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.
C. It is Jesus’ message that Nicodemus wants to hear.
Nicodemus must have become a respected teacher because of his desire to seek the truth. He comes to Jesus because he feels Jesus might have insights that would broaden his own under-standing. Nicodemus deserves our respect for that.
III. WHY DID NICODEMUS COME TO JESUS AT NIGHT?
Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus during the night?
A. An easy answer could be that Nicodemus wanted to avoid the crowds.
B. Was it to keep his meeting with Jesus a secret? It is possible that he was afraid what would happen if others discovered he sought to learn from Jesus.
What would other Pharisees say? Would he still be respected as a teacher? Or would he be shunned? Could he be endangering his position in the Sanhedrin where many already hated Jesus?
It’s easy for us to think this because sometimes we may have been afraid of talking about Jesus because of how some people might react. We say that we don’t want to offend anyone or impose our beliefs on others, but those are often just excuses.
If we pray before meals at home, shouldn’t we give thanks when we’re eating at work or at school or at a restaurant? When our friends are talking about what they did during the weekend, do we choose not to mention church activities in which we participated?
ILL. Tim Zukas, evidently a bi-vocational preacher (that means he also has another job in order to support himself & his family) makes the following suggestions out of his own experiences:
1. Be as open & honest as possible. Certainly don’t mislead people to think that your faith is less important to you than it actually is. But the opposite is true as well. Speak with humility, not as a way to puff yourself up.
2. Don’t be confrontational & don’t try to force your faith into every conversation. People will avoid you like the plague if you do. Instead, when the opportunity arises, don’t shy away from it.
3. Be fair with your employer. You are paid to do a job. Much of your witness depends on doing your work well. Don’t steal time or materials from your work to do something for the church unless you have already been assured that it is alright.
Make sure you are valued & respected, because you are Christ’s witness in that place.
He has found that people are generally respectful of his faith when he handles things with honesty. Even when they are not respectful, he believes it is his obligation to conduct himself in an honorable way.
We should never be ashamed of who we are or of the God whom we serve.
C. Was it because he wanted to avoid the impression that he was endorsing Jesus? I suspect Nicodemus was genuinely unsure who Jesus was & what he was teaching. Nicodemus may have wanted to avoid giving the impression that he was endorsing Jesus. He didn’t want to lead others astray.
I also think that Nicodemus wanted to have a private conversation, not just listen to Jesus speaking to a crowd. Coming at night may have been the best way for him to do that.
In the Gospel of John, the word “night” sometimes carries threatening overtones. Sometimes night & darkness represent ignorance, or even evil.
John 1:4-5 is talking about Jesus when it says, “In him was life, & that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”
The book of Genesis describes what it was like before God began creating with the word “darkness” & God’s first act of creation was “light.”
And at the other end of history, Revelation describes a time when there will be “no more night.” Revelation 22:5 says “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
IV. WHAT SHOULD WE LEARN FROM THEIR MEETING?
John may be using Nicodemus as an example of someone who places his trust in religious rituals & customs.
And Jesus is trying to get Nicodemus to understand there has to be a radical change in his life, like one being born again, starting all over again & living a new life guided by the Spirit of God.
Nicodemus is Jewish, but the principle applies universally, not just between Christianity & Judaism. In fact, we are as likely to see legalism & rituals in Christianity as anywhere else.
Where there is strain between church rituals & having a relationship with Christ as our savior, choose the relationship with Christ. Going through church rituals is not enough. That is just our feeble attempt to reach God & it is doomed to fail.
ILL. Now I want you to think about someone you love. That might be your spouse or your parents or someone else who is very close to you.
If you really love that person, I suspect you go out of your way to find ways to show your love. You probably give gifts at times. You probably spend time with them, & do things for them.
Now I want you to imagine for a moment that you don’t love that person. You could still force yourself to do those same things. You could act out of a sense of duty or even fear.
Could an outside observer tell the difference? That depends on how good an actor or actress you are, though I suspect your true feelings would eventually show through.
You might have come here this morning because you are genuinely seeking to worship God. Or you might have come out of habit or obligation. Someone else may find it difficult to detect the difference, but you know. You’re not fooling yourself & you’re not fooling God.
Jesus is not content simply to point out the problem. Instead, He provides an answer. He says that you can change.
Any one of us can change from just going through the motions to a real relationship with Jesus. The Spirit of God makes that possible.
ILL. Psychologists say that there are three steps to change. First, realize the need to change. Second, have a desire to change. Third, commit to changing. Simply put, it is “I should change, I want to Change, & I am Changing.”
Christianity has talked about those same three steps for generations. The religious words are Conviction, Repentance, & Rebirth. We recognize that these are not steps that we can take by ourselves.
We can change because who we were has been put to death with Christ. As the apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Rome: (Romans 6:6) “We know what we used to be was nailed to the cross with Him.”
Romans 6:4 says “By being baptized, we were buried with Christ into His death. Christ has been raised from the dead by the Father’s glory. And like Christ we also can live a new life.”
V. THE STORY OF NICODEMUS IS NOT OVER
The story of Nicodemus does not end there. In John, chapter 7, we hear about Nicodemus again. The Sanhedrin was discussing what to do about Jesus. Those who were in charge of the Temple wanted him arrested.
Nicodemus spoke up & said that it would be illegal to arrest Jesus without first hearing what he had to say.
There is one final mention. After the crucifixion the Disciples, who had followed Jesus in public were hiding. At that critical time, Nicodemus & his friend Joseph of Arimathea stepped forward to arrange for Jesus’ burial.
Nicodemus, the one who talked with Jesus in secret, was not afraid now of someone considering him contaminated by Jesus, nor did he care what anyone else thought about his association with Jesus. He finally, openly, publicly, did what he could for Jesus.
Nicodemus had changed. He had moved past religious rituals & now was no longer ashamed of being associated with Jesus.
And Nicodemus wasn’t the only one. After the resurrection appearances of Jesus & His ascension back into heaven, the apostles went back into Jerusalem.
Then on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon them, a large crowd gathered & Peter preached the first gospel sermon, telling them:
(Acts 2:37-38 NIrV) “You nailed Jesus to the cross. But God has made him both Lord & Messiah.’ When the people heard this, it had a deep effect on them. They said to Peter & the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’
“Peter replied, ‘All of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” …
Vs’s 40-41 says, “Peter said many other things to warn them. He begged them, ‘Save yourselves from these evil people.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized. About 3,000 people joined the believers that day.”
With that tremendous beginning the church grew & grew. It wasn’t long until the book of Acts mentions that there were 5,000 men who were a part of their group.
Then in Acts 6:7 we read, ”Also, a large number of priests began to obey Jesus’ teachings.”
I believe that Nicodemus, “the teacher of Israel’ must have helped pave the way, whether he realized it or not, for priests to take seriously the message that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior for whom they had been waiting.
There is an old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” When it comes to serving Jesus, both are very important. Are you ready to say “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” And then show it by following His example & command in baptism?
If you are, then we invite & urge you to come forward as we sing our invitation hymn & make your decision known. Will you come?
INVITATION HYMN: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”
