Nicodemus sought out Jesus to try to understand what Jesus was teaching.
In today’s reading, we find Nicodemus intently trying to understand Jesus’ message.We learn that he is a Pharisee. We love to think badly of those guys because they always seemed to be in conflict with Jesus, but in all fairness, they were trying to be good Jews. They were a lot like Christians today, who attend church and try to follow all of the rules. We have to remember that grace was not a concept the Jews were familiar with. They had the law to guide them, not grace.
Modern Christians can fall into that trap as well if we are not careful. Sometimes we can quote scripture all day long, but are we living in the love that comes from the Gospel? Are we a reflection of the grace that comes from Jesus? We have the luxury of knowing how this story ends. We live on the Easter side of the cross. The Pharisees did not.
So, Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee, meaning he was well acquainted with Jewish teachings and the law, sought out Jesus to try to learn more. The scripture says he met with Jesus at night. Maybe he was embarrassed about being seen with Jesus. Maybe he knew that Jesus was surrounded by crowds during daylight hours and he wanted to have uninterrupted alone time to ask his questions. The scripture doesn’t tell us, so we can only speculate.
Whatever his motives were, Jesus certainly knew what they were and he was more than happy to share the truth with him. This is such a fantastic picture of Jesus. It doesn’t matter who seeks him or the circumstances; he will always share his truth and his grace. If we seek him, we will find him.
Nicodemus tells Jesus that he knows he is from God, because of all of the miraculous signs he has performed, but he wants to know more. Jesus talks to Nicodemus about the concept of being born again. Nicodemus is confused by this revelation. Jesus explains that humans can only make human life, but the Holy Spirit gives spiritual life. The Holy Spirit works as he pleases in his renewal of the human heart.
Jesus then goes on to say one of most Christians’ very favorite Biblical lines, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” I also really like the following verse: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Jesus has summed up the Christian faith in a nutshell. It’s at the heart of what we believe. It’s about love and sacrifice. It’s about hope. Unfortunately, we don’t see a reply from Nicodemus. How did he react to those deep words of truth? Did he get his answers or did he have more questions? I really would love to know.
The exchange ends with Jesus saying the light that has come into the world and evil hates the light. People who live by truth come to the light. I think, the question for us is how are we doing at seeking the light, at seeking more of Jesus? Do we seek him in the light for all to see or do we seek him behind closed doors?
What do you think about Nicodemus and his exchange with Jesus? I’d love to hear from you.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂