PEOPLE WHO MET JESUS
NICODEMUS
By Dr. David Jeremiah
John 3:1-10
In this lesson we discover what it means to be born again.
Evidence-oriented people like to say, "I'll believe it when I see it." That view seems reasonable until we come to the new birth-that which we must have to enter the kingdom of God cannot be seen. Once taken by faith, however, its results are evident in many ways.
The first words that passed through the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ as He began His public ministry are recorded in Matthew 4:19: "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." The last words Jesus spoke before going back to heaven are recorded in Acts 1:8. There, He told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they would be witnesses to Him in all the world. In between those two statements, at every opportunity, Jesus reminded those who heard Him that His main purpose in coming to earth was to be the means by which men and women would come to know God through His sacrificial death upon the cross.
Whatever occupies the heart of a person is what that person will talk about most of the time. What Jesus had on His heart was the lost�those who needed to know God, who were outside of God. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that when we read in John, chapter three, of Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, He has one thing on His mind: The salvation of this Jewish leader.
It is interesting to note that Jesus had a sort of "unfair" advantage over everyone with whom He interacted, including Nicodemus. It's easy to miss this when reading John, chapter three, for the reference to this fact occurs at the end of chapter two. Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover, and many people were following Him because of the miracles He was performing. But He "did not commit Himself to them . . . for He knew what was in man" (John 2:24-25). And the very next thing we read is in chapter three, verse 1, about a man named Nicodemus coming to see Jesus. Jesus did not respond personally to those in Jerusalem who were attracted only to the benefits of His miracles, because He knew what was in their hearts. But we will see the opposite in the case of Nicodemus. Jesus took time to have one of the most intimate and revealing conversations recorded in Scriphlre, because Nicodemus knew what was in Nicodemus' heart�that is, why He was coming to Jesus.
Nicodemus is like many today: Steeped in religion, but without a knowledge of God. The more we get to know him, the more we will see the difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally.
THE DESCRIPTION OF NICODEMUS
First, the Bible tells us several important things about Nicodemus, the man. He had all the characteristics of a first century Pharisee, a leader among the Jews.
He Was a Powerful Man
Nicodemus had become powerful in Jerusalem by virtue of his political posture�he was a ruler of the Jews (3:1). Even his name, Nicodemus, meant "ruler of the people" in Greek. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was like the Supreme Court, the most powerful and prestigious in all of Judaism. Nicodemus' position among the Jews in Jerusalem makes it easy to understand why he came to Jesus by night.
He Was a Pharisee
Part of Nicodemus' power came from his position as a Pharisee. The word Pharisee means "Separated one," and it pictures perfectly the attitude of this group of Jewish leaders. They were the legalists of their day and separated themselves from everything they deemed unfit for followers of Cod. In the church today we have a very negative impression of the Pharisees in general, but there were some among them who, like Nicodemus, were very sincere in their beliefs.
The focus of the Pharisees was adhering to the law of Moses. If they didn't feel like the laws as given by Moses were specific enough, they created other laws by which to apply Moses' laws. They piled laws upon laws in order to try to win the favor of God. For instance, women were not allowed to look in a mirror on the Sabbath because they might see a gray hair. If they saw a gray hair, they might be tempted to pluck it out. And if they plucked it out, that would be working, a clear violation of the fourth commandment which said Jews could do no work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11). If you had a sore throat, you could swallow some vinegar but you couldn't gargle it. Swallowing was not work, but gargling was.
It was that kind of nit-picking with isle law of God which caused the Pharisees to be set further and further apart from other people�and from God. We do not know whether Nicodemus treated God's law this way or notch but we do know he was of the Pharisees' party. At the very least, he would have had serious questions about the words and works of Jesus.
He Was a Prosperous Man
We learn later in the gospel of John about Nicodemust wealth�and his generosity. He and Joseph of Arinnathea took Jesus' body down from the cross and prepared it for burial. It was Nicodemus who brought the very expensive herbs used to wrap the body � about a hundred pounds worth (John 19:39). This is not something an ordinary person could have afforded to do. We could have assumed Nicodemus was wealthy by virtue of his membership in the Sanhedrin, but his provision of materials for Jesus' burial gives clear proof of the fact.
Unfortunately, Nicodemus' power, his position as a prominent Pharisee, and his prosperity, led to a fourth characteristic, a negative one: Pride.
He Was a Proud Man
Have you ever wondered why Nicodemus' conversation with Jesus took place at night? Some have suggested that this was the only time he could get to see Jesus because of the crowds that were always around Him. But I think the best explanation for Nicodemus nocturnal visit was because of his pride. What would the other members of the Sanhedrin think if they saw one of their own in a serious conversation with Jesus of Nazareth? Rather than risk the ridicule of his fellow Pharisees, Nicodemus waited for the cover of darkness and ventured out to get his questions answered.
Many people today are like Nicodemus, afraid to approach Jesus when they can because they are afraid of what people might think. All the power, prominence, and prosperity in the world cannot negate the negative results of pride when searching for spiritual truth. But at least Nicodemus came. At least he discovered the truth about Jesus.
THE DIALOGUE OF NICODEMUS
We have already noted that Jesus knew what was in the heart of those who came to Him. Because He knew Nicodemus' heart as well, He was able to guide the conversation to the exact place it needed to go in order to meet Nicodemus' need.
What Nicodemus Knew About Jesus
First, Nicodemus knew Jesus was a rabbi, a teacher (3:2). Perhaps because he had seen some of Jesus' miracles, or at least heard about them, he had concluded that no one could do such things unless He had some connection with God. Nicodemus' problem was thinking that Jesus was connected to God instead of being God in the flesh. Instead of being a teacher who had come from God, Jesus was God Who had come to teach�though Nicodemus didn't know that.
It's interesting that Jesus didn't address Nicodemus assumptions about who He was. In fact, Jesus displays a remarkable ability in dealing with people throughout the four gospels. He often did not answer questions directly, but rather would pose another question in response, or give them a difficult saying to consider. He would tell them what they needed to know to get them to the next level of understanding. And this is how Jesus dealt with Nicodemus�patiently guiding him toward the truth. We could learn a lot from Jesus about how to relate to those who are seeking spiritual truth. What did Jesus know about Nicodemus that allowed Him to patiently and gently respond to his queries?
What Jesus Knew About Nicodemus
The first thing Jesus said to Nicodemus is in verse three: ". . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." We might wonder at the outset what that statement has to do with Nicodemus' assertion that God must be with Jesus in light of the miracles He was doing. Jesus' statement is based on His knowledge of Nicodemus' heart. He knew who Nicodemus was: A powerful, prominent prosperous, prideful man. Jesus looked right past Nicodemus' words and saw what was in his heart�or what was not in his heart, to be more accurate. There was no relationship with God; he was not spiritually alive. That's why Jesus said, "You must be born againt' (3:7).
Based on his response, this was likely the first time Nicodemus had ever heard this phrase in his life- "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (3:4). His only frame of reference was the physical world, and therefore he missed the whole point of Jesus' spiritual statement: Man is born spiritually dead, and in order to become spiritually alive, he must be born again. You can just picture the blank look on Nicodemus' face as he tries to figure this out.
Some people think Nicodemus is saying that he is too old to go back and start over in a new mode of life- "I've been a Pharisee all my adult life! I can't learn a new system of belief now; I'm too old!" Have vou ever heard anyone object to their need to become a Christian with this sort of reasoning? That may well be what Nicodemus meant by his response to Jesus, more so than the physical impossibilities of being born a second time.
Jesus knows that Nicodemus is steeped in tradition, and stumped by His first words, so He gives him another riddle: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (3:8). This no doubt cleared things up immediately! But we shouldn't be too hard on Nicodemus. Most people who read Jesus' words are puzzled by what He meant. He is trying to show Nicodemus that the new birth can't be analyzed the way the Pharisees liked to analyze the law. Rather, the new birth is a mystery. It can no more be explained than the ways of the wind. When the power of the Gospel enters a human heart and transforms it from hard unbelief to tender belief, who can explain that? Jesus knew that Nicodemus was an analytical Pharisee, and so He challenged his mindset with something he couldn't analyze. He told him about something he had to believe in order to see its effects.
We can't analyze the new birth to our satisfaction either, but there are a number of things we can say about it that we know to be true.
The Description of the New Birth
Sometimes, arriving at a definition of what something "is" is helped by describing what it "isn't." In the case of the new birth there are four things the new birth "isn't": visible, predictable, stoppable, deniable.
The New Birth Is Unseeable
Unlike a physical birth, you cannot see the new birth take place. But what you can most definitely see is the evidence of its occurrence. This is like the wind. Wherever you are right now, if you can look out a window, you will most likely see some evidence of the wind�leaves tumbling across the ground, branches swaying back and forth. You cannot see the wind but you can definitely see the evidence of its presence.
In the same way, when a person is born again, though you cannot see the transformation take place, you see evidence of its reality. Lives are changed. People are transformed from the inside out. Families are brought back together. People are released from bondage into freedom. The Scriptures are filled with examples, which are evidences, of the new birth. It is unseeable, but its reality is observable everywhere.
The New Birth Is Unpredictable
If anything is unpredictable, we always say, it's the weather. And a large part of the weather is a result of which way the wind blows. As soon as the meteorologists think they have it all figured out and give their forecast on the evening news, the wind will switch direction and those showers we were expecting get blown somewhere else. The wind is unpredictable�and so is the new birth.
I have long since given up trying to predict when and how people will be born again. God's work in the human heart is totally unpredictable. I know someone who got saved by eavesdropping on a conversation. Others get saved by listening to a sermon on a cassette tape they found. I have truckers come up to me at conferences telling how they stumbled across our radio program while on a cross-country trip�and pulled their rig off the road and got born again! The new birth happens, but not because we are able to predict it.
The New Birth Is Unstoppable
Trying to prevent the new birth from occurring is as futile as trying to stop the wind. You may be resisting the grace of God in your life, or in the life of someone whom you don't want to see changed by the Iove of God. But you are only postponing the inevitable. When God has you in His sights, you will be born again. We don't know why that is true, and neither do we know why the wind is unstoppable. But both are irresistible from the human perspective.
The New Birth Is Undeniable
The result of the new birth is transformation. The world looks at change this way- "Let's clean up people from the outside in." But the new birth begins with the inside of the person and changes him from the inside out. God's way is to take the human heart and birth it anew so that it regains its spiritual dimension. Because the spirit of man is no longer dead toward God, real transformation can then take place.
When Nicodemus asks, probably whispering out aloud, "How can these things be?" (3:9), Jesus gently tells him that he should know all of this being "the teacher of Israel" (3.10). This was "Theology 101" and Nicodemus didn't know anything about it. But there are people in churches all over the world who could echo Nicodemus' questions. They don't understand being born again because they have never experienced it.
There is no more critical question for you to ask yourself at the beginning of this study on People Who Met Jesus than, "Have I been born again? Asking Christ to be your Savior, confessing your sins and placing your faith in Him for His forgiveness is all you need do. Let the wind of God's Spirit blow through your heart today.
Did you know?
Nicodemus' devotion to Jesus became evident when he and Joseph of Arimathea buried Him (John 19-39). The hundred (Roman) Pounds of spices was an extravagant amount to be used for the burial of one individual. That quantity of spices was normally used for burying royalty, as in the case of King Asa in the Old Testament (2 Kings 16:14). Spices were usually imported and thus were very expensive. Myrrh was a gum released by a tree in Arabia, and was a fragrant perfume. Aloes, mixed with myrrh, acted as a drying agent and would counteract the odor of decaying flesh. The spices were likely ground and mixed with oil and used as an ointment to cover the body before it was wrapped in strips of linen.
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