Sermon I on Nicodemus 
by Rev. J. Hugh Odhner 
October 4, 2009

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (John 2:23-25; 3:1-2)

This is the first of series of sermons on the Lord’s teachings to Nicodemus.

 
Historical context: This meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus took place during Jesus’ first visit to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. It followed Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple, in which the Lord drove out those who sold animals to be sacrificed and dumped over the tables of the money changers who were doing business in the temple courtyard as recorded in John 2:14-22, which was the subject of our last sermon. This meeting took place after the Lord was performing signs, that is, miracles such as healing the sick. This is clear from the words John 2:23 where it is said: “… many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.”

Who was Nicodemus? Nicodemus, we are told, was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. As a Pharisee, he was a member of that religious political sect which accepted both the Torah and oral tradition as equally inspired and authoritative. The Pharisees believed in angels and demons, the immortality of the soul, and in reward and retribution after death, thus they believed in a life after death, although they had little clear idea of what that afterlife was like. They believed very strongly in following traditions. Most, but not all, criticized Jesus for not following their traditions and also for giving new interpretations to their traditional teachings of the Torah or Law of Moses. As a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council which would later try Jesus and condemn him to death.

Nicodemus is mentioned three times in the New Testament. The first time is here when he came to Jesus by night, the second time when he attempted to defend Jesus against the accusations of the Pharisees (mentioned in John 7:50-51), and the third time in John 19:39 in which he brought about 100 pounds of spices used to prepare Jesus body for burial. He is also mentioned several times in the Third Testament and once in Swedenborg’s diary and notes of his spiritual experiences. From what is written about Nicodemus we can get an idea of his character and also what he may represent.

Nicodemus was a man, a Pharisee, whose mind was not closed by adherence to religious tradition and literalism. He was able to recognize that the signs and works which Jesus was doing were from God. He also was open to the teachings of the Lord, perhaps largely due to the signs, so that he was able to recognize truth, even if he could not fully understand it, in what Jesus was teaching. This is indicated by Nicodemus addressing Jesus as a rabbi or “teacher come from God”.

That Nicodemus was convinced by the signs which Jesus performed that Jesus was a man sent from God, is evident because he said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” In this acknowledgment, Nicodemus was like many of the people who believed because of the signs which Jesus was performing, but he was not like most of the Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin. To these Jesus said, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” (Jn. 10:37) and also, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (Jn.14:10)

It is written in John 3:2 that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. In all places where Nicodemus is mentioned in the New Testament this fact, that he came to Jesus by night, is mentioned. As to his character, this may indicate that Nicodemus feared being seen with Jesus in the day when the other members of the Sanhedrin would be present. That he was right to be fearful, and that he was not alone in this fear, is indicated by what is said in John 12:42: ”Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.”

When the Pharisees were questioning the temple officers as to why they had not arrested Jesus when ordered to do so. “The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” (John 7:46-51)

As a person who was a member of the Sanhedrin, he like others, had some fear for his reputation and position if he were to fully express his views. Thus when Nicodemus put his question before the Sanhedrin, it was not as a defense of Jesus teachings and works, but as a question of law, to quote: “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” But that Nicodemus was attacked even for his question is indicated by their answer to him: “They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” (John 7:52) (Note: In fact, this was not correct. The prophet Jonah had come from the Galilee region.)

Something more of Nicodemus character can be gathered from what is said of him in the Spiritual Diary 151: “There was one who was with me for a while who could still grasp more inward matters, and was quite amazed (I was told that he was Nicodemus). He was able to understand that they were true, but, after staying and conversing with me for some time, either he withdrew, or else was amongst the spirits who are not speaking.” This gives the impression of a person who can recognize some truth in a matter, but is fearful of expressing his opinion because of repercussions on his position or criticism by others.

As to his character, many of us may be able to identify ourselves, at times, with this picture of Nicodemus, the person. Don’t we sometimes hold back from defending what is right or speaking the truth out of a fear of the possible consequences? (Note: Peter, the Lord’s disciple also did this.)

Now, let’s look at what this story about Nicodemus represents.

Nicodemus coming by night represents the state of the church at that time. Night, a time of darkness, represents a state of spiritual darkness when there is little truth or good. So we are speaking about a state of spiritual darkness, a state of little truth.

Nicodemus represents the church as to its understanding of truths. It was a church that understood truths naturally or externally, but had great difficulty understanding truths spiritually or internally. This is represented by Nicodemus inability to understand the Lord’s teaching about a man being born again. He took this teaching very literally, asking how a grown man can be born again when he is old and how he can enter a second time into his mother’s womb. Understood representatively, he stands for a state of the church in which there is no knowledge at all of spiritual rebirth or regeneration. He represents a state of spiritual ignorance, but also a willingness to learn. This is indicated by his coming to the Lord.

And, because he is seeking, the Lord tries to teach him truths concerning spiritual rebirth using ideas that are adapted or accommodated to his state. So we read in the Apocalypse

Explained 710:

“That Nicodemus was thinking of natural instead of spiritual generation, concerning which the Lord spoke, is evident, therefore the Lord teaches him concerning regeneration, that it is effected by means of truths from the Word, and by a life according to them, and this is signified by being born of water and of the spirit; for water, in the spiritual sense, is truth from the Word, and the spirit is life according to it. That man is born natural, and becomes spiritual by a life according to truths from the Word, is signified by "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit"; that the natural man, unless he becomes spiritual, cannot be saved, is meant by the words, "except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens."

And further from Apocalypse Explained 721:

“Since Nicodemus did not understand the spiritual meaning of the Lord's words that a man must be born anew, the Lord explained that to be born again signified to be born of water and the spirit, thus to be regenerated, that is by means of truths from the Word, and by a life according to them, for water signifies truths, and spirit a life according to them. … in the Word, where to travail, to bring forth, to beget, and to be born are mentioned, there is no explanation, and yet spiritual travailing, birth, nativity, and bringing forth are meant, since the Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom, spiritual. To bring forth signifies to bring forth spiritually, because the man who is being regenerated is similarly conceived as it were, carried in the womb, born, and educated, as a man is conceived of his father, carried in the womb of his mother, born and afterwards educated. ”

In his explanation to Nicodemus the Lord was speaking using correspondences or spiritual language, but there was enough in what the Lord said for a person like Nicodemus to understand that a spiritual rebirth was meant and not a natural rebirth.

This is the way it is with our spiritual growth also. If we are seeking and inquiring, the Lord gives us to understand enough of spiritual truth for our spiritual state to grasp at that time. And this is what we need for our spiritual lives. It is enough for what we need to grow on and to live according to. If we do this, we come into a state in which we are ready to receive more. This is why in our passage from Apocalypse Explained 721, regeneration is compared to being born and educated. Spiritual rebirth or regeneration is not simply a one time event of being reborn – it does not stop there – it is also a continual process of education. This education comes not by sitting in a classroom. It is an education that comes by applying truths to life. It is a living education which continues throughout our whole existence – in this world and also into the next. Amen

 
Scripture Lessons: Ezekiel 36:16-17; 19-20; 22-29; 31-32

John 2:23-25: 3:1-13

Heavenly Secrets 7012