Nicodemus says, ‘Now everything is clear to me except one thing, but that one thing is still missing! And that one thing is precisely the extraordinary Son of Man Himself, without whom, of course, all Your most wise discourse with all its splendid explanations falls into a bottomless nothing! What use is faith to me, or the best and firmest will to believe in the Son of Man, if the Son of Man Himself is not here? One cannot create a Son of Man out of the air or a mere idea. So tell me where I can meet this eternal Son of God, and be assured that I will go to meet Him with the fullest faith!’
I say, ‘If I had not seen this in you, you would not now have received such teaching from Me! But you came to Me at night and not by day, although you have heard and seen much of My deeds. Since you came to Me both in the natural nighttime and in the corresponding night of your soul, it is quite understandable that you are not yet clear about the Son of Man!
I tell you: if someone seeks the Son of Man in the temporal night because he is afraid to do so openly before everyone by day, lest he fall into disrepute among them, he will hardly find what he seeks! For as the wisest of the Jews you will surely know that night, of whatever kind, is least suited to seeking and finding. Whoever therefore seeks the Son of Man must seek Him by day and not at night; then He will allow Himself to be found.
I tell you only this: go to John, who is now still baptizing at Aenon near Salim because of the water. He will tell you whether the only-begotten Son of God is already here or not! There you shall come to know Him.’
Nicodemus says, ‘Ah, ah, dear Master, that will be difficult! For every day I am up to my neck in business and cannot easily get away from it. Consider: including strangers, more than eight hundred thousand people live in the city and its immediate surroundings, and as their ruler I have much to attend to for them. In addition, temple business awaits me daily that I can never set aside. So if this grace is not granted to me here in Jerusalem, I shall unfortunately have to forgo it altogether! Look, I would need at the very least three full days for this undertaking, and for my affairs that would be as much as three years for someone else!
You must therefore excuse me for being unable to follow Your advice. But whenever You come to Jerusalem with Your disciples, come to me, and I will give you good lodging! In me, You and all who are with You shall always find a sincere friend and benefactor. My house, large enough to accommodate ten thousand people, stands on David’s Square inside Solomon’s Gate, also called the Golden Gate. Whenever You wish to come, it shall stand wholly at Your disposal. Whatever is in my power shall always be ready to serve You! If You need anything at all, ask for it, and I will provide it!
For look, a great change has taken place within me! I love You, dear Master, more than anything that has ever been dear to me, and this love tells me, in a way, that You Yourself are the very One for whose sake You directed me earlier to John at Aenon! It may not be as I feel it within me; but however that may be, I do love You with all my heart, because I recognize in You a great Master of truly divine wisdom. Though Your deeds, which surely no one before You has performed, filled me with the deepest wonder, Your great wisdom has captured my heart for You even more, dear Master! I love You! Tell me, does my heart bear true testimony about You?’
I say, ‘Be patient a little longer, and everything shall become clear to you. Soon I will come to you again and be your guest; then you shall learn everything.
But follow the prompting of your heart; it will tell you more in an instant than all five books of Moses and all the prophets! For look, nothing in the human being is true except love alone! So hold to it, and you will walk by day. But now to another matter!
I shall now go into the land of the Jews and proclaim the kingdom of God there. But you have been placed over this land. Not for My sake, but for My disciples’ sake, give Me a safe-conduct, such as is customary among the Jews under Roman law, so that they may have no difficulties at customs and toll stations. The children are indeed free, but must be certified as such. It would certainly be easy for Me to pass freely and unhindered everywhere with legions, but I do not wish to give offense to anyone and therefore submit to Roman law. So be so kind as to obtain a safe-conduct for Me.’
Nicodemus says, ‘You shall have it at once, dear Master! I will write it myself and bring it to You in an hour, for my house is not at all far from here!’
Nicodemus now hurries home and brings the requested safe-conduct after only half an hour. Once we held the document on a piece of parchment in our hands, I blessed the upright Nicodemus in My heart. He took his leave with tears in his eyes and asked Me once more to make use of his house when I returned to Jerusalem, which I promised him. But I urged him to keep the temple clean, which he in turn promised Me. And so we parted in the morning.