Religion & Spirituality
John 3:1-21 - Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." Before we continue, let me take a minute to talk about Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, which means he was a religious leader in Israel, part of a group that stressed careful observance of God’s law and the traditions of the elders. He was also a part of the Jewish ruling council, known as the Sanhedrin, which was made of up current and former high priests and elders and scribes educated in Jewish law. The Sanhedrin was primarily responsible for trying false prophets and rooting out idolatry in Israel. So, Nicodemus was probably old, rich, educated, and powerful. So why is he coming to Jesus? Based on the context, I would guess that Nicodemus, this elder religious leader, is coming to Jesus, the young, up-and-coming rabbi, to see if they can work together, if Jesus might join the ranks of the Pharisees or at least partner with them in some way. But the fact that Nicodemus is coming to Jesus at night could be because he holds a minority opinion among the Pharisees and is afraid of retribution from the other Pharisees.