While the reading from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome may make the case for the existence of a triune God more clearly than the passage from John’s Gospel, the passage from John’s Gospel gives us a good look at Jesus and how His contemporaries viewed Him. Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. He is a Pharisee. By coming to Jesus in the night, Nicodemus shows that he is trying to understand who Jesus is while being afraid of his colleagues. In this, he probably represents many Jews of that time. But, as we see later in this same gospel, Nicodemus progresses in his belief – first by standing up in the Sanhedrin and stating that Jesus should not be arrested without a hearing and, then after the crucifixion, joining Joseph of Arimathea in caring for the body of Jesus. In this, Nicodemus may represent all of us as we progress through our relationship with Jesus.
Many times, we can only grasp truths through intimate discussions like the one Nicodemus has with Jesus. He came to Jesus in the night, avoiding the criticism he knew he would receive from his colleagues. But he also came at a time when he knew Jesus would be available for a serious conversation. He felt that need to understand what he had heard and the only way forward was to have this conversation.
