The Light Shines in the DarknessSample

Nicodemus comes to Jesus

“Now 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.’” (John 3:1-2)

John 3 describes an amazing conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. This man is introduced as “a man of the Pharisees … a ruler of the Jews”. This means that he was part of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council. The Pharisees dedicated their entire life to keep God’s law, but also their own laws that explained and codified God’s commandments. In total, these were hundreds of detailed prescriptions and prohibitions. By strictly keeping them, the Pharisees tried to achieve righteousness before God.

In general, the Bible is not positive about the Pharisees. In Matthew 15:6, Jesus rebukes them: “For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God”. And in Matthew 23:23, He says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” The Pharisees hate and despise Jesus. They even plot to murder Him.

But Nicodemus is an exception. He recognizes a special quality in Jesus. He addresses Him respectfully as “Rabbi” and recognizes his divine authority. Even though he comes secretly at night, he takes the risk to go against his colleagues who reject Jesus.

Do you dare to form an opinion about Jesus that goes against the prevailing view of people around you?