Nicodemus: Religious, Curious, Quiet

Dear Listeners,

It's great to be together again, and today's message about Nicodemus really stretched me. I pray God uses it for His purposes in your heart, too.

Nicodemus's story might impact you in unexpected ways. A someone who enjoyed the honor and respect of many, it's interesting to ponder his purpose and manner of visiting Jesus. Their conversation and Jesus' subsequent teaching contain life-giving truths. God's Word never returns void (see Isaiah 55:11).

Thanks for joining me!

In Christ's Love,
Emily💕

CHRISTIAN EXPO: https://tinyurl.com/yswcaunp 

DONATE: https://www.proclaiminghimtowomen.com/donate/ 

Sources for this episode:

• Definition of 'religious':  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religious
• Quote #1: https://www.gotquestions.org/Pharisees.html
• Quote #2: https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-3/

Transcript

Did you know that in Christ you have an indestructible life?

That’s fantastic news all the time, but it’s especially encouraging when life gets hard or feels uncertain.

Don’t give up!

Satan can’t have you, the world can’t overcome you, and the challenges you face can’t stop you!

In Christ, you’re indestructible. 

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Hello my friends, I’m so glad you’ve joined me for another episode of Indestructible Life, a podcast for women who want to learn more about God and themselves through the lives of Bible people.

I’m Emily Wickham, a wife and mom plus a writer and speaker—but most importantly—I’m a  woman loved by God, just like you.

Before we get into God’s Word, I’d like to personally invite you to an event I’m scheduled to attend on May 6. 

The Christian Expo is being held by PJNET.tv, a ministry I connected with a couple years ago, and their “mission is to provide a platform for everyday Christians to share their walk with Christ.” 

So, I’ve reserved a table to share information about my ministry, Proclaiming Him to Women, and I’m excited about God’s plans for this event.

Different speakers will inspire us, exhibitors will be sharing about their various ministries, authors will be signing books, and there will be an opportunity for fellowship with one another.

The Christian Expo is absolutely free, and I hope you’ll join us on May 6 from 1pm to 6pm in Spartanburg, SC. 

I’ll put a link to the event details in today’s show notes.

And also, there’s one other item I’d like to mention. 

My daughter, who is a graphic designer, just designed a fabulous logo for this podcast!

God has given her amazing talent, and I’m so excited to showcase her designs.

Please take a look at the thumbnail image on your podcast app or notice the image I use to publicize this podcast on social media because that is where you’ll see some of my daughter’s creative genius.

Alright, now, we really need to get started.

Please listen as I read John 3:1-21…

Let’s pray…

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We could talk about so much from this passage, but my main goal is to observe and learn from Nicodemus.

So, notice with me in verse one that he was a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews.

He wasn’t considered one of the common people who needed guidance.

Rather, Nicodemus was part of the Jewish leadership and one who maintained a position of authority.

The people looked up to him and learned from him.

Nicodemus was religious, and based on the definition given at merriam-webster.com, this means he manifested “faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity.”

In other words, he exhibited a loyalty to God.

But I just want to press into what I think is the key word of that definition, the word, “manifested.”

Being religious centers on manifesting devotion, not necessarily possessing devotion.

It’s all about conducting oneself in a way that projects a devotion to God.

It’s about acting a certain way so people think you’re devoted to God.

Yet being religious doesn’t impress God.

Listen to Jesus’ blunt assessment of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28. 

He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Ouch. Jesus certainly didn’t spare these men the truth.

He took them to task for giving the appearance of righteousness on the outside but being sinful hypocrites on the inside. 

Their actions said one thing while their hearts revealed the truth.

And this was the group Nicodemus belonged to—a group of leaders who, by the way, didn’t really like Jesus. 

Actually, many of them hated Jesus because He didn’t fit their idea of what the Messiah should be.

His Person and Presence challenged their power and position.

In my research about the Pharisees, I found this explanation on gotquestions.org helpful.

I quote, “The Pharisees … were known for their emphasis on personal piety … their acceptance of oral tradition in addition to the written Law, and their teaching that all Jews should observe all 600-plus laws in the Torah, including the rituals concerning ceremonial purification. The Pharisees were mostly middle-class businessmen and leaders of the synagogues” (end quote).

It’s clear the Pharisees were incredibly focused on keeping God’s Law, and other sources I read pointed out they were self-righteous, proud people who were more concerned about outward appearances than the heart.

The Pharisees were very knowledgeable men who taught the people, yet they didn’t have room in their hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s really where they went wrong because God cares about the heart most of all.

Now, as I said, this was the leadership group Nicodemus was associated with, but just because the Pharisees in general rejected Jesus doesn’t mean some of them weren’t drawn to the Lord.

And I think Nicodemus can be described in this way.

Something about Jesus had a magnetic effect on him.

Nicodemus knew the Old Testament well, and he conducted himself according to God’s Law. 

But despite the knowledge Nicodemus possessed, and even though he outwardly upheld God’s Law, it seems he sensed something was missing.

And I have to stop and ask: can you relate to Nicodemus’s experience?

Are you extremely conscientious about doing religious things like going to church, obeying the Bible, and helping others, but you feel like something’s missing?

It’s entirely possible to say the right things and do the right things but feel empty inside.

That’s because we all need JESUS.

We need a living breathing constant relationship with Him.

Of course, He’s not here on earth in person, but He promises to be with us always once we belong to Him.

A relationship with Jesus begins the moment we place our faith in Him and receive Him as our Savior.

So whether you need to believe in the Lord Jesus for your salvation, or you need to open your heart to Him as one who knows Him as Savior but has somehow wandered off into being religious—come to Jesus like Nicodemus did.

Start a conversation with Him and listen to Him speak to you through His holy Word.

Jesus took time for Nicodemus, and He’ll take time for you and me.

He doesn’t want us to pretend to be something we’re not, and He certainly isn’t pleased when we fall into pride and self-righteousness.

The Lord wants us to be real, and He’s so pleased when we humbly recognize our need of Him.

Alright, we’ve established how Nicodemus was very dutiful in fulfilling the requirements of the Law and instructing others about how to do the same, but these actions didn’t satisfy his heart.

So when the Lord Jesus Christ came along, healing people, doing good, and teaching in the synagogues, Nicodemus was curious.

Perhaps he wondered, “Who is this Man? He carries Himself with such confidence, and He knows what He’s talking about when He teaches. At the same time, He’s humble, gentle, and kind.”

Well, we don’t know exactly what Nicodemus thought, but let’s look at what he did.

As I already mentioned, it appears Nicodemus sensed something was missing in his life.

Of course, I don’t know this for a fact since the Bible doesn’t directly tell us what motivated Nicodemus to visit Jesus.

But the fact he went to see Jesus on his own indicates he felt there was something special about Jesus.

Nicodemus took the time and made the effort to engage in a one-on-one conversation with Jesus.

Also, the way he approached the Lord at night conveys he wanted to go in secret.

Maybe he was afraid for his reputation or his safety or something else.

And we can think negatively of him for that, like, why couldn’t he just be brave and go publicly no matter what people thought?

Well, let me just say, we don’t know all the facts.

We don’t know the culture and social customs of that day.

So if we’re tempted to find fault with Nicodemus’s undercover visit, let’s not.

Instead, let’s celebrate the fact that Nicodemus went to see Jesus.

He was curious, and he figured out a way to talk to Jesus.

In verse 2 he said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

It sounds to me like Nicodemus was kind of probing Jesus’ identity, but I love the way the Lord responded.

Instead of immediately explaining God had indeed sent Him to earth and so on, Jesus got right to the point. 

He addressed what really needed attention by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Instead of focusing on His identity in response to Nicodemus’s statement, The Lord Jesus directed attention to Nicodemus’s spiritual state because that was most important.

Maybe Nicodemus didn’t realize his spiritual need, but Jesus clearly saw it.

At enduringword.com, David Guzik comments about Nicodemus in this regard, saying, and I quote, “He— like most all Jews of his time – believed they already had the inner transformation promised in the New Covenant. Jesus wants him to take hold of the fact that he does not have it, and must be born again.” (end quote)

I can picture Nicodemus scratching his head.

Born again? What was the Lord talking about?

So he asked Jesus some practical questions in his effort to understand.

Now, keep in mind, Nicodemus was an intelligent, educated man, yet his experience right here proves that human intelligence does not enable us to grasp spiritual truth.

And let me just say, when God showed me this little nugget the other day, it was a very tender moment for me.

I know in my head God doesn’t require us to be super intelligent in order to have a close relationship with Him, or to serve Him, and so on.

But as a person who often feels like I’m just not smart enough overall, it really touched my heart to realize that even though Nicodemus was an educated leader, he couldn’t even understand Jesus’ words.

Because when it comes to spiritual matters, God gives us understanding by the Holy Spirit.

First Corinthians 2:12 says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.”

Nicodemus didn’t have the Holy Spirit, so he evaluated Jesus’ statement from a purely physical standpoint, and this caused him to miss the spiritual thrust of the Lord’s declaration.

In verse nine he asked again, “How can these things be?”

And then Jesus answered in a way that has perplexed me.

He didn’t criticize Nicodemus’s curiosity, but He sort of rebuked him by saying in verse 10, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?”

I have really thought about this a lot.

Why did the Lord call Nicodemus out this way when it seems Nicodemus was just trying to figure things out?

And I’ve determined perhaps the Lord was pressing Nicodemus with this question, so he’d really think about the Lord’s words on a deeper level.

Or maybe Jesus saw something in Nicodemus’s heart that wasn’t on the up and up, so He brought it into the open.

Nicodemus was used to people accepting what he taught and respecting him as a leader, but Jesus exposed Nicodemus’s deficiency with this one question.

In other words, if Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel was so smart, and so righteous, and a guy who had it all together, why didn’t he comprehend what Jesus told him about being born again?

From this point forward, Nicodemus got quiet.

His conversation with Jesus turned into a teaching time for the Lord.

And it’s so fascinating how Jesus spoke in the plural in verse 11.

He said, “We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen…”

Jesus was referencing the trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and together as one, they were communicating truth through Jesus.

Then the Lord finished the verse by saying, “and you do not receive our witness.” 

He was very candid in pointing out Nicodemus’s failure to receive the truth of Christ.

I’m sure it was hard for Nicodemus to hear, but it was necessary.

And it’s the same in our lives.

We don’t want to hear about ways we fail and ways we sin, but if we remain blissfully unaware, we won’t recognize our need for Christ.

So, Jesus directly addressed Nicodemus’s sin, but then He offered hope.

The Lord talked about his future crucifixion, God’s love, and how whoever believes in God’s Son gains eternal life.

Jesus spelled it all out for Nicodemus, sharing that the way of salvation is through faith in Him.

And Nicodemus remained quiet.

It’s so interesting because the Bible never tells us whether Nicodemus was born again.

We don’t know if he placed his faith in Christ.

It’s like the Lord ended their conversation with an intense teaching time, and we wonder what happened to Nicodemus.

You know, sometimes spiritual conversations follow the same path in our lives.

We might share the truth of Christ and the way of salvation with someone, and they just listen.

They don’t decide right then and there to place their faith in Jesus, which can be disappointing.

Sometimes years go by, and this person with whom we shared the truth just stays quiet.

But let’s never underestimate the power of the gospel.

God is always working, and the Holy Spirit might be tilling up the hardened ground in that person’s heart during those quiet days and years.

Look what happened to Nicodemus.

John 19:39 reveals Nicodemus brought 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes for Jesus’ burial.

He helped Joseph of Arimathea prepare Jesus’ body, and together they buried the Lord in the tomb.

It really looks like Nicodemus thought about Jesus’ words and eventually trusted in the Lord Jesus.

Otherwise, why would he have risked so much to help bury Jesus?

Nicodemus was religious, curious, and quiet.

And it’s my hope he also was born again.

It doesn’t matter what our background is, whether we understand everything, or if we remain quiet thinking matters through.

JESUS said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

Let’s pray…

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Well, I’m going to close things up by thanking you for tuning in to Indestructible Life.

Please keep this ministry in your prayers, and if you’d like to support what I’m doing for the Lord on this podcast, you can visit the donate page on my website. 

I’ll put the link in today’s show notes.

And please know, I count it an honor and privilege to serve the Lord in this way.

He’s always faithful in providing for our needs. 

Please join me again on May 9th, and until then, this is Emily Wickham.

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Hey, please don’t forget to check out today’s show notes about the Christian Expo on May 6 in Spartanburg, SC.

I hope to see you there.

And remember, God loves you!

In Christ, you’re indestructible.