Nicodemus was “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1), a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body of the Jewish nation. Perhaps he came by night because he didn’t want the whole world to see him and think he was representing all the Sanhedrin. Or maybe he was afraid of what the other Pharisees would think. They were known to put people out of the synagogue for believing in Jesus (John 9:22). Nevertheless, he came—unlike his colleagues—with a sincere desire to learn. The Pharisees were hyper-legalists who externalized religion. Although they were deeply religious, they were no nearer the kingdom of God than a prostitute.
Their credo included fastidious adherence to more than six hundred laws, many of which were simply their own inventions. They seemed to believe their severe, burdensome rules and rigorous codes of conduct made them holier than if they simply followed Scripture alone. Nicodemus may have expected Christ to commend him for his strict legalism. Instead, Jesus confronted him with the futility of his religion: “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus’s reply has often been misunderstood: “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (John 3:4). Nicodemus was not speaking in literal terms. We must give him credit for a little common sense.
A teacher himself, Nicodemus understood the rabbinical method of using figurative language to teach spiritual truth, and he was merely picking up Jesus’ symbolism. He was really saying, “I can’t start all over. It’s too late. I’ve gone too far in my religious system to start over. There’s no hope for me if I must begin from the beginning.” Jesus was demanding that Nicodemus forsake everything he stood for, and Nicodemus knew it. Christ was challenging him with the most difficult demand He could make. Nicodemus would gladly have given money, fasted, or performed any ritual Jesus could have prescribed. But to call him to a spiritual rebirth was asking him to acknowledge his own insufficiency and to turn away from everything he was committed to.
Nicodemus got the message, and it’s clear that he was staggered by it. He asked Jesus, “How can these things be?” (v. 9). “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?’ ” (v. 10). That rebuke from the Lord completely silenced Nicodemus. If Nicodemus said any more, John does not record it. The silence is understandable. Jesus’ challenge of Nicodemus’s aptitude as a spiritual teacher was a devastating putdown. Jesus’ comeback also made an important doctrinal point. The clear implication is that the Old Testament plainly taught the way of salvation (cf. 2 Tim. 3:15). Jesus was not announcing a new or distinct means of redemption (cf. Matt. 5:17). Even in the Old Testament, eternal life was never a payoff for those who observed the law; it was a gift to those who humbly and by faith sought redemption from their sin. Yet it always meant a new start, a rebirth, a turning from sin to God. Nicodemus, as a teacher of the law, should have understood that. He should have been familiar with the words of the Lord recorded by Isaiah: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good . . . . Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” ISAIAH 1:16–18.
My name is Cesar and I’m A Voice in the Desert
www.avoiceinthedesert.net
www.mywalkwithmycreator.com
#avoiceinthedesert
Their credo included fastidious adherence to more than six hundred laws, many of which were simply their own inventions. They seemed to believe their severe, burdensome rules and rigorous codes of conduct made them holier than if they simply followed Scripture alone. Nicodemus may have expected Christ to commend him for his strict legalism. Instead, Jesus confronted him with the futility of his religion: “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus’s reply has often been misunderstood: “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (John 3:4). Nicodemus was not speaking in literal terms. We must give him credit for a little common sense.
A teacher himself, Nicodemus understood the rabbinical method of using figurative language to teach spiritual truth, and he was merely picking up Jesus’ symbolism. He was really saying, “I can’t start all over. It’s too late. I’ve gone too far in my religious system to start over. There’s no hope for me if I must begin from the beginning.” Jesus was demanding that Nicodemus forsake everything he stood for, and Nicodemus knew it. Christ was challenging him with the most difficult demand He could make. Nicodemus would gladly have given money, fasted, or performed any ritual Jesus could have prescribed. But to call him to a spiritual rebirth was asking him to acknowledge his own insufficiency and to turn away from everything he was committed to.
Nicodemus got the message, and it’s clear that he was staggered by it. He asked Jesus, “How can these things be?” (v. 9). “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?’ ” (v. 10). That rebuke from the Lord completely silenced Nicodemus. If Nicodemus said any more, John does not record it. The silence is understandable. Jesus’ challenge of Nicodemus’s aptitude as a spiritual teacher was a devastating putdown. Jesus’ comeback also made an important doctrinal point. The clear implication is that the Old Testament plainly taught the way of salvation (cf. 2 Tim. 3:15). Jesus was not announcing a new or distinct means of redemption (cf. Matt. 5:17). Even in the Old Testament, eternal life was never a payoff for those who observed the law; it was a gift to those who humbly and by faith sought redemption from their sin. Yet it always meant a new start, a rebirth, a turning from sin to God. Nicodemus, as a teacher of the law, should have understood that. He should have been familiar with the words of the Lord recorded by Isaiah: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good . . . . Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” ISAIAH 1:16–18.
My name is Cesar and I’m A Voice in the Desert
www.avoiceinthedesert.net
www.mywalkwithmycreator.com
#avoiceinthedesert
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