Last session, we delved into the need for repair to Moses’ mantle. Right on the threshold of entering the Promised Land, he’d ignored God’s instructions about drawing water from a rock and hit it instead of speaking to it. On the surface, it looks like a trivial act of disobedience. It seems more like a misunderstanding than outright defiance. Yet, as we saw, much more was going on than is apparent. Moses:

• took out his anger and frustration with the people on God
• refused the exchange that comes with a name covenant by using a well-known symbol of rejecting covenant—striking a rock
• insulted God by using Aaron’s rod, a sign of divine favour that preserved anomalous aspects of time in its structure and that symbolised the quietening of rebellion, in an entirely dishonouring, rebellious way—spurning God’s offer of covenant
• messing up a prophecy that foreshadowed the Messiah

Moses might have been the meekest man on the face of the earth but he wasn’t displaying that at this moment. Instead of demonstrating strength-under-control, the Scriptural understanding of meekness, he was provoked into lashing out at God.

It follows that, to fix this, Nicodemus needed to:

• be obedient
• supply water for all the people
• speak, but not hit out
• remain meek in the face of provocation
• accept a new name
• involve some element in what he does that shows God’s specific favour along with an anomalous aspect of time

Yes, that last one’s a quantum level beyond the ordinary, isn’t it?

Nothing in John’s gospel gives any hint of any of this. And that’s because John clearly expected his readers to already know the story that had given Nicodemus legendary status in first century Judea. To begin with, Nicodemus was not his birth name. He was originally Buni ben Gurion. Although he was a wealthy Pharisee with a residence in Jerusalem, his family had estates near Cana in Galilee.

Buni was a generous man with compassion for the poor. He realised at one time that the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the feasts had no water. So he went to an official—probably the Roman governor—and negotiated a deal: access to twelve wells for the people in exchange for the return of all the water by a specified date or, if the water wasn’t replenished, he’d pay the official silver to the value of 60 million dollars at today’s prices.

The day for repayment arrived. The water level in the wells was very low. The official sent word to Buni early in the morning that he wanted the money. Buni sent word back that the day was not yet over. At midday, the official sent another message, demanding the money. Buni again sent word back that the day was not yet over.

At sunset, as the day was ending, they met—the official was on his way to the baths, Buni was heading for the Temple. Again the official claimed the money. Buni said he wouldn’t be long. He just needed to go into the Temple to pray. When he got there, he said, ‘Creator of the universe, You know that I did not do this for my own glory or for the glory of my father’s house. It was for the glory of Your name that I borrowed the water from those wells for the pilgrims in Jerusalem.’

Outside, rain started bucketing down. It was such a massive downpour, the wells were filled to the brim. When it stopped, Buni went back out, met the official and declared their agreement fulfilled with the return of the water.

Not so fast, the official protested. The wells might be filled but the deadline had passed. The sun had set. The day was over.

Buni asked permission to return to the Temple. This time his speech to God was utterly audacious. ‘Creator of the Universe,’ he implored, ‘show the world that You have favourites.’

When he returned outside, the clouds parted as light broke through from the sun on the horizon, just about to set. ‘Had the sun not broken through, I would have had a claim on you,’ the official said.

And because of these words, Buni became renowned thereafter as Naqdimon, ‘Man of the Breakthrough.’ His name in Greek was Nicodemus, with a different meaning, ‘Victory of the People’.

Every element of Moses’ tragedy is reflected and repaired in this miracle recorded in the Talmud—even the curious time abnormality and the definitive favour of God for a specific individual that was shown through that time anomaly. Not to mention, of course, the name covenant that evoked an ancient name of Yahweh—Lord of the Breakthrough.

This is Grace Drops; I’m Anne Hamilton. May the Lord of the Breakthrough make you His favourite.

Thank you to Lorna Skinner of www.riversofmusic.co.uk for the background music.

Moses’ mantle will be featured in The Lustral Waters: John 3 and 19: Mystery, Majesty and Mathematics in John’s Gospel #3. Available late 2024.