Tonight at our Bible study we looked at the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, reminding ourselves that whilst Jesus preached to thousands on occasions, He also made time to speak to individuals. Nicodemus, a religious leader, approached Jesus at night, recognising him as a rabbi (teacher) with important things to say, but wary also because to be seen with Jesus was not a sensible move for a religious Pharisee! Jesus was prepared to talk to Nicodemus even at night and spoke of the kingdom of God and being born again. Nicodemus interpreted this literally, but Jesus often used common metaphors (here, birth and wind) to explain spiritual truths. Metaphors do not make literal sense to us, but often open the door to understanding at a later date.
The conversation recorded in John 3:1-21 may seem unsatisfactory to us in many ways, as we are not told how Nicodemus responded to the things Jesus told him (including references to the bronze snake in Numbers 21 and his own identity as the ‘Son of Man.’) Sometimes, we don’t know how people respond to our conversations and we can feel discouraged, but our responsibility is simply to sow the seed of God’s word; it is God who makes it grow. (1 Cor 3:6-7) As it turns out, the words of Jesus clearly had an impact on Nicodemus, who argues for a fair hearing for Jesus in John 7:45-52, even though his fellow Pharisees openly mock hm for this. Ultimately, we see that actions speak louder than words, for Nicodemus accompanies Joseph of Arimathea to the Romans to ask permission to bury Jesus’s body after his crucifixion and buys expensive anointing spices to give this man a proper burial. (John 19:38-42). To do so when Jesus was still dead shows us that Nicodemus had firmly nailed his colours to the Jesus mast!
Jesus always spoke to individuals as individuals who were known, loved and valued by God. He did not push Nicodemus into making a confession of faith; He trusted God to water HIs words through the Holy Spirit, for to see and enter the kingdom of God requires God’s Spirit to convict and bring people to faith. We can be encouraged by all we learn of Nicodemus and can be grateful for the spiritual truths this conversation leaves us.
