We testify to what we know

Preacher: Lincon Hardouin

Verses: John 3:1-17

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. Undoubtedly, this was no ordinary man, he was not a common member of society, he was not what we would call ‘an average Joe’. I am sure that Nicodemus enjoyed many of the privileges that came with being a high flyer, an influential member within his community, a leader of the Israelite people and not just any leader, but as John tells us, a member of the Jewish ruling council – that is a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was of course an assembly of seventy-one ‘elders’, also known as rabbis or as judges, appointed to sit as a tribunal with the role of acting as a political and judicial council headed by the high priest – in essence, they had the role of a Supreme Court. I would imagine that any single person found to be a member of the Sanhedrin would be well known, powerful, and influential and would be considered to be an all-round ‘good leader’.

 In the chapter before this one, Jesus makes a very clear statement, not only to the leaders of His time but also to all the people who had witnessed this statement when He walks into the temple, is disgusted and heartbroken by what He sees, clears it out and then, as John records in 2:16, says, “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” I am certain that Nicodemus had witnessed this, or at the very least, had heard about the actions of Jesus. We also know that Nicodemus was well aware of the miraculous signs and wonders Jesus had performed while in Jerusalem, and so he seeks out Jesus under the cover of darkness, and it is in this moment that Nicodemus’ understanding of faith is challenged far beyond what I think even he, a well-educated, influential and well-respected man, expected.