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Pastoral Note
While Jesus is in Jerusalem Nicodemus comes to Jesus one
night to meet Him and get a better understanding of His doctrine.
We’ve often wondered why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Some
think that it may have been due to his social position and him not
wanting to jeopardize his reputation. That he was perhaps afraid
of being seen in public with Jesus.
But another good reason might be that during this
period while Jesus was in Jerusalem the best time to have a serious
talk with Him alone was at night. Jesus is in Jerusalem during a
Passover period. He’s now a famous rabbi or teacher at this stage
of His ministry, and He is known for working miracles. During the
day people are crowding Jesus wherever He stops to teach. They
want to hear every word He says, and more so, perhaps see one of those
miracles He has become famous for. So, to get some quality time
with Jesus, Nicodemus comes to Him in the evening. To really find
out who Jesus is and what He is about Nicodemus comes to Him in the
evening. Nicodemus was in a position to send a messenger if He
just wanted a few questions answered. He was in a position to
send some of his disciples if he just wanted to know what Jesus was
talking about. But Nicodemus saw the evidence of something in
Jesus that required him to get to know Jesus for himself, so he came to
Jesus alone for himself.
The lesson for us is that we need to get to know Jesus for
ourselves. We need to spend some quality time with Jesus.
Perhaps we need to come to Him in the evening with prayer. We
need to come to Him early in the morning with prayer. We need to
set aside time during the week for Bible study.
How can we know Jesus with a two-minute prayer in the
morning and a five-minute prayer before bed? How can we say that
we love Him when we don’t spend time talking with Him? Nicodemus came
to learn about Jesus for himself and so must we.
Now we review a basic principle. Jesus answers
Nicodemus’ first statement by saying, “Verily, Verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The basic principle here is that we must be born again. What does
it mean, “to be born again?” That is still a question that we
have to answer today. He is talking about a change in heart, mind
and soul. A change caused by the Holy Spirit. II
Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new.” When we accept Christ as our savior we don’t suddenly get a
new body. No, the same body is still there. Perhaps the same
physical aches, pains, and blemishes are still there. A note from
the Life Application Bible (LAB) explains it this way, “Christians are
brand new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new
life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed,
rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are new creations, living in vital
union with Christ (Colossians 2:6,7). We are not merely turning
over a new leaf; we are beginning a new life under a new Master” (pg.
2038).
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