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Nicodemus may have had more than one office and title, but he has passed into the
Scriptures and will be known for all time as the Pharisee that "came to Jesus by night"
(John 3: 2; 7: 50; 19: 39). We have had the clear, unselfish, testimony of
John the Baptist, the bold announcement of Andrew, and the conviction of Nathaniel,
but what good purpose is served by the halting admission of this man who came by
night? There are at least two great purposes served.
(1)
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a Ruler, a man of some degree of learning. The
testimony of such a man would be valuable addition to that of fishermen.
(2)
An enunciation of the doctrine of the new birth which lies near the root of the
doctrine of aionion life; no birth, no life. This, of itself, was of extreme value and
demanded early recognition.
As to Nicodemus himself little is known. A Nicodemus is mentioned by the
Talmudists as a man of great wealth, and he is reported to have become a "follower of
Jesus", but his man flourished at the time of the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem. It
is not, of course, impossible, that Nicodemus lived till that event, but the words of
John 3: 4, "when he is old", might have been a passing reference to himself. The matter
cannot be settled and is of small importance. We do know however that he was a
Pharisee, so that it will be of interest to note the part played by the Pharisees in John's
record.
We learn from John 3: 25 that a dispute arose between the followers of
John the Baptist and the Jews about purifying, and from the account it appears that an
attempt was made to create jealousy, for these Jews went to John the Baptist and,
referring to Christ, said, "Behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him". When
the Lord knew that the Pharisees were using these circumstances for evil purposes He left
Judaea (John 4: 1-3). We meet with no further reference to the Pharisees until we are
well through the seventh chapter, where we approach the feast of tabernacles and the
urgency of the Lord's brethren upon Him to go up to the feast openly. The Jews sought
Him at the feast also, and "some said, He is a good man; others said, Nay; but He
deceiveth the people" (John 7: 12). Into this divided company, about half-way through
the feast, the Lord came, and as a result of His boldness some of the people began to ask,
"Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?" Others, taking an opposite view,
sought to lay hands upon Him. When the Pharisees heard that many of the people
believed on Him, they sent officers to take Him (John 7: 32), but the power of His
testimony was such that these men were rendered powerless. Upon making their report
the Pharisees asked, "Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees
believed on Him?" (John 7: 45-48). It was here that Nicodemus made his ineffectual
interposition (John 7: 50-52). Failing to take the Lord by force, the Pharisees resort to
guile, and we have the incident of the woman taken in adultery with the striking account
of the conviction and discomfiture of the accusers (John 8: 3, 9), and for the first time
we get the grave charge of blasphemy brought against the Lord by the Pharisees
(John 8: 13). Then follows the miracle of the man born blind, his attempted
intimidation by the Pharisees (John 9: 13, 15, 16) and their question, "Are we blind
also?" (John 9: 40).