nomoa, hem no talem sapos gogo hem kamap disaepol bilong Jesus or nomoa. Long tingting bilong samfala, Nicodemus kamap follower bilong Jesus, hem baptaes, kamap target bilong persecution from olketa Jew, olketa aotem hem from position bilong hem, and gogo orderim hem aot from Jerusalem. Nomata wanem, iumi sure long wan samting: Hem missim staka samting from hem delay taem Jesus long earth yet.
Sapos Nicodemus bin start for followim Jesus taem hem firstaem meetim Lord, hem fit for kamap klos disaepol bilong Jesus. From savve, fasin for luksavve, hambol fasin, and wei for tinghae long spiritual need wea Nicodemus garem, hem fit for duim staka samting olsem disaepol. Yes, hem fit for herem olketa nambawan tok bilong datfala Nambawan Teacher, lanem olketa important leson from olketa tokpiksa bilong Jesus, lukim stret olketa mirakol wea Jesus duim, and kasem strong from lastfala kaonsel bilong Jesus for olketa aposol bilong hem. Bat hem missim evriting hia.
Wei wea Nicodemus delay for disaed mekem hem missim staka samting. Insaed diswan hem disfala naes invitation bilong Jesus: “Kam long mi, iufala evriwan wea waka hard and karem bigfala hevi, and mi bae strongim iufala. Karem yoke bilong mi and lanem samting from mi, from mi garem kwaet fasin and mi hambol long heart, and iufala bae faendem samting for strongim soul bilong iufala. From yoke bilong mi hem kaenfala and lod bilong mi hem no hevi.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Nicodemus missim chance for kasem disfala strong stret from Jesus!
Waswe Iu?
Start long 1914, Jesus Christ stap olsem King bilong Kingdom bilong God long heven. Wanfala samting tu wea Jesus talem bae kamap taem hem stap moa hem: “Olketa bae talemaot disfala gud nius bilong kingdom evriwea long earth for givim witness long evri nation; and then end bae kam.” (Matthew 24:14) Bifor end hem kam, datfala preaching waka mas kasem evriwea long earth. Jesus Christ hapi for pipol wea no perfect for tekpart. Iu tu savve garem share long disfala waka.
Nicodemus luksavve hao Jesus kam from God. (John 3:2) Taem iu studyim Bible, iu maet luksavve long diswan tu. Maet iu changem samfala samting long laef bilong iu for kasem standard long Bible. Maet iu attendim tu meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for kasem moa savve from Bible. Hem gud tumas iu duim diswan. Bat, Nicodemus need for duim moa samting winim wei for luksavve nomoa long Jesus olsem wan wea God sendem. Hem need for “lusim will bilong hemseleva and karem torture-stake bilong hem evriday and followim [Jesus] olowe.”—Luke 9:23.
Tinghevi long wanem aposol Paul talem iumi. Hem raet: “Mifala waka tugeta witim hem and askem iufala tu for no acceptim kaeness bilong God wea iumi no fit for kasem and missim purpose bilong hem. From hem sei: ‘Long gudfala taem mi herem iu, and long wanfala day bilong salvation mi helpem iu.’ Lukim! Distaem nao hem barava gudfala taem. Lukim! Distaem nao hem day bilong salvation.”—2 Corinthians 6:1, 2.
Distaem nao hem taem for mekem grow kaen faith wea muvim iu for duim samting. For duim diswan, ting raonem olketa samting wea iu studyim insaed Bible. Prea long Jehovah, and askem hem for helpem iu for showimaot kaen faith olsem. Taem iu experiencem saport bilong hem, wei wea iu tinghae and lovem hem bae muvim iu for want for ‘lusim will bilong iuseleva and karem torture-stake bilong iu evriday and followim Jesus Christ olowe.’ Waswe, bae iu duim samting distaem?
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Firstaem, Nicodemus no fraet for defendim Jesus
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Nomata olketa againstim hem, Nicodemus help for redyim body bilong Jesus for berem
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Study seleva and prea savve strongim iu for duim samting
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Waswe, bae iu acceptim privilege for waka anda long lead bilong Jesus Christ?