An encounter with Jesus

Nicodemus

A respected religious leader who came to Jesus at night

Read the chapter: John 3

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:”

What they wanted

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling council, a man who had spent his life in religion. He comes to Jesus by night, perhaps afraid of being seen, and opens with careful praise. He wants to understand, on his own terms, who this teacher really is.

What Jesus did

Jesus does not flatter him back. He tells Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. It is not more religion Nicodemus needs but a new beginning only God can give. Then Jesus speaks the most famous verse in the Bible: God so loved the world that He gave His Son.

What changed

The Gospel does not tell us Nicodemus understood it all that night. But he appears twice more, defending Jesus before the council, and finally helping to bury Him, bringing a costly weight of spices. The night visitor became, slowly, one who stood by Jesus in the light.