Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night… (John 3:1-2).

Life as a Christian and a physicist is exciting but has its challenges. Thinking about the connections between science, philosophy, and theology has led to some stimulating discussions; however, I generally find myself satisfied in keeping my faith on one side of my brain and my work on the other.

My two worlds collided last December when I gave a talk at a local coffee shop and invited my small group. It was quite something to see my Jesus people mingling with my physics folks!

At the end of the talk, the emcee asked about my passions outside of research. Relying on the scientific side of my brain, responding with anything to do with faith or church involvement didn’t even cross my mind. This led to a compelling discussion at our next small group meeting and has helped me orient myself a bit better in the simultaneous pursuits of faith and science.

Someone in my small group brought up a noticeable segregation of the audience. A towering wall of fellow graduate students filled in the high-top tables closest to me. My small group comfortably sat together somewhat hidden from view in the next closest section of couches while the furthest tables and chairs were occupied by the general public.

While listening to me talk about my interests and hobbies, this church friend wondered if I would recall my involvement at church and how excited and chatty I get at small group. I did not. After we discussed my now glaringly obvious omission, I realized how easy it was to do science during the day and hold off on my faith until night.

I imagine Nicodemus had similar reservations towards pursuing Jesus, given the disposition of his colleagues. As not only a Pharisee but a member of the ruling council, any interest in Jesus must have been saved for time away from work. In this passage, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night, no doubt to avoid any unfavorable repudiation. But Jesus, with love and patience for those who want to learn a little more about him, was there to teach a pretty powerful lesson.

After Nicodemus asked a few questions that we probably all would have had, we don’t hear very much from him until later in the Gospel. But at this initial meeting, there is hope that meeting Jesus might reorient how Nicodemus interacts around other Pharisees and council members.

While several of my colleagues already know I’m a Christian, I pray for the boldness to continue sharing my faith. We’ve all been blessed to read the account of Nicodemus having enough faith to approach Jesus at night. What if we let our faith be seen during the day? 

Have you noticed an area in your life where you’d rather save your faith for the night? What makes you want to separate it? How could you instead allow your faith to inform that part of your identity so that you might bring your whole life out into the day?