Who is this man Nicodemus?
Spring, AD 27
A Famous Man:
Nicodemus ben Gurion (son of Gurion) appears in the history books written by Flavius Josephus, in the Babylonian Talmud, and in other Jewish and Christian literature of the first centuries after Jesus. He lived until the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. For this reason doubt has been cast on the idea that this is the same man who spoke with Jesus, for it was said Nicodemus was "already an old man" when he met Jesus. But this tradition seems to come from his question at John 3:4, "How can a man be born when he is old?" If he were 40 when he met Jesus he would have been 80 at the fall of Jerusalem. His original name was Buni ben Gurion. He gained the honorific name Nicodemus when he prayed for a supply of water and it was provided miraculously.
A Rich Man:
Nicodemus was one of the three richest men in Jerusalem; perhaps the richest. He was responsible for supplying water for the pilgrims that came to attend the Jewish festivals in Jerusalem. He had extensive land holdings in Galilee and elsewhere, no doubt worked by tenant farmers. This perhaps gave extra sting to the rebuke he received when he spoke up to defend Jesus of Nazareth: "You are not from Galilee also, are you?" (John 7:50)
A Pharisee:
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, the leading religion movement in Judaism during his time. Pharisees were opposed by the Zealots, who accused the leaders of the Pharisees of cooperating with the Romans. It may be that Nicodemus was martyred by Zealots during the Jewish war. Nicodemus was active politically, and either he or his son negotiated a deal to free the Roman soldiers who were trapped in the citadel of Jerusalem during one phase of the resistance.
A Member of the Ruling Class:
Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. Under Herod the Great, the Sanhedrin had great power over all the land of the Jews, but when the kingdom was split up after Herod's death, its power was limited to Judea, principally Jerusalem, and especially the temple precincts. Pharisees were probably a majority in this high council of 72 of the Jews, but the chair and leadership of the council was reserved for the family of the High Priest and his associates, who were all Sadducees. You might say that the Pharisee's teachings were centered around living an ethical life, while the Sadducees were most concerned with the operation of the temple cult.
The Testimony of John:
The writer of the Gospel of John tells us about a meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3:1-15. Here Jesus teaches that one must be born again to see the kingdom of God, and that the "Son of Man" (Jesus) has come from Heaven so that those who believe in him will have eternal life.
Jesus' words end at verse 15, and John follows that with comments explaining what Jesus is teaching, beginning with the beloved verse "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." Most red-letter Bibles will indicate that Jesus' words continue past verse 15 to include everything to verse 21. But here John follows a pattern that may be seen throughout his Gospel, where he will follow a teaching of Jesus with a commentary that explains the teaching. In this commentary Jesus is referred to as the "Son of God," a term Jesus does not use upon himself, but that his disciples and John the Baptist use.
Jesus' words end at verse 15, and John follows that with comments explaining what Jesus is teaching, beginning with the beloved verse "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." Most red-letter Bibles will indicate that Jesus' words continue past verse 15 to include everything to verse 21. But here John follows a pattern that may be seen throughout his Gospel, where he will follow a teaching of Jesus with a commentary that explains the teaching. In this commentary Jesus is referred to as the "Son of God," a term Jesus does not use upon himself, but that his disciples and John the Baptist use.
The "Secret" Meeting:
Being Born Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjIlhu-yuTI
This video follows the red-letter edition of the King James Version, placing the full explanation of John (3:16-21) onto the lips of Jesus. (Use the link. I didn't get the embedded video to work)
The two men are not alone for this meeting. It was customary to bring along a witness for official and even semi-official meetings to protect the integrity of what was said. Here the Kingdom of God enters into a conversation with the "kingdom" of the rule of the Sanhedrin.
Jesus would have brought along (at least) the least of his disciples, not only to bear witness, but in case an errand would be needed as a result of the meeting. That would have been John son of Zebedee (in my view the writer of the Gospel), the youngest and "least" of the disciples. At this time in Jesus' ministry no apostles had been named yet, and Jesus had not called Matthew to follow him. In verse 11 we find Jesus using the first person plural: "We speak what we know and testify that we have seen, but you do not receive our witness."
Nicodemus would have done likewise. As a rich man he would have servants, and as a "teacher of Israel" (verse 10) he would also have had disciples who he was training. This would have been a very good meeting for one of his disciples to attend. Nicodemus also speaks in the first person plural: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God" (verse 2).
Later on, after unsuccessfully trying to defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus will team up with Joseph of Arimathea to provide for the burial of Jesus' body after the crucifixion (John 19:39). But that will take place in AD 30, and here we are still in AD 27.
Follow along in my book "JOHN! Episode One - AD 27" as I write these blog posts of the issues I have dealt with in order to reconstruct the historical experiences of John of Zebedee as he keeps company with Jesus. You can find Episodes One and Two at rolinbruno.com. Episode three is under way.
The two men are not alone for this meeting. It was customary to bring along a witness for official and even semi-official meetings to protect the integrity of what was said. Here the Kingdom of God enters into a conversation with the "kingdom" of the rule of the Sanhedrin.
Jesus would have brought along (at least) the least of his disciples, not only to bear witness, but in case an errand would be needed as a result of the meeting. That would have been John son of Zebedee (in my view the writer of the Gospel), the youngest and "least" of the disciples. At this time in Jesus' ministry no apostles had been named yet, and Jesus had not called Matthew to follow him. In verse 11 we find Jesus using the first person plural: "We speak what we know and testify that we have seen, but you do not receive our witness."
Nicodemus would have done likewise. As a rich man he would have servants, and as a "teacher of Israel" (verse 10) he would also have had disciples who he was training. This would have been a very good meeting for one of his disciples to attend. Nicodemus also speaks in the first person plural: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God" (verse 2).
Later on, after unsuccessfully trying to defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus will team up with Joseph of Arimathea to provide for the burial of Jesus' body after the crucifixion (John 19:39). But that will take place in AD 30, and here we are still in AD 27.
Follow along in my book "JOHN! Episode One - AD 27" as I write these blog posts of the issues I have dealt with in order to reconstruct the historical experiences of John of Zebedee as he keeps company with Jesus. You can find Episodes One and Two at rolinbruno.com. Episode three is under way.
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