Over the course of this Lent, I have been struck by the person of Jesus in a new way. Every time we get to a point where we think we understand who Jesus is and how he will act in a certain situation, he surprises us – or at least that's the case for me.

In today's Gospel passage that we're invited to meditate on, we see a community around him that is completely unable to understand him. Some people like what he's saying, other people hate it. For most of the people, it seems, he is interesting; they might not be ready to drop everything and follow him, but they'll hear him out. Nicodemus is in the middle of the whole thing, clearly having a specific interest in the teachings of Jesus, having come to him a few chapters before, and now is risking a lot by being willing to speak up in defense of giving Jesus a chance to explain himself.

Why is he so confusing for them?

I think it's the same reason he's confusing for us a lot of the time – he doesn't fit into any constructs we put him in. For the pharisees and the chief priests, they had read from Scripture (what we now know as the Old Testament), and from that had painted a very clear picture of who the Messiah would be. Jesus did not fit their perspective! This wasn't a great and powerful king who would restore an earthly kingdom, and therefore he couldn't be the Messiah.

For you and I, it might be that Jesus doesn't give us what we ask him for. It might be that, just when we're mad at God, he comes through in a way we never could have predicted. It might be that our image of God was a santa clause who just gives us gifts from up in the sky somewhere, and then he proves to us that he's way closer to us than that.

Whichever thing it is, whether a false picture we've painted or an evidence-based image of Jesus, we can never fully comprehend the depth and breadth of our God. Jesus was bewildering to the people of his time because they couldn't put him in any sort of box – and that's because God is way bigger than what we can do with him.

Brothers and sisters, as we are now only about 2 weeks away from the great celebration of the Triduum now is a great time to leave behind whatever limiting image we have of Jesus. He is more powerful, more merciful, more gracious, more forgiving, and more mysterious than we could ever explain. And yet, even in his great power and his great mystery, he invites us into a relationship with him in prayer. He's completely beyond our ability to grasp, and yet each day when we enter into quiet and prayer he reveals himself to us if we're willing to let him. He wants to show himself to be more than we've ever imagined, and to do more in our lives than we could've predicted; unlike the chief priests in this passage from John's Gospel, let's open our hearts to whatever he wants to do.

In what ways have you allowed your vision to limit who God wants to be in your life?

How is your Lent going? What are some ways you can renew your commitment to enter into relationship with him in this important and powerful season?

As you enter into silence today, what is God saying to your heart? Is it a call to boldness? An invitation to peace? A reminder of his mercy?

"You are more."

"You are good."

​"You are powerful."

Sit in silence with the Lord for at least 5 minutes today. Ask him: “What do you want of me today? How can I love you today?” Listen to his reply.