John 3:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

NIV: Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.

NASB: Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

CSB: There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

NLT: There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.

KJV: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

NKJV: There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

Pharisees were a legalistic, extremely moral sect of Judaism. Their commitment to purity led them to add hundreds of laws to those of Moses, covering all possible situations. They hoped to ensure the commandments would not be broken, and so God would not again send Israel into exile (Deuteronomy 28:25; Jeremiah 25:7–11). In their era Pharisees were honored for their religious commitment. They were also scholars of the Law, well-educated in religious concepts.

Nicodemus was not just any Pharisee. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, a seventy-man local court. This made Nicodemus the modern equivalent of a politician, cleric, and professor all rolled into one. Most people would have addressed him as "Rabbi," a respect he will show Jesus (John 3:2). Despite negative use of the term "Pharisee" today, they were not all hard-hearted or unreachable. Nicodemus is direct proof of this. He recognizes the divine origin of Jesus' power (John 3:2). He will go on to defend Jesus in front of the other Pharisees (John 7:50–51) and donate embalming materials for His burial (John 19:39–42).

Joseph of Arimathea is another example disproving the thought that all Pharisees were hard-headed and spiritually numb. He is seen several times in the Gospels and helps with the burial of Jesus (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50–51).

John 2:24—3:15 describes a meeting between Jesus and a Pharisee. The last two verses of chapter two highlight the fact that Jesus knew men better than they knew themselves. Nicodemus was the ancient equivalent of a politician, cleric, and professor all rolled into one. Jesus proves that this man doesn't understand religion as well as he'd like to think. In contrast to the loud, public spectacle of clearing the temple, this encounter is a private, nighttime meeting. Their actual conversation was probably longer than the summary recorded here.

John chapter 3 is one of the most important passages in the entire gospel. Many crucial ideas are explained here, including the role of Jesus as Savior. After the loud, public commotion at the temple, John transitions to a quiet, nighttime discussion. The speakers are Jesus and a Pharisee, Nicodemus, who is sincerely interested in understanding Jesus' ministry. These verses make it clear that Christ—and Christ alone—is the means of salvation for the entire world. This text also states that those who reject Jesus are rejecting God.

The gospel of John intends to prove that Jesus is God. Chapter 3 contains some of the most direct, most important concepts in Christianity. The ideas of spiritual rebirth and the necessity of belief in Christ are reinforced by the rest of the information in this gospel. John continues to use contrast, moving from the loud and public temple cleansing to the quiet of this conversation. After Jesus injects humility into a powerful leader, chapter 4 will transition again, as Jesus gives dignity to an outcast stranger.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.