The Conversation at Night I have noticed that many movies and television shows seem to be filmed at night. Often, the lighting is subdued and the darkness tends to add to the story line as the shadows highlight the mystery and sinister scenes that are opening up for our entertainment. We find many scriptures that contrast darkness and light. You may relax; we will limit our study this morning to one very familiar conversation that occurred at night. It may be significant that the conversation at night led someone to light. It also may be important that we realize some of our stereotypes don t always hold true. Often, Christians have denigrated the Jewish people for their complicity in the crucifixion of Jesus. There certainly were Jews that missed the signs and some who refused to accept Jesus because it might upset their position or status. It is important for us to know that many did learn of and accept Jesus as the Messiah. When we read the history of the early church as recorded in the book of Acts, we see that thousands accepted Him and were baptized in the early days of the church. These were Jews that saw the connection between the prophecies and the life of Jesus. We will be looking at one of those Jews this morning. The few things that we know about this person are all found in John s account of the life of Jesus. So, let s turn to John the 3 rd chapter as we read the first 21 verses of a chapter that contains the most quoted verse in the New Testament. Every time I read this passage I am 1
reminded of a colleague making reference to this section of scripture as Nick at Night. 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 have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs (or attesting miracles) that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, 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? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 2
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. (John 3:1-21 NASB) Who is this man named Nicodemus? He is first mentioned in John 3. None of the Synoptic Gospels mention him. We learn two important things: a member of the Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin) According to Jesus, he was Israel s teacher The Sanhedrin was like a combination of our Supreme Court and our Congress. The Sanhedrin was the supreme council, or court, in ancient Israel. It was comprised of 70 men, plus the High Priest, who served as its president. The members came from the chief priests, scribes and elders, but there is no record on how they were chosen. During the time of the Roman governors, such as Pontius Pilate, the Sanhedrin had jurisdiction only over the province of Judea. The Sanhedrin had its own police force which could arrest people, as they did Jesus. While the Sanhedrin heard both civil and criminal cases and could impose the 3
death penalty, in New Testament times (under Roman rule) it did not have the authority to execute convicted criminals. That power was reserved to the Romans, which explains why Jesus was crucified a Roman punishment rather than stoned, according to Mosaic Law. The Sanhedrin was abolished with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. So, we learn from our scripture, that Nicodemus was a member of this very important governing body. This may explain why he went to see Jesus at night. We meet Nicodemus on two other occasions. In John the 7 th chapter, the Sanhedrin is ready to arrest Jesus when Nicodemus cautions them about the law. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, Why did you not bring Him? The officers answered, Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks. The Pharisees then answered them, You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed. Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it? They answered him, You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee. (John 7:45-52 NASB) As I read this passage in preparation for this lesson, I smiled to myself and thought that many of our politicians of today may think the same thing about us. We are not smart enough to understand their reasoning or logic. Nicodemus became the voice of reason to slow down the arrest of Jesus. 4
You will notice that the scoff that we often hear was the response from the rest of the members: You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee. This statement showed their ignorance. No fewer than five prophets were from Galilee: Jonah, Nahum, Hosea, Elijah, and Elisha. The final time we see Nicodemus is at the death of Jesus as recorded in John the 19 th chapter. After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42 NASB) The final glimpse of Nicodemus tells us that he was apparently a wealthy man. He assisted with the burial of Jesus and brought the spices used to embalm people of that time. The New International Version tells us 75 pound however, the actual weight was nearer to 100 pounds of very expensive herbs and spices. This amount of embalming spice would only be considered for royalty. Wow! We know a lot about three brief encounters with Nicodemus. Now, let s get into this visit one night shortly after Jesus ran the money changers out of the Temple. 5
From our initial passage in John the 3 rd chapter, there are several points that Jesus made. When we seek to learn more about Jesus, we really need to listen when He speaks. The first point that Jesus mentions during His conversation with Nicodemus was, the need to be Born again. Nicodemus is puzzled. He understands the Birds and the Bees. So he wants some clarification about this rebirth. Jesus answers: Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Granted, Jesus gives an answer that isn t the easiest to grasp. So Nicodemus lets him know that he failed to understand. Jesus reminds him that he is a teacher of the law so he should understand the idea of rebirth and renewal. From this idea of rebirth and renewal, Jesus moves to His second point: His own death. He even alludes to the manner of His death. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. When the serpents were biting the children of Israel, Moses made a brass serpent and placed it on a stick and lifted it up. The children of Israel looked on the raised serpent and were healed. Jesus tells Nicodemus that in a similar fashion, He (Jesus) would be lifted up and those who believe would have eternal life. On this point, Jesus goes further and tells Nicodemus that that is His purpose for being here: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not 6
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The whole reason for Jesus coming to earth was to bring eternal life to those who believe. Pure and simple is that message that so many fail to see the facts. The simple message of the gospel is that our acceptance of Jesus and the change in our life that is a result of that acceptance is the rebirth that puts us into His kingdom. The third and final point that Jesus made during His conversation with Nicodemus is the fact that many will purposely choose not to accept the message. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. Just as John s gospel opens with Jesus being light, John records Jesus as saying that Light has come into the world. According to Jesus, we often prefer darkness to light because we choose to do things contrary to God s will. Yet, Jesus ends the conversation with hope as He tells Nicodemus: But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. Sometimes we form a negative opinion of Born Again Christians because of the people who have gone too far with their beliefs. There is nothing scary about the definition that Jesus gives to us of this rebirth. Today, we must be born again, we must believe in Jesus, and we must step into the light of God. Are we ready to make those choices this morning? 7
Our eternal future depends on making these choices. They are not options that we may choose to delete from our relationship with God. 8