Nicodemus

Nicodemus was a religious elite. He had knowledge about the scriptures that many during his time would have envied. But still, he had questions. A restlessness that could not be quelled by his own expertise. Questions that would only be satisfied by the true Messiah, the One foretold about in the scriptures he knew so well. He was intrigued by Jesus, but hesitant to make his curiosity public, as Jesus was regarded as a dangerous rebel in the Jewish religious circles. So, he decided to make the journey to Jesus under the cover of night, so no one would know.

Jesus could have taken offense to Nicodemus’ refusal to see Him during the light of day. He could have rebuked and shamed him for his fearfulness, but He did not. Instead, He welcomed him warmly, receiving his questions with open arms. And it is to Nicodemus, the skeptical Pharisee, that Jesus speaks one of the most quoted scriptures in all of history: John 3:16- “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

‭The final time we see Nicodemus is after Jesus’ gruesome crucifixion. This is the first time that he is mentioned in scripture as publicly showing his devotion to Jesus— honoring His life by spending great sums on His burial spices and perfumes. Can you imagine the scene that might have unfolded as Nicodemus tenderly prepared and buried Jesus’ body? Did Nicodemus’ tears dampen the burial cloth of the Messiah he was once ashamed to meet in the light of day? Did the cold tomb, wholly unfit for the King of Kings, cause him to think of the humility that bookended His divine life— born in a stable, died an undeserved sinner’s death. Did his quivering voice softly speak the words back to Jesus that He had said to him on that dark fateful night, not so long ago… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Did his voice trail almost to a whisper as he finally confessed what he had known in his heart from the very beginning?… “I believe Jesus. Oh how I believe. You are the Son sent to save. You are the Messiah. Forgive my unbelief. Forgive my cowardice. I believe. I believe and now everyone will know. I am not ashamed of You.”

Many come to find Jesus in a similar way that Nicodemus did. In the beginning, we have a lot of questions. We want answers but aren’t sure we’re ready to go public, so we meet Jesus in secret, asking questions and soaking in the answers. Even though our meetings with Jesus are in secret, He doesn’t reject us or make us feel unwanted. In fact, just the opposite is true— His warmth and understanding is inviting and intriguing. As time passes, the Truth Jesus reveals to us ruminates in our hearts… slowly taking hold, just as it did for Nicodemus… until one day, the reality of the crucifixion hits us full force. We look at the sacrifice our Savior made and wonder how we could have ever kept our love for Him a secret. Through tears of gratitude, we softly whisper the words “I believe Jesus. Oh how I believe. You are the Son sent to save. You are the Messiah. Forgive my unbelief. Forgive my cowardice. I believe. I believe and now everyone will know. I am not ashamed of You.” @1000hourswithJesus