Nicodemus Encounters Jesus
About 3 years ago, I was sitting in my office one day, and I began to receive a phone call. I didn’t recognize the number, but when I answered it, I had an encounter with someone that would completely change the direction of my life. At that time, I was serving at a church in the south Austin area, and the guy that was calling me said he was on staff at a church in Tyler, TX.
I thought, “Well that’s interesting, I wonder why he’s calling me?” And that is when he began to tell me that the Senior Pastor was stepping down at his church and that he had gotten my name and number somehow and was calling to see if I might be interested in applying for the position.
I wasn’t really looking to leave where I was at the time, but that encounter prompted me to send my resume, and months later Natalie and I found ourselves leaving Tyler after a weekend-long interview and saying to each other as we got into the car, “I think we are moving to Tyler.”
And we did. Our lives and the direction we were moving in were completely changed all because of an encounter over the phone with a guy I had never even met before.
And really, we’ve all had moments like that in our lives. Maybe for you it was an encounter with someone on a date and sparks began to fly and now you are spending the rest of your life with that person.
Or maybe it was a teacher in Junior High or High School, a coach you had, or someone you met at church camp, but whomever it was surprised you when you encountered them and they made a difference in your life and maybe still do even today.
Well, the Bible talks about encounters too. We see several people in the New Testament of our Bibles who have these encounters with Jesus and their lives are never the same. And the thing about these encounters is that not only did they often make an immediate difference in people’s lives but we find the suggestion that they made an eternal difference in their lives.
People like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Zacchaeus, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus all had encounters with Jesus and their lives were never the same.
But there is one man who had an encounter with Jesus that we learn so much from even today.
NICODEMUS
We learn about Nicodemus in John 3, and John starts off by telling us more about who he was.
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. (John 3:1)
Nicodemus was a member of the Pharisees which was a group of people in Jesus’ day who had a lot of power and influence within Jewish society, especially in regard to the Old Testament law. They specialized in knowing the law, interpreting the law, and guiding the Jewish people to obey the law. This was a very respected group to be a part of.
But not only was Nicodemus a part of this group called the Pharisees, but we are also told that he is a “member of the Jewish ruling council,” which is a reference to the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin was made up of only 70 people who were the most respected out of the Pharisees and other Jewish parties of Jesus’ day. So, Nicodemus is part of the religious elite in this day and time.
Another thing we don’t see here but will see a little later in the text is that Jesus calls him “Israel’s Teacher.” This is a term that has led many bible scholars to believe that Nicodemus was the most respected and prominent teacher of his day.
Nicodemus was a part of the religious elite in his day. When it comes to people who are seen as good, moral, and religious people this guy was at the top of the food chain.
And he is about to have an encounter with Jesus. You would expect Jesus to be impressed with him. You would expect Jesus to brag on him for following the law and for being so moral. You would expect Him to talk about how Nicodemus was the type of person who makes it to heaven. But that is not what happens.
BORN AGAIN
John continues in verse 2 and says,
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:2-3)
Notice that Jesus did not say that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they follow the rules as Nicodemus does.” No, Jesus says that a person must be born again. What does that mean?
Well, “born again” in the original Greek could also be translated as “born from above.” So, it could be that Jesus was saying, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born from above.”
Or it may be that Jesus was trying to say both things are true. A person must be born again to enter the kingdom of God and that type of birth is from above. Either way, Nicodemus doesn’t really get it.
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4)
So obviously Nicodemus doesn’t get it. His mind when he heard the “born again language” went straight to natural or physical birth.
But today, 2,000 years later much of our culture is confused by this as well. When many hear the words “born again,” their mind immediately goes to religious fanatic, fundamentalist, or maybe politically conservative. So, this needs more explanation, which Jesus provides next in verses 5-6.
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John 3:5-6)
These verses help us see that Jesus was talking about spiritual birth. To enter the kingdom of God, a person must be spiritually born again by the Holy Spirit above.
But why does Jesus say that one must be born of water and the Spirit? What’s the deal with this water?
Well, remember that Jesus is talking to Nicodemus who is “Israel’s Teacher.” He was a member of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. He knows the Old Testament. He was an expert in the Old Testament.
Well, look at what the Old Testament says in Ezekiel 36:25-26.
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Water in the Old Testament is a symbol of renewal and cleansing. In other words, what was ultimately needed to enter the Kingdom of God was not their exterior, religious compliance to the law, but their hearts to be cleansed.
They needed to be cleansed because their hearts were dirty. They were filled with the power of sin that we all inherit and are born with.
I have a little 16-foot bass fishing boat that I keep out in my driveway with a cover on it. And there was one time that it just sat there for about a year without being used at all. Well, one day I was finally going to get to go fishing and so I lifted the cover, and the entire boat was filled with this slimy, oily, nasty-colored water that had an odor to it.
What had happened was that I had accidentally left the plug in the boat and with all the snow that we had it had melted and just seeped through the cover and filled up the boat. And I had no idea it was even there.
From the outside, the boat looked fine, but on the inside, there was a problem that I could not see.
Jesus is saying that there is a problem with our hearts due to sin and no amount of exterior, religious performance is going to cleanse what’s on the inside.
As a matter of fact, it’s dead. Sin causes spiritual death and therefore, we must be born again. Our spirit needs to be brought back to life.
And that can only happen from above! It must come from the Holy Spirit who Jesus said in verse 6 gives birth to our dead spirit caused by sin.
But how? How does that happen? Well, Nicodemus will find out a bit later as his encounter with Jesus continues, but for now, Jesus has just used language that should have pointed him as “Israel’s Teacher” to the Old Testament and what he is talking about here, so look what Jesus says in verse 7.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
(John 3:7)
Jesus says, “You of all people shouldn’t be surprised by this because the Old Testament foretells of this needing to happen and that it was going to happen one day.” But Jesus in generosity gives him an illustration to help him see what he is saying.
8 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.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. (John 3:8-9)
Even after Jesus tries to illustrate what he is saying, Nicodemus still doesn’t get it. So, look what Jesus says in verses 10-13.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
(John 3:10-13)
In other words, Jesus (being God) speaks with authority on this matter because heaven is His home. It is where He came from when He descended to earth and took on an additional human nature.
So Jesus is the authority on matters of the Kingdom of God and what is necessary for us as His creation to enter into that kingdom alongside Him.
And then after establishing his authority on this matter in His encounter with Nicodemus, Jesus finally gets to how this new birth from above actually happens.
BELIEF
John writes this in John3:14-15.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:14-15)
Jesus once again goes to an Old Testament passage in this encounter with Nicodemus because Nicodemus would have been familiar with it. And it’s a story from Numbers 21 where basically a bunch of snakes were biting the Israelite people and they were getting sick. Some were even dying.
So God told Moses to make a snake out of bronze and set it on a pole and to lift that pole up in the air and when people looked at the snake that was being lifted up God would heal them.
In other words, this action was basically an expression of faith.
If the Israelites would believe that looking at the snake would heal them, they would be healed (not by the snake of course, but by God). It was an expression of faith that God could heal them.
And Jesus makes the connection that the same type of thing must happen to himself for all of humanity to be healed of their sin-infested heart problem.
Jesus would be “lifted up” on the cross to suffer and die. He would take the punishment for all the sins of humanity.
And Jesus did, and now if we will just put our faith in Him and His finished work on the cross then he will forgive our sins and we will have eternal life in that moment. We will be born again from above and receive new life.
We will no longer be spiritually dead but made spiritually alive, and we will enter into an eternal, abundant life with Him that starts right there in that very moment of belief.
And so this is how Jesus tells Nicodemus the new birth will occur. It is a gift that must be received by faith.
And finally, this is where John inserts the most famous words in all of the Bible.
16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
These verses capture what Jesus wanted Nicodemus to see about Him and the truth of what was really needed in his life.
Nicodemus’ religiosity and exterior performance were not going to be enough to get him into the kingdom of God because his problem ran much deeper than he could ever imagine.
It was a heart problem and a spiritual death issue that could only be dealt with by a new birth through the Holy Spirit Himself. But this is what Jesus was there to accomplish and what was necessary to make that possible.
WHAT HAPPENED TO NICODEMUS AFTER HIS ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS?
Well, honestly, we don’t see a lot recorded in the Bible about Nicodemus after this.
We see him surface in John 7 where he kind of comes to Jesus’ defense in a discussion about him, but we also see him resurface in John 19 after Jesus’ death.
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
(John 7:38-40)
Now this may not seem like a big deal, but as a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the group who was responsible for having Jesus killed), this was huge. For him to put himself out there and be seen caring for Jesus was no small thing.
Also, some estimates say he would have had to have spent between $100,000-$200,000 to buy 75 pounds of spices! In other words, he was invested, and while John doesn’t say he was actually a disciple, he tells us that he is with Joseph who is listed as a disciple.
I believe that Nicodemus did come to realize that Jesus was the Messiah. I believe that he saw the depth of his sin and his need for a new heart. I believe that he looked up to Jesus who was lifted up for him, and that he put his faith in him for salvation. I believe that he was born again and had his life transformed and changed forever.
We even have some sources in early church history who claim that the Sanhedrin kicked Nicodemus out and banished him from Jerusalem. They say that he was beaten and martyred for Jesus.
And it all began with an encounter.
HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED JESUS?
The same offer of salvation is open to you today. If you’ve been operating out of a belief that all people go to heaven or that you will get in because you are a moral person, this passage shows us that our problem runs way deeper than that.
You have a heart issue. You have a sin problem that can only be dealt with by being spiritually born again. But if you will turn to Jesus today and receive his grace by placing your faith in Him, you will be born again from above!
And if you have encountered Jesus and received His salvation, know today that you have actually been born again!
I find that while most people in this world don’t realize how dead they are that most Christians don’t realize how alive they really are!
You are new. You are not who you once were. When you begin to realize how alive you are and continue to walk by faith in Jesus’ life in you and through you, then you will begin to experience the abundant life that Jesus said he came to give in John 10:10.
