Nicodemus – Seeker by Night

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ “ –John 3:1-3 NKJV [Read John 3: 1-21]

Who was Nicodemus who went to Jesus at night to ask Him questions? John says he was a Pharisee. This was the largest and most influential of the Jewish religious-political parties in New Testament times. The very name of this group meant “the separated ones.” They were avid students of the Jewish law as handed down by Moses, the elders and oral tradition. They also separated themselves from people so as not to be contaminated by common sinners. They performed much ceremonial washing and cleansing. This group believed in life after death. They would not accept Jesus because he would not condone their teachings of the oral law and its interpretation as binding.

Nicodemus was a “ruler of the Jews.” This means he was a member of the influential Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council of 71 men, presided over by the high priest. It consisted of members from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sanhedrin would later play a dominant role in the condemnation of Jesus. They used false witnesses against Jesus and pressured Pilate to declare the death sentence against Him.

Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a teacher, calling Him ‘Rabbi’, a term of respect used by pious Jews of their teachers. We can only surmise that his coming at night to Jesus was to keep his seeking a secret from his peers in the Sanhedrin, for Jesus certainly had no popularity with that group of Jewish select-men. One thing we know, the conversation resulted in one of our most vital doctrines in Christianity, the necessity to be born again in order to be saved. The verse numbered John 3:16 is the most quoted and loved of any of the Scriptures. It is the heart of the gospel and reveals the heart of God’s seeking to redeem every person: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (KJV).

Did Nicodemus’ night visit result in his own rebirth to faith in the Lord as the Messiah and Savior? John does not say. But we can believe Nicodemus was a believer, because John records in 19:39-41 that Nicodemus brought myrrh and aloes, a hundred pounds, enough to anoint a king for burial. This was an act of Pharisaic piety that Nicodemus would have know from their law (Tobit 1:17, on preparation of the dead for burial). But on the other hand, it would have been a recognition that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the King of the Jews, whom the Pharisees had rejected. Nicodemus risked his reputation, his position in the Sanhedrin, and his credibility as a teacher among the Pharisees to anoint the body of Jesus as it was laid in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.

We could wish to know more about Nicodemus. The very fact that he sought Jesus has been a marvelous witness. If we come to Jesus we will find answers for life and for eternity.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, March 12, 2010