Under The Cover Of Darkness

John is the only Gospel writer who tells us about Nicodemus and then only in three places in his Gospel. Yet Nicodemus comes across as a really nice person, someone whom it would have been good to know.

When we first meet Nicodemus in the Gospel he comes to see Jesus at night, under the cover of darkness. He was a prominent Jewish leader, someone whose colleagues were very critical of Jesus but he wanted to ask Jesus some really important questions because he was obviously wanting to know the truth about who Jesus was and the message he was teaching. Jesus told him that he must be born again and how this can happen.

The second time we meet Nicodemus he is among his Jewish colleagues defending Jesus' teaching when the others were keen to condemn him without having asked Jesus to address them. Nicodemus was shouted down.

The third time is just after the crucifixion of Jesus when, along with Joseph from Arimathea (a Jewish city) he helped to carefully bury Jesus and put spices around his body. This took great courage on the part of these two men - both of whom had secretly been followers of Jesus but now showed openly their love and respect for him. How glad they must have been when, three days later, Jesus rose from the grave.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for Nicodemus. Give me the courage to openly show my love for Jesus. Amen.