What a life to have! But something
happened to Nicodemus to make
him consider throwing it all away –
something that we might have dreamed
of being able to encounter. Nicodemus
saw the ministry of Jesus – and it
shook him right out of his secure life
and threw him into a tense position.
As the story goes, Jesus was
teaching throughout Israel, but spent a
lot of time in Jerusalem. His reputation
preceded Him and He was known for
His itinerant preaching. A number of
leaders saw what He was doing: His
miracles, His breaking of traditional
laws, and their hearts were hardened
as a result. But there were a few of the
Pharisees who were not only intrigued
but inspired by Him and believed that
He was sent by God.
It doesn’t say explicitly what
happened before Nicodemus took the
greatest risk of his professional career, but the risk is clear. Chapter three of
the Gospel of John opens with these words:
Not only does
Nicodemus believe that
Jesus is a great teacher,
one from whom he
himself can learn, but he
believes that Jesus is a
teacher come from God
– a great prophet. All of
this coming from the
mouth and the presence
of a Pharisee. Imagine
how tense Nicodemus
must have felt.
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.”
(3:1-2)
Within these two short verses, we learn volumes about the situation.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. This is significant, because, while some
of his miracles are done privately, Jesus has always taught publicly. Why didn’t
Nicodemus approach Him during one of His lessons? Clearly he had been
present for them. It’s pretty obvious here that Nicodemus needs this to be a
secret meeting between him and this rebel.
The next thing we see revealed here comes from the way Nicodemus
addresses Jesus – Rabbi, teacher. What’s the big deal? Lots of people call Jesus
Rabbi or Rabboni: Mary Magadalene, the disciples, other random believers.
But hearing it from a Pharisee, a great ruler, scholar, student of Moses, and
teacher of Israel, this is a sign that Nicodemus is willing to be humble before
Jesus. He, the great teacher, is willing to learn.
Lastly, from this selection, not only does Nicodemus believe that Jesus
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