Nicodemus The Pharisee

A certain man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews; the same came to Jesus by night and inquired of him saying, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God. No man can do the miracles that thou doest except God be with him" John 3:2. Is Nicodemus’ story an isolated event? Is he the only individual who based his beliefs on Jesus being sent from God solely on the miracles he performed?

Nicodemus represents many in the church world today who base their beliefs in Jesus being Lord and Savior solely on how well things are going on in their lives and the lives of their people. They have a zeal of God, but no knowledge of who He really is. Like Nicodemus, they have fallen short in their understanding of Him.

Sure, they understand that He is the sinner’s Savior and God’s only begotten Son, but apart from that, their beliefs are superficial. They can’t tell you anything about what God is doing or has done. Apart from being the recipients of His many blessings, they have neither encounter nor relationship with Him.

This reality of superficial belief is what upset John, and it upsets me today. People believe Jesus and trust Him solely on what He is (or isn’t) doing in their lives. Signs and miracles are all that they seek. There are meeting upon meetings, but no one meets for prayer or spiritual reflection. At the magazine counter, there are Playboy, Cosmo, Harry Potter, Harlequin, but no Bibles. You can even find a how-to for anything you want to create or gain knowledge of except godliness and righteousness.

This is what John says of Nicodemus, who was a lofty (highly regarded) individual. He understood the Jewish law and its dictates. He was well versed in the laws of Moses, but He lacked the most important Law, namely, the Law of Jesus being the one true Word.

The concept of spiritual birth was totally lost on this scholar. Though he understood the theory of conception, he lacked the reality of salvation, which is far greater.

Jesus reply to Nicodemus is, "Ye must be born again". Nicodemus’ knowledge, though great, was not life changing. It lacked results. Jesus told him and He is still speaking to the Nicodemus of our day, "Ye must be born of the Spirit" which produces results. It is not enough to know about Him. He must be coexistent; abiding in you to bring about a change. Knowing Him is not enough. He must be in you.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation. The old things that we once did are now passed away, and now, as a result of knowing him and fellowshipping with him in the spirit, "all things have becoming new" (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). If you are a Christian and there is no change in your behavior and the way you perceive things, then you must seek God for His Spirit. It is His spirit and His Word working in you that brings about a change. You won’t be able to see it, but by faith you must believe that it exists. This is what bothered Nicodemus. He believed based on signs and miracles, but true faith is the evidence of things that are not seen. We must believe whether we see it or not.

Like Abraham, we must believe that God is sovereign if He never works another miracle, never answers another prayer, or never shows up in a clutch situation. Like Job, we must be committed to God regardless of what happens in our lives, and declare, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust him." My witness is in heaven and my record is on High. I am going to wait until my change comes. Things may not be going good right now, and I don’t know what will happen next; but one thing I do know and that is, I know my redeemer lives.

Until we began to believe God solely on His Word alone, we will never be complete in our walk with Him. Accept that if God decrees a thing, He will do it. As the scripture declares, "Blessed is the man who believes and hath not seen."

Absolute faith is not based on miracles alone. We must believe whether we see it or not. When we trust God at His Word, we can rest knowing that a change will come. If our trust is based on seeing signs and wonders, we will fall short. Because the miracle may not be there, but God still is.

Trusting in an individual because of who they are and on the fact that they have truthful over and over is what faith is. If God has proven Himself once, He is not slack concerning His promises. Just as we can’t see the wind, "the spirit," as Jesus told Nicodemus, "is the same working in you and it is the spirit that bears witness of what God says."

This is why He told this leader, "Ye must be born of the water and spirit." We can’t believe or trust God with our natural eyes. It is only possible by having His Spirit working within us.

Nicodemus was an educated church going individual, yet he lacked the full knowledge of the spirit of God. So I say to you, "if the things in your life are not working out as you think they should or as you desire them, seek the Spirit which understands the heart of God and which will assist you in your walk with Him."

By Naomi J. Brown