Now there was a Pharisee,
a man named Nicodemus
who was a member of
the Jewish ruling council.
Bible Rank: 26
Though today's passage is mainly a transitional verse -- changing scenes and announcing the telling of a new story -- there's an important spiritual message in this unassuming passage.
Let me set the stage: A Pharisee -- yes, a legalistic Pharisee, of all people -- comes to Jesus, searching for genuine faith. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. And then he goes on to proclaim to this teacher of the Law, the profound truths of John 3:16 -- that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son ... and by the way, that belief in this Son is our link to not perishing but having eternal life.
Yes, this transitional verse sets up an important story ... but what can we milk of practical use from an unassuming verse that otherwise doesn't seem like it deserves consideration in top four thousand of www.TopVerses.com?
The answer is plenty! This verse is a primer on the struggles within proud man's hungry heart. And the insights stem this simple question: Why did Nicodemus come to the Messiah in the middle of the night?
1. Nicodemus liked his position and his standing. He was important. In approaching a teacher that his peers and superiors viewed as a false teacher, he be ridiculed, if not out cast. Thus he must come under the cloak of darkness so that his curiosity wouldn't be discovered by the elites.
2. Nevertheless, Nicodemus was indeed spiritually curious, spiritually hungry. How many in our world have a spiritual curiosity that they're afraid to let the world know about? Thus, too many just let the moment pass.
3. Nicodemus? He reached an uneasy compromise -- I'll search, but in secret. He came to Jesus, but hesitantly. "Better late (at night) than never" was his motto.
What can we learn from this night visitor? Well, here's the end of the story. The night-time-seeker found the Messiah. Indeed who buried Jesus? Beside Joseph of Arimathea, who offered up his own family tomb, was a sincere helper who forsook his proud Pharisaical standing and tended gently to his crucified Lord -- Nicodemus. At the end of John's Gospel, we are told that Nicodemus, in the light of day, risked everything in front of a murderous crowd to minister to his Lord.
The message is clear. Don't stand for social standing and worldly prestige. Seek the truth ... and preferably by day.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to be
more bold whenever
there is most light
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