He went to meet with Jesus at night, because he admired Jesus, but he didn’t want the others to see him talking to Jesus.
We can clearly see that Nicodemus admired Jesus’ lifestyle, Because He preached with authority and power and it also reflected on the way He lived his life.
When can suppose that Nicodemus was tired with his spiritual life and religion, and he wanted something new, a practical faith and relationship with God, instead of a dead religion, based on rules, traditional rountine liturgy that couldn’t lead him to God.
He certainly had questioned why he couldn’t see such great miracles that God had done through normal men like Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha.
(Joshua 24:17, Judges 6:13, Psalms 44:1)
He certainly saw that Jesus was growing up before them like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. (Isaiah 53:2)
For Nicodemus, There was no reason anymore to keep believing in a god tied up on the practice and faith of a dying religion after he saw a Living God being showed through the life of Jesus, That’s why he went to Jesus.
Although we went at night, his fear of being seen with Jesus wasn’t bigger than his thirsty for knowing this living God Whose that humble nazarene rabi so preached, honored and manifested his power, love and mercy.
“Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
(John 3:2)
Jesus knew that Nicodemus felt in his his heart the desire of living faith that way, and he said that in order to see the kingdom of God a person have to be born again.
Nicodemus didn’t understand that, because he associated that with his natural concepts and not with the spiritual ones.
Jesus then explain that we first Born as human beings, but we have to be Born again, as sons of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 9:16-18)
To explain this Born again process, Jesus present two elements: water and the Spirit, which are directly connected to repentance, grace, forgiveness, redemption, adoption as sons of God, a good conscience toward God, santification, a new life in Christ, a desire to serve him and bare fruits and salvation.
The water that symbolizes the baptism, remember a ritual of purification only used for gentiles, but that was done by John the baptist (that prepared the way from Jesus).
It is associated to the desire of a life changing, abandoning sin and getting back to God.
(John 1:19-37, Mattew 3, Mark 16:15-16, acts 2:14-47, Galatians 3:26-29, Romans 6:3-11, colossians 2:8-15, 1Peter 3:11-22).
The Spirit is related to the regeneration produced by the Holy Spirit, a transformation from the flesh nature (sinful and adamic) to the spiritual nature (Holy, according to Jesus Christ) (Romans 5:12-17)
The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13), He takes us from the deceit of the flesh and its fruits and leads us to the truth of the spiritual fruits (Galatians 5:16-25)
And finally, I would like to talk about the main purpose of this conversation: God’s love for the humanity (John 3:16, Romans 5:6-21)
I don’t know if Nicodemus was saved by the mercy of God (before death), or if he became a disciple of Christ after or even if he wasn’t saved, But Jesus wanted him to be saved.
The man who looked for Jesus because of the miracles had to learn that salvation is more important than miracles…
This great love is real, and the Same God still love his creation, and this is the reason for his care for our lives and for Jesus have given his life in the cross, because He loves as more than anything (John 15:12-13, John 10:14-18)
If you have the same desire that Nicodemus had (to know God, to walk with him), I invite you to believe in Christ, and Give your life to Him.
I’m not talking about that religion Jesus that each year born in Christmas and die in the Easter, but in the only way to God, the living Savior, who invites you to look for Him in the scriptures (John 5:39-40).
If you’re already a christian, I wanna remind you how important is to live a real and alive Christianity, beyond having a religion, a set of beliefs, beyond the walls of a temple...
Those things aren’t wrong, but faith isn’t all about these things, faith has be connected to your personal daily life...
We have to look for a constant and honest relationship with God, Loving Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves , obeying to the Lord and His Word.
May we desire above all things being the way our heavenly father wants us to be: His beloved sons, holy, fruitful, disciples of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
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