The Lesson
• Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jewish, who was a man of the Pharisees. /John 3:1/
• The Pharisees were Jewish scholars who advocated strict adherence to Jewish traditions and the Law.
• Because Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jewish, he went to the Lord Jesus Christ at night, not to be seen, to learn from Him. On one of these evenings, the Lord Jesus Christ told him that no one would inherit the kingdom of God unless one is born again.
• Nicodemus was perplexed and asked how a man can be born again. He asked, “Can a man go back to his mother’s womb and be born again?”
• But, the Lord Jesus Christ said to him that the second birth was not from a mother, but from water and the Holy Spirit. He said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
• On the same night, Jesus Christ revealed to him of His crucifixion and His ascension: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up…”
• Nicodemus would later try to defend Jesus Christ, when the Jews tried to accuse Him of trespassing the Law. /John 7:50-51/
• He also took the body of Jesus Christ after His crucifixion and prepared His body for burial. /John 19:39-42/. He dedicated himself to a life of discipleship in Christ.
Conclusion: Nicodemus was a man of authority, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. But He knew that Jesus Christ was from God, and went in the night to learn from him. Because of this, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to him the Mystery of Baptism, and also about His ascension and crucifixion. When many people deserted the Lord Jesus Christ when he was crucified, Nicodemus asked for the body of the Lord after He died on the Cross. He, with Joseph of Aremathea, wrapped Jesus with linen, sprayed him with perfume and buried him. Many of his peers, the Pharisees, falsely accused and crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, but Nicodemus learned from Him and later became a disciple and a witness of the Resurrection of the Lord.
• Nicodemus was not full of pride, even though he was well educated in the Law. Instead, he went to Jesus Christ to learn from Him. No matter how much we know, we should always seek spiritual knowledge according to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only when we seek Him like Nicodemus can the mysteries be revealed to us.