Nicodemus 

Nicodemus was a wealthy, elderly member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the highest Court of Justice and the Supreme Council in all Jewry. He was profoundly impressed by Jesus’ teachings and became an ardent follower and supporter. He was a reluctant follower at first because other members of the Sanhedrin were opposed to Jesus, even condemning him to death. In a break with the Sanhedrin, he offered his home as a meeting and resting place for Jesus and his other followers. When Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus and a friend went to Pilate seeking permission to take the body for a proper burial. After Jesus resurrected, his sixteenth resurrection appearance was to a large group in Nicodemus’ courtyard.

Nicodemus had heard much about Jesus’ teachings, and so one afternoon in April of 27 CE, he went to hear him speak at Jerusalem’s temple. He would have gone more often, but he feared to be seen.

Later, when Jesus and his apostles were camped at Gethsemane, Nicodemus and his friend, Joseph of Arimathea, ventured out to see Jesus but turned back in fear even when they were standing at the entrance of the Master's tent. Nicodemus and Jesus finally met, in secret, at the Jerusalem home of Flavius, a wealthy Greek believer of Jesus’ teachings. Recognizing Jesus as a teacher sent by God, he inquired about the teachings of the coming kingdom. Jesus responded by introducing the concept of being "born of the spirit" as a prerequisite for entering the kingdom of God. Perplexed, Nicodemus questioned how such a rebirth could occur.

Jesus clarified that the rebirth he spoke of was not a physical one but a spiritual transformation. He compared it to the unseen wind that rustles the leaves, emphasizing that spiritual realities cannot be fully discerned with physical senses alone. The Master explained that the spirit of God already indwells him and every person, guiding them toward divine truth and goodness. To be "born of the spirit," Jesus advised Nicodemus to align his will with the will of the heavenly Father, allowing the spirit's guidance to lead his life. By doing so, Nicodemus would become a true child of God and experience the fruits of the spirit in his daily existence.

While Nicodemus was genuinely impressed, he found it challenging to fully comprehend and submit to these teachings. Despite his confusion, he remained open-minded and would later exhibit courage by defending Jesus when others sought to condemn him unjustly. Ultimately, Nicodemus stood firmly in his faith and acknowledged Jesus even during the trying times of his crucifixion.

Despite his confusion after meeting with Jesus, Nicodemus bravely decided to support him. He allowed his home to be used by Jesus and his followers more than once. On one occasion, during the feast of dedication (Hanukkah), Jesus wanted to give the Sanhedrin and the Jewish leaders another chance to see the light. This meeting was on a Friday night in December of 29 CE, at Nicodemus’ residence. Gathered there were some twenty-five Jewish leaders who believed Jesus’ teaching, fourteen of whom were, or had been, Sanhedrists. They wanted to advise Jesus on how to win over the other Sanhedrin members. When this meeting broke up, all went away mystified by the Master’s personality, charmed by his gracious manner, and in love with the man.

On another occasion, a group of Greeks from Alexandria came to Passover to hear and perhaps meet Jesus. On April 3, 30 CE, they held a conference at the home of Nicodemus, which lasted until dawn. That night, thirty of them elected to enter the kingdom. The next day, they attended a luncheon where Jesus spoke to them.

After Jesus delivered a sharp denunciation of his enemies at the temple in Jerusalem on April 4, 30 CE, more than thirty prominent Jews met at Nicodemus’ home and debated what course they would pursue in case of an open break with the Sanhedrin. All present agreed that they would make open acknowledgment of their allegiance to the Master when they heard of his arrest. And that is just what they did.

Nicodemus only faintly protested when his colleagues of the Sanhedrin sought to condemn Jesus without a hearing. But, after the crucifixion, he boldly acknowledged his faith and, with Joseph of Arimathea, obtained permission from Pilate to claim the body of Jesus, even when most of the disciples had fled in fear from the scenes of Jesus’ final suffering and death.

When Nicodemus and Joseph arrived at Golgotha, they found the soldiers taking Jesus down from the cross. A crucified person could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery as there was a strict law against it. Nicodemus and Joseph knew this law, and on the way out to Golgotha, they had decided to bury Jesus in Joseph’s new family tomb. The body was wrapped in a linen sheet and four men carried it to Joseph’s tomb. The men were: Nicodemus, Joseph, John Zebedee, and a Roman centurion.

The Jews did not really bury their dead; they actually embalmed them. After carrying the body into the tomb, Nicodemus and Joseph hurriedly prepared it for burial. They had brought with them large quantities of myrrh and aloes, and they wrapped the body with bandages saturated with these solutions. When the embalming was completed, they tied a napkin about the face, wrapped the body in a linen sheet, and reverently placed it on a shelf in the tomb.

On Friday evening, April 7, 30 CE, David Zebedee, brother of the apostles John and James, and the man in charge of Jesus’ messenger service, sent his runners out with word that Jesus’ body had been buried. After delivering that message, the runners were released to attend Passover with instructions to meet David at Nicodemus’ home on Sunday morning. David remained hidden at the Nicodemus residence all that weekend. He was joined by twelve or more prominent Jerusalem believers by Sunday morning.

Five women were the first to see the resurrected Jesus early on that Sunday morning. Shortly after six o’clock, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea and the other four women who had seen Jesus went to the home of Nicodemus, where they related all these happenings to Nicodemus, Joseph, David Zebedee, and the other men who were there. Nicodemus and others doubted their story and doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead; they guessed that the Jews had removed the body.

When reports that Jesus had risen began circulating, there was an effort to suppress them by the Jewish authorities, but all of Nicodemus’ doubts were removed when Jesus appeared at his residence. This occurred on the evening of Friday, May 5, 30 CE, in Nicodemus’ courtyard, at about nine o’clock. Assembled there were eleven apostles, the women’s corps and their associates, and about fifty other leading disciples of the Master, including a number of Greeks. This company of believers had been visiting informally for more than half an hour when, suddenly, the risen Jesus appeared in full view and immediately began to instruct them. Jesus said to them, in part:

“…Love all men as I have loved you; serve your fellow mortals as I have served you. Freely you have received, freely give. Only tarry here in Jerusalem while I go to the Father, and until I send you the Spirit of Truth…”

And that was the last time Jesus was at Nicodemus’ home.

Nicodemus’ involvement with Jesus is confirmed in several verses of the Bible’s New Testament, all of them in the Gospel of John. He is remembered in art, literature, and music. He is venerated or sainted in the Anglican, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Oriental Orthodox churches. His feast days are August 2, August 3, and August 31 in various Christian traditions. An apocryphal text, the Gospel of Nicodemus, is also attributed to him.