The Backdrop
In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees was a group of religious leaders who hated Jesus for a lot of reasons. In fact, the Pharisees were the ringleaders behind Jesus’ crucifixion.
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The What
Do This: Read
Then This: Jot down some detail you picked up about the guy to whom Jesus was talking.
Name:
Title and religious affiliation:
Time of day he approached Jesus:
After the conversation, is there evidence this person become a believer? (
And Finally This: Nicodemus appears two other times in the Gospel of John (the only book of the Bible to mention Nicodemus). Read these verses from your Bible and see if you can find any clues about whether Nicodemus became a follower of Jesus (which apparently didn’t happen in
Going Inward
Here’s some interesting info: The normal amount of burial spices (myrrh and aloes) for Jewish burials was 4-5 pounds. The amount of 75-100 pounds (depending on your version of the Bible) that Nicodemus used in
The So What
Think about the difference between Nicodemus’ first appearance with Jesus (secret, in the dark) and the last (broad daylight, at risk of losing his career and possibly his life). Which Nicodemus is more like you in your relationship with Jesus? Rate yourself on the scale below.
Nicodemus Scale
Nic at Night Nic at Day
1 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 9 10
What’s one thing you can do today to improve your score on the Nicodemus scale?
• Accept Jesus Christ as your King.
• Honor Him as King by doing one of His commands.
• Spend time with Him as my King.
The Word
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’
“‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” 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.’
“‘How can this be?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony'” (
“After this, Jesus and His disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them, and baptized” (
