Nicodemus
Greg Leuenberger
Midland SDA Church
January 2, 2016
One of the stories found in the Bible is about the rich, young ruler. It is recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Here is the story as it appears in Luke, chapter 18, verses 18-25.
(Read LK 18:18-25).
Jesus was making the point that people wrapped up in this earthly life have a hard time seeing the eternal life offered in the future.
There is another story in the Bible about a rich young ruler. Please turn with me to John, chapter 3 and we’ll start with verse 1. (Read verse 1)
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish council of Jerusalem. He was rich, powerful, and well respected. Nicodemus held a position of influence. He had connections, he knew all the important events happening in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Today we might compare him to a senator, or a CEO, or maybe a judge.
Things were happening, disturbing news was reaching the top of Jewish society. There was a man named John the Baptist, preaching, and baptizing. And then there was a man named Jesus, who was also starting to gain a following.
Jesus had begun His earthly ministry. He was teaching and preaching, people were being drawn to Him by both what He had to say and how He was saying it. He performed His first miracle, turning water into wine for the wedding feast. It was time for Jesus to accomplish His mission. As recorded in John, chapter 2; at the time of the Passover, Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem, and finding it being desecrated, He cleared it. In “The Desire of Ages”, Ellen White says that Nicodemus was a witness to that event. ……….. Murmurings of more miracles, healings, and ministry to the poor and sick were beginning to circulate.
Let’s read verse 2 of John 3 (read verse 2)
This man came to Jesus by night. …………..
Nicodemus was being drawn, pulled toward Jesus, in a way he did not understand. Nicodemus wanted to know more, but he did not dare do it publicly, because of his standing and position.
I’ll start again in verse 2, and read to verse 21, one of the longest of Jesus’ conversations recorded in the New Testament. (Read John 3: 2-21 )
There is much there. a lot to think about , including John 3:16, which so many are familiar with. Nicodemus even got a rebuke for being a teacher of Israel but not understanding Jesus’ words.
What was Nicodemus to do? Seeds had been sown, would he continue to seek?
Most of us start out like Nicodemus. We are comfortable with our own quest of worldly pursuits and position, we lack nothing, (or so we think). But there is a wind blowing, a Presence, a prompting, …………. Will we hear it? ........ And respond? ............ We must not assume that only the poor, afflicted, and downtrodden need Jesus and will come to Him. Human desperation is not the only path …. Jesus wants us all! And we all have that need within us.
There are those around us, comfortable, well-off, pursuing worldly goals, but they don’t know Jesus. They may be family members, friends, co-workers or complete strangers. Are we ready and looking for opportunities to witness and plant seeds?
All politics aside, Ben Carson’s involvement in the Presidential race is providing us with opportunities to share. Last month, LaRayne, Keagan and I were at a farm meeting. During lunch we got into conversation with another farmer I didn’t know. Wondering why Keagan wasn’t in school, we explained to him that this was Keagan’s last year of home-schooling and then he would join his brother at Great Lakes Adventist Academy, next year. Hearing the word Adventist, he immediately connected us to Ben Carson and Seventh Day Adventists. This farmer and his wife are members of another denomination, have home-schooled their children, and are struggling with an 18 year old son that wants to join the military, while they are conscientious objectors. We had common ground, things to talk about. We put a face on Seventh Day Adventism, did we represent Jesus well?
We’ve found, that for us, homeschooling is a topic that opens conversations with others. I’m surprised at the number of people with some connection to home-schooling. It is something that gives us a chance to get into a conversation with others.
God created us all as unique individuals. We each have different abilities, interests, and activities. Whether a diesel mechanic or dentist, stay-at-home-mom or over-the-road-trucker, God can use us. From quilting and poetry writing to white water rafting and sky-diving, our interests and activities provide each of us the opportunity to interact with different people and share the Gospel in many different ways and in many different directions. God has it covered, working with God, we can reach the whole world.
Nicodemus came to Jesus in secret, under the cover of darkness. Many people today are still coming to Jesus in secret. Are you familiar with the 10\40 Window? It is a rectangular area of the earth stretching from North Africa to China roughly between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude, containing almost 5 billion people, which is almost 2\3 of the world’s population. The majority of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists in the world live in this area. There are large groups of people in this area that are basically unreached with the Gospel (0ver2 billion by some estimates). Being a Christian here often comes at great cost. Discrimination, loss of family, even the threat of death, are common. So, understandably, people come in secret.
Adventist Frontier Missions is an organization reaching unreached people, mainly in this area of the world. I’d like to share part of a recent article, from the December issue of their magazine. This comes from a missionary working in Turkey, who, for safety, goes by the name of John Smith.
(Read excerpts of article)(Adventist Frontier Missions, Dec. 2015, pg. 38)
Jesus is knocking on heart’s doors all over the world, are we ready to help? Of course, we all can’t go to faraway places, but we can support those who do, both financially and in prayer (especially in prayer).
Nicodemus appears again in the Bible. Please turn with me to John, chapter 7.
Jesus‘ public ministry was continuing. He met the Samaritan woman at the well, He healed the nobleman’s son and the man at the pool of Bethesda. He fed the 5000, and much, much, more. He continued to teach, heal, and minister, as only He could. The crowds were listening and becoming Followers. The Jewish leaders, were becoming angrier, blindly led on by Satan.
I’ll read in John, chapter 7, starting in verse 25. (Read verses 25-34, 40-49 )
And then, in verse 50, we have Nicodemus, again. (Read verses 50-52)
The seeds of belief and faith were slowly growing in Nicodemus. He had not yet proclaimed Jesus, Lord of his life, but he had a growing awareness that Jesus must indeed be the Messiah. Nicodemus made a defense of Jesus that cast doubt among the other Pharisees as to where his loyalty lay.
In a sense, Nicodemus was part-way? Or half-way? There.
How about us today? How many of us are part-way there? Are we going through the motions, but not fully committed? Do we have that dangerous lukewarm temperature of Revelation, chapter 3?Have we surrendered completely to Christ? Are we letting Him change the things in us that need to be changed?
What was Nicodemus to do?
Jesus ministry continued. The pace of events leading up to the crucifixion was accelerating. According to Ellen White, in “The Desire of Ages”, Nicodemus, (and Joseph of Arimathea, who was also a ruling member of the Pharisees), were not involved in the final plot to capture and kill Jesus. At this point the other members of the Sanhedrin were suspicious and did not trust them.
Sadly, Satan was pulling out all the stops, sensing this may be his last chance to destroy Jesus. The evil only intensified. And Jesus, our Jesus, was crucified. The Bible records the final events of Jesus life in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, allowing us to contemplate the pain, suffering, and humiliation that Jesus went through for us.
That He did it willingly,…………… for my sin,…………. and yours,………. only makes it sadder,…….. and yet more wonderful.
Now I have a question for you………………………………Who buried Jesus?
Turn with me to Matthew, chapter 27, beginning in verse 57. (Read verses 57-61)
Now I’m going to Mark, chapter 15, verse 42 (read verses 42-47)
Now on to Luke, chapter 23, verse 50. (Read verses 50-55)
These three passages are all very similar, each adding details that give a fuller account of what happened. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and powerful member of the Sanhedrin, had become a secret follower of Jesus, and got the body of Jesus and buried Him in the rock-hewn tomb he had prepared for himself.
But there is one more account to look at in the Book of John.
Please turn with me to John, chapter 19, and we’ll start in verse 38. (Read verses 38-42)
Here we have Nicodemus, The Same Nicodemus, in the third and final time he appears in the Bible.
I’m going to sidetrack for a moment. …… I know I have read that passage numerous times over the years, but somehow I missed Nicodemus. Maybe you didn’t, but I did. The Bible is a book, that is true, but it is so much more, ……………. it is the inspired Word of God. To read the Bible as a book is one thing, to read the Bible as the inspired Word of God, is another. I believe that the more time we spend in it, the more God opens It up to our understanding. If we put some earnest effort into Bible study, God will reward us, giving us a deeper relationship with Him.
Nicodemus was there to help Joseph of Arimathea. With all the disciples and followers of Jesus distraught and fearful, these two men stepped forward. With great sadness, they gave Jesus the most dignified burial they could. And then it was Sabbath, and Nicodemus had time to ponder all that he had seen and heard, remembering Jesus’ words and all the events that he had witnessed. Nicodemus saw Jesus lifted up on the cross like the serpent Moses raised in the wilderness, and he remembered his night conversation with Jesus. And Nicodemus became a changed man.
In a sense, this was a turning point for both of them.
Listen to this from “The Desire of Ages”, page 177
(Read paragraph on page 100 of my book)
This is the Nicodemus I hope to be, How about you?
This is the first Sabbath of a new year. At the start of a New year there is always talk of New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never made one, and I suspect most people don’t keep them. I can say however ,that for all of us here, “today is the first day of the rest of our lives” If we need a new beginning of some sort, there is no better day than today, to get things right. Nicodemus was a rich young ruler like we read about in Luke, chapter 18, a tough case, but he changed, and so can we. Maybe you are listening to this today and you don’t know Jesus. He is waiting to be by your side, Why not now? Why not a new beginning in a new year? You’ve got nothing to gain by waiting or putting Him off.
What about being half-way there? Our spouses, families, and employers expect a full commitment, doesn’t Jesus deserve the same? Satan can give us all kinds of excuses, but in the end they all ring hollow and empty. Today would be a good day to turn that around.
And if we feel that we are fully committed to God’s Will in our lives, why not ask Him to lead us forward this year, in great and glorious things for His Name’s sake?
Major world events seem to be happening faster and faster. The amount of evil and destruction around us seems to be growing.
At the Centennial celebration this summer I visited with a couple I know from another church. We got to the subject of television. We don’t watch much tv, we have a television, it gets 2 PBS stations, (if the weather is good). Honestly, I don’t keep up with all that is happening in the world. This couple said they don’t watch much television anymore either, but sometimes they turn on the news to see what Satan has been up to. And I thought, isn’t that the truth?
It’s not hard to look around and sense that time is short, it may be very short.
I’m going to read Matthew 28, verses 18-20, ………. The Great Commission
(Read Mt 28:18-20)
Jesus has promised to be with us, and what could be better than that? Let us make this year, a new year, of full commitment.