Nicodemus At Night

MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

NICODEMUS AT NIGHT

TEXT: John 3:1-17; Rev. 22:5; John 1:4-5; Romans 6:4-6; Acts 2:37-41

(This message is derived from an excellent message by Tim Zukas which he contributed to Sermon Central.)

The 3rd chapter of the Gospel by John contains one of the most familiar verses in scripture. You see John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” advertised on road signs & sporting events. It is one of the first passages that we memorize, usually in a Sunday School class.

Now I love S.S. & what it does, but from time to time kids in S.S. come up with ideas that seem a little strange.

ILL A S.S. teacher, before dismissing the class, was reminding the kids to behave during the worship service. She asked them why it was important to be quiet during the service. One child answered , “Because some people are sleeping.” Another child agreed & said, “That’s why we have ‘hushers’.”

ILL. Again, a S.S. teacher was teaching the importance of love in the home. She illustrated her point by mentioning the commandment, "Honor your father & your mother." She then asked if there was a commandment which taught how to treat sisters & brothers.

One little boy from a large family raised his hand. Innocently he asked, “Is it ‘You shall not kill?’”

ILL. Another S.S. teacher challenged the children to take time on Sunday afternoon to write a letter to God. They were to bring their letter back the next Sunday. One little boy wrote, "Dear God, we had a good time at church today. Wish you could have been there."

ILL. A wise S.S. teacher had the habit of sending home a note each year that said, “If you promise not to believe everything that your child says happened in Sunday School, I promise not to believe everything that your child says happens at home.”

We all need to grow & deepen our understanding of the great passages of scripture. The 3rd chapter of John is one of the greatest. It tells us of a man named Nicodemus.

I. WHO WAS NICODEMUS? First we need to understand who Nicodemus was.

A. He was a Pharisee. These were the lawyers of Judaism. They knew & tried to follow all the rules to the letter. The name “Pharisee” means “separated one.”

They were so concerned about possible contamination by those who did not carefully follow the law by staying away from them as much as possible. They used their religion, not as a source for caring & ministry, but as an excuse for not getting involved in the problems of others.

When we feel there are certain people with whom we don’t want to associate, whom we cannot help because they are too sinful, we fall into the same trap. When we fail to show them love, we too are far from the heart of God.

B. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin – the Jewish Supreme Court. These were the judges of religious conduct. And whatever they said was considered to be absolutely right.

Aren’t there some people today whom many treat the same way? Think of how often news stations & commercials feature the opinions of sports heroes, movie entertainers & certain politicians even though they may have no more expertise or understanding than the average Joe.

The very fact that their names are famous causes many to think their views are better than others.

Comparing a carpenter to a religious judge, whose ideas about God would we assume to be more correct?

C. Nicodemus was a Teacher. Many Bible translation of this passage use the words, “a teacher of Israel” but that misses the meaning. One translation has Jesus saying “You are Israel’s teacher” which is closer to its actual meaning.

A word for word translation would be, “the teacher of Israel.” The idea given in the Greek language is that Nicodemus is one of the most knowledgeable & respected teachers in all of Israel.

If there was anybody who should have understood what Jesus was saying, it was Nicodemus. His situation is a warning to us. Like children, our understanding can be a bit distorted too.

But just as children expect those who love them to watch out for them, we must put our trust in Jesus who loves us.

II. WHY DID NICODEMUS COME TO JESUS?

It’s hard to know exactly what caused Nicodemus to come to Jesus.

A. From what Nicodemus says, it’s clear that he had heard about Jesus performing miracles. It’s natural that such a thing might make him curious.

B. But it’s obvious that Nicodemus didn’t come just to see another miracle.

He starts by addressing Jesus as “Rabbi”. Now here is one of the most respected teachers in Israel using a title for Jesus that shows respect for Him as a teacher too.