A lot of us like to go shopping. We look for bargains and the clearance rack to find the best prices. We want the best the store has to offer for the cheapest price we can get. This is called good business. But we find if we really want something badly enough, we will find a way to get it whatever the cost.
Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night so as not to be seen by the Pharisees; he himself was not only a Pharisee but one of the leaders. He watched Jesus do miraculous signs and knew Jesus had been sent by God. (John 3)
In The Chosen, a video series on the life of Christ produced by Dallas Jenkins, Nicodemus has a wife, children and grandchildren. He is prosperous and well respected. Nicodemus’ wife sees something different about her husband that frightens her. Does she know he has met Jesus? We don’t know. She doesn’t ask and he doesn’t tell. She fears for her way of life and all she holds dear. She tells Nicodemus that she loves their life and he responds that he does too. Alone, he weeps bitterly because he knows he is rejecting the Messiah he has been waiting for. Is the cost too high for Nicodemus?
Later, in John 7:50 Nicodemus tries to dissuade the Pharisees when they want to arrest Jesus. He wants to protect Jesus as much as he can on his own terms, but he cannot stop what’s coming.
We read in John 19:39 that Nicodemus helps Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus. Joseph was also a secret disciple of Jesus. They counted the cost and found they could not deny Jesus.
The account of the rich young ruler is in the book of Matthew, Mark and Luke. A rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep all the commandments. The young ruler is proud to announce that he has kept them all. Jesus then tells him he must give all he has to follow Him, and the young man walks away sad because he had many possessions. The cost was too high!
Jesus asks us to put Him above all things. Is the cost too high? Jesus is a personal Savior. He knows each one of us. He asks something different from each of us. What are we willing to give and what will we hold back from Him? For the young ruler it was his possessions. Maybe family or friends aren’t believers. We may risk losing family or friends. If we are all in for Jesus, maybe they will think we are fanatics or gone off the deep end. How badly do we want what Jesus has to offer? Do we want an all-in relationship with Jesus or is the cost too high?
–Colleen Morrison