THE KING’S BUSINESS
390 exception to the general rule of Jesus’ conduct stated in chapter 2 :24, that He did not trust Himself to them; for Jesus opened His heart very fully to Nicodemus in spite of the hesitation and dulness exhibited by Nicodemus at first. And Nicodemus in the final outcome showed himself worthy of this trust that our Lord put in him (ch. 7:50, 51; ch. 19:39). The name “Nicodemus” is a Greek name, but it was in frequent use among the later Jews. John records eleven conversations of the Lord. This is the first. It is given here, not so much because of the prominence of Nicodemus, as because of the immeasurable importance of the conversation itself. In it we have one of the most remarkable revelations of the Way of Life to be found anywhere in the Bible. Every word is worthy of closest attention and most earnest and candid consideration. V. 2. “The same came to Jesus (rather, unto him) by night, and said (rather, that from God thou art come that thou art a teacher come from God (rather, that from God thou are come a teacher): for no man (rather, one) can do these miracles (rather, signs) that thou doest, except God be with him.” While Nicodemus was convinced that the Lord Jesus had really come from God, he is not as yet so thoroughly convinced, or at least his life is not so thoroughly governed by his conviction, that he is willing to come out publicly and openly and confessedly array himself on the side of the One against Whom his own class had taken up the position of opposition (cf. ch. 2 :18), That there is an implied criticism of Nicodemus on John’s part in mentioning that he came “by night” is clear from his mentioning this fact again in chapter 19:39, where Nicodemus is seen no longer coming
be no possibility of deception then; it will be conducted with a thorough knowledge of all the facts. 6. The Testimony of the Signs Wrought by Jesus in Jerusalem, Leading Nicodemus, “The Teacher of the Jews” to Believe on Him, 3:1-15. V. 1. (“Now) there was a man of (literally, out of) the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.” The great mass of Jesus’ disciples came from the common people (1 Cor. 1 :26). Very few came from the Pharisees or rulers (John 7 :48). The greatest obstacle between Christ and men is pride—pride has kept more men from Christ than vice ever has. This verse, however, shows us one who was a ruler, a Pharisee, “the teacher” (v. 10), and a member of the Sanhedrin (ch. 7 :50), who came to Jesus with great unsatisfied longings in his soul. What he had seen and heard of Jesus’ works led him to think that perhaps Jesus could satisfy these longings. The coming of such a man to our Lord is indication of the deep impression that our Lord’s works had made in Jerusalem among all classes of men. Probably little weight is to be attached to the tradition that he was one of the three rich men in Jerusalem, or to other traditions that have clustered about his name. We see in him the representative of the better instructed and more thoughtful Jews who were looking for the fulfilment of national hopes in the coming of the Messiah (ch. Luke 23:50; 2:25). The word “man” is repeated in this verse in order to show the connection with the last verse o f the preceding chapter. Nicodemus himself offered an example of the general statement made in chapter 2 :25 that the Lord had an inward knowledge ofmen, but Nicodemus seems to have met an
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