bible
 
Nicodemus  
John, 3, 1 to 21; 7, 50-52; 19, 39-42.  
   
John was the only one of the evangelists to speak about Nicodemus. He spoke about him on three occasions, at the beginning of Jesus’ preaching, in the middle of Jesus’ public life and at the hour of Jesus’ death. The essential part is on chapter 3 that describes the discussion between Nicodemus and Jesus. First Nicodemus is a “very important person among” the Jewish people, a “prominent citizen” or a “chief” depending on the translation. His fame was coming from the quality of his knowledge and his teaching, possibly also from the rightness of his life; the expression “Master in Israel” covers all these different aspects of him.
John also told us that Nicodemus was belonging to the Pharisaic movement, a group of Jews very respectful of Moses’ law. However he was a free man, an intellectual man not at the service of a faction. A believer still searching to deepen his faith, he was paying attention to Jesus of Nazareth, a young rabbi from Galilee who was attracting crowds and was doing astonishing actions. To know him better he did not hesitate to visit Jesus when he was attending Easter in Jerusalem. He came at night, perhaps to avoid some problems with the people but more probably to see him in a quieter ambiance, face to face. It was the first dialogue of Jesus with a great thinker of his people.
 
   
Jésus et Nicodème Nicodemus did prepare well his introductory words “Rabbi, we know, you are a master who comes from God: for nobody can accomplish the actions you did unless God is with him”. Jesus surprised him by an answer apparently out of the subject: “ Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God”
Nicodemus understood the answer at the first degree or was he playing a little simple? “ How can a man be born when he is already old, can he enter for a second time in his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus made it more specific, it is a matter of “being born of the Spirit”, the Spirit is this inspiration we may have, “like a wind blowing where it will, not knowing whence it comes or wither it goes”. Nicodemus is more and more interested “ How can it happen? To be born again, have we to start from the beginning?”
 
   
Although puzzled, Nicodemus accepted the difficult task to renew his thinking. By accepting the gift of the Spirit, (Inspiration), he enjoyed more freedom in his judgement and understood better the events. In speaking the truth and doing what is right, Nicodemus followed his way and at some time with courage. In chapter 7 of John’s Gospel in the middle of a harsh discussion among the Great Priests and the Pharisees, when they were harassing Jesus and wanted to arrest him, Nicodemus stood up and said: “Does our law judge a man without giving him a hearing and learning what he does” (John 7, 51). That very day Nicodemus sided with the opponents and his colleagues took offence “ Is there any prominent citizen who have believed in him (Jesus) or only one of the Pharisees? Are you a Galilean yourself? Learn! You will see that no prophet can appear from Galilee.” “ Learn! It was because Nicodemus learned from Jesus that he made his choice.  
   
The time will come of the scandalous condemnation of the Son of man. Likely Nicodemus was not too far away from the place of the crucifixion to be able immediately after Jesus’ death, with Joseph of Arimathea, (secretly a disciple of Jesus) to participate to the burial: “ He came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred pounds. They (Joseph and Nicodemus) took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen clothes with spices as is the burial custom of the Jews… In a new tomb, they laid Jesus”.
mort de Jésus
 
   
résurrection It is this image of Nicodemus that the Middle Age artists portrayed him in these magnificent sculptures of the burial that decorate some cathedrals as well as small chapels. Nicodemus bending on the recumbent Christ, waiting for resurrection…We recognize in him so many people, who working for the truth, reached an understanding that allowed them to move, according to circumstances, from the first Alliance to the New Alliance.