Nicodemus in the Dark: Meditations on John 3

The engagement of Nicodemus with Jesus in John 3, seems full of mystery and enigma.  He is a teacher of Israel, in so far as he is entrusted with the responsibility to teach the people God’s Word.  And yet, together with the other teachers of Israel in the Sanhedrin, both Pharisees and Sadducees, he cannot come to terms with who Jesus is and what He is saying to the people.  The teacher of Israel is caught in a dilemma, which drives him toward a choice.

Nicodemus, struggling within himself and between his fellow rabbis, chooses to come under the cover of darkness, so that he might talk with Jesus.  This must have been very hard for him to do, since the divisions and distrust burbling up amidst the teachers of Israel could culminate in expulsion from the life of the people… or even from living at all.  Nicodemus avoids the eyes of his brother Pharisees, and comes to Jesus with his questions and troubles.  This is by no means a brave act, fearing for his own social standing more than his desiring of the truth.  But interestingly enough, even this pragmatic, perhaps even cowardly approach, Jesus does not turn back.

Nicodemus reveals the core of his confusion, by declaring that he, together with others, knows Jesus has come from God, for no one could do what Jesus was doing, had God not been with Him.  This simple knowledge appears to torture Nicodemus, since such knowledge can only result in one of two conclusions:  either to believe and follow Jesus, or to reject God in unbelief.  He knew there was no third path.  Once he understood that Jesus came from God, to reject Jesus meant to reject God Himself.  And yet, what Jesus brought from God so stymied the teachers of Israel, that they would eventually seek His death.  It is a painful and miserable place to be, caught between the horns of the divine dilemma:  to believe, or to reject, what is already known in the heart and mind.

In Nicodemus’ tortured state, Jesus speaks to him both Law and Gospel.  There is no view of heaven granted to any man, who is not born from above by water and Spirit.  No one, the teachers of Israel included, would taste of Heaven, unless they were born again by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  Nicodemus was utterly incapable of giving himself new birth, and he knew it… which sends him back into the bleak contemplation of returning once again to his mother’s womb.  Jesus lifts Nicodemus despairing eyes once again to higher things, and teaches him that what the Spirit does is unfathomable to the human heart, but it is His work, none the less… and those born from above by Him, would reflect His image, ways, and means.

The Gospel that Jesus gives to Nicodemus, is the same He offers to all mankind, regardless of wealth or social status:  whoever believes on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be saved.  Even this belief is brought to the believer, so that they might approach Jesus to receive His grace.  Nicodemus has believed that Jesus came from God, almost as if against his will—but Jesus tells Nicodemus that such knowledge and belief is a gift of God’s Holy Spirit, and all who live by such faith, shall live forever.

To the converse, Jesus tells Nicodemus, that those who reject Him, are condemned already.  Having never been born from above by water and Spirit, rejecting even what they have been made to know is true about the Son of God, they remain dead in their trespasses and sins.  They will remain in their unbelief and rejection of God, which will be manifested in their running away from the light, seeking out rather the cover of darkness, for they know their deeds and hearts are evil.  For those who reject God in the person and work of Jesus Christ, crucified for the sins of the world, there is no hope at all, for they have rejected the only means given under heaven by which any man may be saved.

And so, this short portrait of Nicodemus is left to our contemplation.  Like him, we often seek the darkness of night to hide our evil hearts, full of unbelief and wickedness.  Like him, we often despair, knowing what we should believe and trust, yet torn with the desire to reject the truth in search of our own lusts and idols.  Like him, we are drawn to the light of Christ, but we fear what that holy and divine Light may reveal of us to the world.

But like Nicodemus, the promise of Christ still rings out to us.  For He knows already the darkness that lies within us, and the evil curse of sin that ravages our bodies and souls.  He knows all too well the wages of sin, and the death we have brought upon ourselves.  He knows, and in His divine knowledge, He has done all that is necessary to save us from the fate we have earned.  With His body broken and His blood poured out for the sins of the world, He has done all things you need for the salvation of your crippled body and soul.  He has sent to you His Holy Spirit, that you might believe and live in Him, so that death and sin may no longer reign in your bodies or your hearts.  The Gospel of Salvation comes to us, so that we who sit in darkness, may see His great Light:  for God so loved the world, that He have His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life.

As blessed David concludes his 29^th Psalm, so also we may sing:

¹⁰ The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.
^{11 Lord will give strength to His people;}The
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Amen.