Advent Day 13: Wonderful Counselor | Advocate

Nicodemus Visiting Christ, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1899. Oil on canvas, 85.56 x 100.33 cm. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Public Domain.

“For Unto Us a Child is Born” from the album Messiah. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Philharmonic Choir, composed by George Frideric Handel.

“His Name is Wonderful” from the album Sunday Hymn Serenade. Performed by Rosemary Siemens, composed by Audrey Mieir.

Poetry:

“Nicodemus”
by Ann Power

In the cool darkness, lit only by the Temple
braziers, the olive tones of your robe
are enfolded in the deeper
greens of evening, only the gold braid
at wrists and hem reflects in the
meager light.

Your presence, not your words,
frame the residual question,
artesian longing drawing you back
to the Rabbi whose words
startle you, whose actions magnify the
presence of a gracious God.

You knew He would be here in
thegazophylakion, the hall of the Treasury.
The fragrant oils stored nearby, whisper
their occasional message.
On a raised platform, eleven trumpets for
alms rest between marble pillars.
You have come perplexed, bringing
your cynicism, curious
to know more about this one whose
awesome wisdom upsets your own.

His eyes focus on your doubt.
He guesses your question. Chides.

He confounds your literalness,
the particulars,
makes them of no consequence.
Being born is not a matter of
being born.

He talks of Scripture, of
Moses raising the bronze serpent
before his impatient, suffering people
in the stillness of the desert, and of
Himself being lifted up.

How can you understand the sign—
not the mark on the lintel of the house,
the sign of exclusion for Passover,
but the sign of the cross, inclusion,
when it has yet to happen?

In enigma, in anticipation,
He calls you to contemplation,
to a gaze that will blind
the darkness of your life
and lift you up forever.

Wonderful Counselor

Jesus’ role as counselor and advocate is, perhaps, the most mysterious of all names this week. Certainly, it stands out from everything else Scripture records him doing (e.g. teaching, healing, serving, etc.). Could it truly be the case that the patient, long-suffering mercy of God displayed throughout salvation history is mirrored here in the gentle listening and patient attentiveness Jesus shows again and again to the lost, hurting, and confused? It seems almost too good to believe, but that is exactly what makes him a wonderful counselor.

In the pages of the New Testament, we get arresting glimpses of this ministry. Over and over, we see that Jesus attends to his disciples along with the many special people he encounters, like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-30), as a wise and experienced counselor. Through careful listening, he finds the right questions to ask, so often drawing out the deeper matters of the heart. In the midst of such honest revelations, he is bold to address those hurting and lost hearts with the right words - sometimes stern; sometimes soft, but always aimed at their healing.

Today, we are given two imaginings of Nicodemus’ encounter with the Wonderful Counselor. They complement each other and, in their own ways, offer us imaginative access to this powerful moment alone with Jesus. In Ann Power’s poem, we can begin to feel our way through Nicodemus’ profound uncertainty and confusion and find that his questioning is nonetheless sustained by an utter fascination with this Rabbi who makes so palpable the “presence of a gracious God.” Startled and perplexed, Nicodemus, however, seems increasingly willing to see all his wisdom upset, if only he can get closer to grasping the mystery of who he is dealing with.

Henry Ossawa Tanner’s depiction showcases the steady and calm side of Jesus. Without judging the clandestine efforts of this ‘teacher of Israel,’ Tanner’s Jesus seems untroubled and open, waiting to see another heart unfold before him. Such mercy––like the painting’s warm lamplight from below - speaks of our true home in God and beckons Nicodemus to receive the fullness of divine love meeting him here.

And, there it is. “The soul felt its worth.” It’s exactly what the Counselor had in mind.

The name of Jesus is, indeed, full of wonders. Today, we should remember that he is a wonderful counselor and advocate, because he takes the longings and wounds of our hearts just as––if not more ––seriously than we do. The very manner of his counsel shows that if it matters to us, then, it matters to him. That is - as our musical selections display - great cause for singing, with a music full of radiant delight about the wonder of Jesus’ kindness and mercy.

May such exuberance grant us courage to bring our whole selves to the place where, like Blind Bartimaeus, we can hear the Advocate’s question afresh: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mk. 10:51).

Prayer:
Father, Son, Spirit, you know me through and through; you love me as I am; you touch my life with healing; you call me to bear fruit. I give my wounded self to you, to be a channel of healing to others, to be a wounded healer, with Christ, who died, and rose, and comes again.
Amen.
Prayer from Pray as You Go (Jesuits in Britain)

Dr. Taylor Worley
Visiting Associate Professor of Art History
Wheaton College
Wheaton, Illinois

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.