Nicodemus: It's Never Too Late To Turn To Jesus
If you’ve ever felt like it’s too late to turn to Jesus, this character study is for you. Nicodemus has quite the life story to tell. The gospel of John shares just a few snippets of Nicodemus’ life, but those snippets are enough to teach valuable lessons about God and also ourselves.
We first meet Nicodemus in John 3. He was a Pharisee, and you might recall that the Pharisees were often dead set against Jesus and His teachings. Jesus’ messages, methods and miracles often posed direct threats to the Pharisees’ power, control and comfort zones. So it seems reasonable that when Nicodemus was curious about Jesus and wanted to ask Him some questions, he approached Jesus under the safe cover of night. Nicodemus peppered Jesus with questions, and Jesus patiently listened, answered and explained. He talked to Nicodemus about being born again—born of the Spirit. It was hard for Nicodemus to see past his literal, present circumstances. But clearly, his wheels were turning, and his curiosity was pushing him toward Jesus.
A few chapters later, in John 7, we see Nicodemus taking a baby step of bravery. And remember, a baby step is still a step. Jesus was in Judea for the Festival of Tabernacles, and He taught the people in the temple courts. While some people were amazed by His teaching and loved it, others did not. The Pharisees were part of the “did not” crowd, and they sent temple guards to arrest Jesus. When the guards came back empty handed, the Pharisees questioned them with what reads, to me, as anger. In the midst of that exchange, Nicodemus speaks up.
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” -John 7:50-51
This might seem small and insignificant, but the last time we saw Nicodemus, he was going to Jesus at night because he was too afraid of what people would think or do if they knew he was curious. Now, Nicodemus displays a bit of courage by raising a question that challenges his colleagues’ plotting against Jesus. Did he come out and shout that He believed Jesus was the Messiah? No, but he did take things one step further than he had previously, as far as we know.
Toward the end of John, in John 19, Nicodemus takes a bigger step forward. After Jesus’ cruel and gruesome death on the cross, Nicodemus comes out of the dark and into the light. He and Joseph of Arimathea gave Jesus the burial of a king. They carefully took Jesus’ body, with Pilate’s permission, and wrapped it in linen cloths. Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of spices (myrrh) and aloes to put on Jesus’ body. After the tumultuous, complicated event that had just taken place (Jesus’ crucifixion), it would have been easiest for anyone who believed in Jesus to stay hidden. It’s reasonable to assume that most of the men and women who’d been Jesus’ close companions throughout His public ministry were secluded somewhere, probably trying to process what had just happened and what their next moves should be. But of all people, Nicodemus came forward to boldly and undeniably associate Himself with Jesus, the one who had just been brutally punished and killed. After Nicodemus’ secretive curiosity and timid defense of Jesus, his intimate participation in the regal burial of the crucified Christ now signified unquestionably where his heart and loyalties lay. And as risky as it would have been for him to question Jesus in the middle of the day for all to see (back in John 3), this was just as risky, if not more. He was planting his flag with Jesus of Nazareth, who had literally just been put to death.
What can we learn about God from Nicodemus’ story?
- God hears your questions.
- God welcomes your questions.
- He stands ready to answer your questions. Are you listening for his response?
- God is patient and merciful.
- God sees and knows every little step you make in His direction.
- He is worthy of our first and best, but He will still accept any amount of time and attention we offer.
What can we learn about people/ourselves from Nicodemus’ story?
- Never give up hope on somebody because of his/her fear, skepticism or lack of knowledge.
- It’s never too late to decide to follow Jesus.
- Jesus accepts us just as we are, no matter what we have done or said in our past.
- A tiny step in Jesus’ direction is better than no step in Jesus’ direction. Don’t devalue small decisions that can pave the way for bigger ones.
- Just because you missed out on past opportunities to get to know Jesus doesn’t mean you’re a lost cause.
- Identifying with Jesus is worth the risk.
What else do you learn about God from Nicodemus? What do you learn about yourself? How can you apply that to your life today? Read through John 3, 7 and 19. Catch each detail of Nicodemus’ progressive life story as John tells it, and look for yourself in these chapters of Scripture.