I hope that by now you don't read the word "Pharisee" and think "bad guy." This misconception often gets in our way of understanding the stories of Scripture. Pharisees were the group who had NOT given in to the political Roman occupation and become friends with the Romans like the Sadducces did. Pharisees also had NOT run away to become monks, hiding from the problems created by the Roman occupation. Those were the Essenes.
Pharisees were reading Scripture and trying to figure out how to best walk together with God in their current Roman occupation situation. They were trying to call people to repentance of their sins and point them to a holy lifestyle. They believed that God would only bless the nation of Israel again when they returned to God in this way. They were right.
All Pharisees and teachers of the law, though, didn't agree with one another. They learned from one another and let "iron sharpen iron" through their discussions and (often spirited) debates. They would ask questions of one another to learn another teacher's perspective and to give themselves a chance to share their own perspective. Nicodemus and Jesus begin a dialogue that would have been very common for Jewish teachers of their day.
"How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:4-8 NIV)
Nicodemus must have liked what Jesus said, because he didn't engage Jesus in debate over the topic of being "born again." Instead, he simply asks questions that allow Jesus to continue teaching this concept. Nicodemus almost becomes like a "plant" in the audience serving up the right questions so Jesus can knock them out of the park.
"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:9-21 NIV)
Nicodemus had studied the Scriptures, had learned about God, was anticipating the Messiah. Because of the miraculous signs, Nicodemus recognized that Jesus was from God and, now, had the humility to ask questions and listen. How about you? Do you recognize? Do you listen? Who is Jesus to you?
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