Lives of Scripture

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and "a ruler of the Jews" -- likely a member of the Sanhedrin -- came to Jesus by night, an approach that suggests either caution about being seen with Him publicly or simply a preference for uninterrupted conversation (John 3:1-2). He opened respectfully, acknowledging Jesus as "a teacher come from God," and Jesus responded with one of His most foundational teachings: "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (3:2-3). Nicodemus, a recognized "teacher of Israel," struggled to grasp the spiritual meaning, asking how a grown man could enter his mother's womb a second time, and Jesus clarified He meant a birth "of water and the Spirit," a work of God's Spirit rather than human effort or heritage (3:4-10). The conversation includes what may be Jesus's own words or John's commentary building toward the Gospel's most quoted verse: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..." (3:16). Nicodemus reappears twice more, each time showing gradually more open courage: he cautioned his fellow Sanhedrin members against condemning Jesus without a fair hearing, provoking their scorn (7:50-52), and after the crucifixion, he came openly in daylight with about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes to help Joseph of Arimathea prepare Jesus's body for burial (19:39-40). Nicodemus's arc, from secretive nighttime visitor to public participant in Jesus's burial, traces a quiet but real growth from curiosity into costly devotion.