Nicodemus #87

Nicodemus is a Pharisee and “a ruler of the Jews” who appears only in the Gospel of John, in three brief scenes (John 3:1; 7:50; 19:39). He is a teacher of Israel who slowly moves from curious inquiry toward public devotion to Jesus. His conversation with Jesus about being “born again” or “born from above” is among the most quoted passages in the New Testament.

Biblical Significance

In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, perhaps out of caution, and says that no one could do the signs Jesus does unless God were with him (John 3:1-2). Jesus answers that no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again, or born from above, since the Greek word anothen can mean either (John 3:3). Nicodemus is puzzled, asking how a man can enter his mother’s womb a second time. Jesus explains that one must be born of water and the Spirit, and plays on the fact that the word for wind and for spirit is the same in Greek and Hebrew (John 3:5-8). He also refers to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness as a picture of the Son of Man being lifted up (John 3:14-15). Many translations continue Jesus’ words through John 3:16, “For God so loved the world,” while others close the quotation earlier and treat it as John’s comment. Either way, the passage ties the new birth to belief in the Son.

Nicodemus next appears when the temple guards return without arresting Jesus and the Pharisees mock them. Nicodemus asks whether the law allows judging a man without first hearing him, and is dismissed with a taunt about Galilee (John 7:45-52). It is a modest defense, but it is a step beyond silence.

After the crucifixion, he joins Joseph of Arimathea in burying Jesus. He brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five pounds by modern measure (a hundred Roman litrai), and the two wrap the body in linen with spices according to Jewish burial custom (John 19:38-42). This was a costly and public act, taken when the disciples had scattered.

Legacy

The Gospel never states plainly that Nicodemus became a disciple, but the burial scene strongly suggests it. His story is often read as a model for those who come to faith gradually, beginning with questions and hesitation. Later tradition, especially the medieval Gospel of Nicodemus, gave him a larger role, but that work is not by him and adds no reliable history. In Scripture he remains an example of a learned religious leader who let Jesus challenge him.