Peter finds a purple bag of gold coins that was tossed by Nicodemus toward the group, a recognition of Jesus and his invitation, but a meager and somewhat sad response to that summons to an adventurous, self-forgetful new life. In John 3:2, we are aware from V1 that Nicodemus is alone because he comes to Jesus at night - he clearly did not want others to know of his interview. Whether someone is a life-long follower of Jesus or just curious about Christianity's beliefs, followers, history, and practices, Christianity FAQ aims to offer trustworthy information that is easy to understand. '"[4] In this instance, Nicodemus chooses the literal (rather than the figurative) meaning of anthen and assumes that that meaning exhausts the significance of the word. Such excessive amounts of spice were a feature of at least some royal funerals (2 Chron 16:14; Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 17.199). Caiaphas was also a member of the Sadducees. Contents show. We are introduced to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John chapter 3 and John is the only record we have of Nicodemus, as the other three gospels remain silent about Nicodemus. And though now he came by night, afterward he owned Christ publicly, according to Matthew Henrys Concise Commentary. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose. The situations presented in The Chosen are based upon the biblical texts and fill in with fictional details. Nicodemus, whose name means "conqueror of the people" in Greek, surfaces three times in the Gospel of John. After all he is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews (3:1). Thus, Joseph had no claims on the body and, depending on how Pilate viewed the case, would have been putting himself in considerable danger. Sadducees were often wealthy men of high position and, as they sought to appease their Roman rulers, were heavily involved in politics. Your 2nd question: Was the interview on friendly terms? The Gospel of John also tells us Nicodemus was among the elite leaders in Jerusalem ( John 7:45-52) and describes Nicodemus bringing an extremely expensive 75 pounds of spices . Nicodemus had a family. But I use it to shrug my shoulders and settle cutely into my tiny, comfortable corner of love. Persuaded: The Story of Nicodemus by author David Harder is a historical fictional account on the life of Nicodemus. The Chosens Nicodemus is dramatized. Nicodemus' support for Jesus at the Feast could be nothing more than a Pharisaical desire to uphold the Law, regardless of the individual charged. The other two appearances are relatively brief, yet nonetheless, significant. All Rights Reserved. 2 Chronicles 16:14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. Jesus is scourged, crowned with thorns, and beaten. By the time of Jesus's crucifixion, Nicodemus had grown bold enough to publicly reveal what he now believed. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Verse 2 When did Nicodemus come to visit Jesus? Others point out that the biblical Nicodemus is likely an older man at the time of his conversation with Jesus, while Nicodemus ben Gurion was on the scene 40 years later, at the time of the First Jewish-Roman War.[2]. Paul is a big fan of the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots. According to some accounts of the dating (see comment on 18:28; 19:14), this means they would miss the Passover itself, in which case Christ has replaced the Passover for them in keeping with John's focus on Jesus as the Lamb of God and the fulfillment of the Jewish feasts in general. Note on Matthew 2:11. (I talk to my kids and my colleagues very differently.) An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers. Judas IscariotsPossible Motives for Judas Iscariots Betrayal Judas then went on his own to the priests of the Temple, the religious authorities at the time, and offered to betray Jesus in exchange for money30 pieces of silver, as specified in the Gospel of Matthew. While in Jerusalem he chased the moneychangers from the temple and overturned their tables. After the crucifixion, John records that Joseph of Arimathea went to Pontius Pilate and asked to take Jesus body (v. 38). For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God . According to the scripture, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. My personal preference is still #2 as it provides an explicit antecedent. He did this despite the fact that embalming was more or less not allowed in Judaism. The fact that it is a new tomb is emphasized by John (v. 41). Grammatically, the most likely candidate is option #2, the Pharisees as it provides a specific antecedent. Adapted fromThe Life and Times of Jesus the Messiahby Alfred Edersheim (Book III, Chapter VI) and from the lecture notes of Dr. Doug Bookman, professor of New Testament Exposition at Shepherds Theological Seminary (used by permission). Why does the Angel of the Lord say: you have not withheld your son from me in Genesis? He advocated for a fair trial for Jesus, and he came to the tomb to anoint his body with fine ointments to assist in his burial. Nicodemus asked. In addition, by allowing Jesus to have a decent burial Pilate would be able to further annoy the Jewish leadership. In that manner. The series has followed him as he has struggled to understand, with humility and openness, who Jesus is and what that means. In 2005, she graduated from the University of Notre Dame with dual degrees in Graphic Design and Theology. Thus, these are two of the people referred to earlier, who were secret believers, "for they loved praise from men more than praise from God" (12:42-43). A Jew wouldn't have had to convert. For no one could do the miraculous signs that you do unless God were with him.". Please see the About page for details. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Ticket smash for [status-review] tag: Part Deux. After dark. This all leads to the most haunting and tragic moment of the series thus far. Jewish leadership, say, the members of the Sanhedrin? That being said Nicodemus is a Chosen One. A primary word; 'night'. SCRIPTURE TEXT 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Though the plural is used here, it may refer to a single sheet (cf. French tradition spuriously claims that she evangelized Provence (southeastern France) and spent her last 30 years in an Alpine cavern. Paul is passionate about helping students learn and grow, and he has written extensively on the topic of education. Aloes, the powdered fragrant aloe wood. Comparing what he knew from the Old Testament and the expectation of the Messiah, he planned for a way to see Jesus. The discussion with Jesus is the source of several common expressions of contemporary American Christianity, specifically, the descriptive phrase "born again" used to describe salvation or baptism by some groups, and John 3:16, a commonly quoted verse used to describe God's plan of salvation. Jesus told Nicodemus that He was a man, born of a woman. The Sanhedrin was the highest legal court in first-century Judaism. Later in John 19:39, after Jesus had been crucified, Nicodemus joined Joseph of Arimathea in giving Jesus a traditional Jewish burial. Mt 12:46-50 par. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. How to extract the coefficients from a long exponential expression? Both men had power, wealth, and influence, but they were willing to lose that for the purpose of receiving eternal life and being born again. The men did not have time to give Jesus a proper burial, which would include washing the body, anointing it with oil and then clothing and wrapping it (Brown 1994:2:1261). But . John 3:2 reads, This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. This hardly seems the language of a disapproving enquirer. Sources outside of the Bible, as we know, are unreliable at times, but the Gospel of Nicodemus, as well as other apocryphal works, indicated that Nicodemus lost his position as a Pharisee and was kicked off the Sanhedrin, and was eventually banished from Jerusalem by the hostile Jews. Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby? After these events "many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing" (John 2:2325). When Nicodemus visits Jesus he makes reference to these events: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. Bible Gateway John 3 :: NIV. Nikdmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: An apocryphal work under his namethe Gospel of Nicodemuswas produced in the mid-4th century, and is mostly a reworking of the earlier Acts of Pilate, which recounts the Harrowing of Hell. Comparing what he knew from the Old Testament and the expectation of the Messiah, he planned for a way to see Jesus. In any case, these are both men of power, privilege and wealth. Some think John's point is that Jesus would not be brought into contact with corruption (Westcott 1908:2:324), or that there would be no question of mistaken identity when the tomb was empty (Chrysostom In John 85.4; Brown 1970:959). In the bible who was nicodemus? What was the Sanhedrin? Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Just Nicodemus and those with whom he had recently discussed things? Nicodemus was a Rabbi and he called Jesus Rabbi, a respectable title. Johann Sebastian Bach composed several cantatas for the occasion, of which O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165, composed in 1715, stays close to the gospel based on a libretto by the court poet in Weimar, Salomo Franck. John 19:39-40 reads, Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 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