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NOTE: Have you ever stood at the crossroads of a decision when the world around you was telling you to do one thing, but deep down inside you knew God was wanting you to do another? Did you ever wish you could sit down with Jesus and discuss it with Him? If so, you can relate to Nicodemus.

He knew that he was standing at the most important crossroads of his life. He knew that despite whatever success he had enjoyed in his life to that point, his life legacy would be determined by how he now responded to Jesus. The same is true of us. Our response to Jesus will determine our life legacy.

This week’s post is another one of my fictional eyewitness accounts. i pray Nicodemus’s story helps you know how to respond. 

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My name is Nicodemus, and I grew up in Capernaum along the Sea of Galilee as the eldest son of a respected family in our village. My great-great-grandfather led the group of settlers sent by our Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus I to establish this fishing village. This was a part of the expansion led by the Hasmoneans to populate more of the wilderness lands north of Judea. My great-great-grandfather had been chosen to lead the effort because our village was to be named in honor of his father, Nahum. 

Nahum, my great-great-great-grandfather, was a priest who fought bravely alongside Judas Maccabeus in the successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Nahum died in battle. To honor his heroism and his memory, our new settlement was called Capernaum, meaning “Nahum’s village.” The Hasmoneans also awarded a financial tribute to his surviving family. Those riches funded the settlement of the village and also provided the seed money for our family’s wealth, which in turn multiplied with each succeeding generation. 

In 65 B.C., my grandfather partnered with a merchant named Shebna who had recently migrated to our village from Babylon. The two men were both visionaries and saw the financial opportunities created by Herod the Great’s economic expansion. Our region – and our families – prospered as a result of that foresight. Shebna was also the younger brother of Hillel the Elder. That family connection would later enable me to sit under his teaching.

As a son of means, I enjoyed a life of position and privilege. I am a Pharisee, as were the many generations of my family that went before me. I attended the School of Hillel in Jerusalem and sat under the elder’s teaching for eight years along with other privileged students who were being groomed as the next generation of leaders. I had the proper pedigree, wealth, and training. The only blemish on my record in the eyes of some is that I was born a Galilean. In some circles of Judean society, particularly among the Sadducees, I am therefore seen as a second-class Jew.

My schoolmate Annas never saw me as his equal because of my place of birth, although our teachers viewed us as two of their top students. Annas went on to become our high priest and continues to have significant authority over our Sanhedrin to this day.

After completing my studies, I returned to Capernaum where I could mentor and train the next generation without being marginalized by Judean bigotry. I was a respected rabbi within my home synagogue and very soon became the leading elder. 

Over the years, Jehovah God has permitted me to teach many promising young men. One of those who stands out is John, the son of Zebedee. Though John did not live in Capernaum, his mother’s family does. She is the granddaughter of Shebna, my grandfather’s business partner, so I have taken every opportunity to nurture John’s thirst for truth and understanding. I even made arrangements for him to study under his distant cousin, Gamaliel.

Soon after my return from my studies in Jerusalem, I was chosen to be one of the twenty-three judges who make up our local Sanhedrin in Capernaum. I hope it was my excellent understanding of the law and my wisdom that prompted my selection. But I am certain my wealth was a factor, as well. Regardless, I served our people and the position to the best of my ability.

For those of you who may not be aware, every significant village, town, and city throughout our provinces has a local Sanhedrin charged with adjudicating religious, civil, and criminal matters. Under our current Roman rule, we may not invoke capital punishment or judge matters having to do with political rebellion. Otherwise, the Romans permit us to handle all other matters in accordance with our laws and beliefs.

Matters that cannot be resolved by the local Sanhedrin are referred to the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, which is comprised of seventy-one judges from throughout the land. This council is the final court of appeal for matters regarding Jewish law and religion. Four years ago, I was chosen to serve as a part of this council. High Priest Caiaphas currently presides over us. He is the son-in-law of our former high priest Annas. His view that Galileans are “second-class” citizens has not changed – which means he and some of his cronies still look down on me, despite my personal achievements.

Gratefully, there are others on the council, such as Gamaliel (Hillel’s grandson) and Joseph of Arimathea, who were also fellow schoolmates and who do not share Annas’s low opinion of me. Jehovah God continues to place Annas in my path to teach me humility!

The Great Sanhedrin meets in the Hall of Hewn Stones. The hall was built into the north wall of the temple – half inside the temple and half outside, with doors on both sides. Even the positioning of our meeting place reflects the power we have been given over all aspects of Jewish life. It is a power that can be used to honor God and serve our people, or to foster selfish ambition, personal gain, and coveted power.

The presence of both motives is clearly seen among the members. My friends Gamaliel and Joseph represent the former; Annas and Caiaphas clearly represent the latter. My prayer is that I might be an influence for good, bringing honor to Jehovah God – and ours might be the majority opinion within the council. I fear, however, that is not the case.

An example of using position for personal gain is evident in our council’s rulings over how we worship God. When King Solomon had the First Temple built, there were birds, sheep, and cattle available for purchase outside the temple. This allowed traveling pilgrims, who could not bring their own offering, to purchase one of these animals to follow the requirements of the sacrificial laws. Solomon had established an area outside of the temple called the stoa, which was the place where these animals were housed and purchased.

When the Second Temple was established, that same practice was followed. But when Annas became high priest, stalls and tables were set up inside the temple walls in the outer court. Some say it was done out of necessity; I fear it was Annas’s desire for financial gain. The practice has continued ever since. And the volume of trade inside the temple has multiplied. Increasingly, priests have deemed animals brought to the temple to be blemished and therefore unsuitable for sacrifice. That makes the purchase of an animal or bird from within the court necessary. 

Also, rulings were made that Roman coinage could not be used for offerings in the temple; only temple coinage could be used. So, money-changers were set up in the court to exchange coinage – at a significant profit. The profits went to those who were in positions of power within the Sanhedrin, and the rest of us seemed powerless to do anything about it. Regrettably, over time the practice became so common that no one gave it a second thought.

In recent days, all of my Sanhedrin brothers and I have become aware of a rabbi by the name of Jesus. Some have already discredited Him because He is from Nazareth in Galilee. But most of us have been intrigued by the miracles He has reportedly performed and His teachings. He teaches in a way that is unlike any other, and His command of the Scriptures is unmatched.

Last week at the beginning of the Passover celebration, Jesus came to town. I am certain He has been in the temple on previous occasions, but this was the first that I – and many others – were aware of His presence. He created quite a stir!

When Jesus entered the outer court of the temple, He looked at the merchants selling their cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as the dealers exchanging money. I am told He reached down and gathered some ropes by one of the stalls and made them into a whip. Then He did something no one anticipated – He turned to the merchants and shouted, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a marketplace!”(1) 

He then proceeded to drive out the animals and chase the merchants out of the temple. He turned over the money-changers’ tables. They quickly gathered the coins, stuffed them into the pockets of their cloaks, and scurried out.

Our council was meeting at the time, but the commotion outside quickly drew our attention. When we walked out into the court, most of the animals and merchants had already fled. No one had even thought about stopping Jesus! No one had questioned His authority to clear out the temple!

Annas and Caiaphas, along with a few others, looked agitated as they huddled together. But, even in their anger, they made no attempt to stop Jesus. They knew … I knew … we all knew that if Jesus were confronted, He would rightfully rebuke us all from the Scriptures for letting this abomination take place. We knew it was wrong. The people knew it was wrong. But Jesus was the only One to confront us in our sin!

Annas and Caiaphas knew better than to publicly challenge Jesus. They didn’t want their evil deeds to be revealed or their authority weakened. So, they chose to do nothing … at least for now. But I knew their silence was only temporary.

As I stood there watching Jesus, I was ashamed. How many times had I walked through that court and done nothing? How many times had I ignored the sin in God’s temple?

After the scene quieted down, Caiaphas and Annas approached Jesus and asked, “What have You done? If God gave You authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”(2)

“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”(3)

“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and You can rebuild it in three days?”(4)

They had no idea what Jesus meant. None of us did. But they knew they could not confront Him any further, so they turned and walked away.

Over the next few days, I watched as Jesus healed many who were brought to Him. People began to gather around Him in great numbers as He taught in the temple. I knew I needed to know more. Also, as a member of the Sanhedrin, I needed to be certain that this Man was not leading our people astray.

Jesus had several men with Him who were obviously His disciples. One of them was John, my student from the synagogue in Capernaum. I approached him and asked if he would arrange a time for Jesus and me to meet. “I have many questions for your Rabbi,” I said. “I see that you have come to follow Him. Would you permit your former teacher the opportunity to do the same?” John agreed and arranged for us to meet two nights later.

Jesus and I were to meet away from the temple so we could have a quiet, uninterrupted conversation about spiritual matters. I was preoccupied each day with my responsibilities within the Sanhedrin, and Jesus was actively teaching from sunrise to sunset. Now we could both relax and talk through the night without interruption. The only other person in the room was John. I trusted him, and I knew this would be a safe place for us to talk.

“Rabbi,” I began, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You.”(5)

Jesus wasted no time with shallow compliments. Instead He moved right to the heart of the matter as He replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,  you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”(6)

“What do You mean?” I exclaimed. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”(7)

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”(8)

“How are these things possible?” I asked.(9)

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I tell you what I know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe My testimony. But if you don’t believe Me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.  

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son to save the world through Him.

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”(10)

At that moment, I knew that everything Jesus was telling me was true! Sitting before me was the Son of God. He was the promised One. He was the One God said He would send to deliver His people from our sins. But there would be people who loved darkness more than light – like Caiaphas and Annas. When Jesus cleansed the temple the other day, He was shining God’s light on their evil. He was exposing their sins … and my sins.

But those who want to do right come to the light. I wanted to do right. That’s why I had come tonight. I want to do what God wants. And I know there are others who want to do the same.

Over the next few days, I wrestled with a decision. Do I leave the Sanhedrin to follow Jesus like John has done? Or do I follow Jesus from within the Sanhedrin? Does God want me to be light from within the council? I came to the decision that  He wants me to stay. I don’t know for how long, but perhaps I can be of greater help to Jesus from within the council than from outside of it.

All I know for certain is that the One who stands before me is truly the Son of God. I have been born again and I am His follower.

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This story is excerpted from The One Who Stood Before Us, which is a collection of forty short stories about those before whom Jesus stood – some as followers, some as friends, and some as foes. The book  is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, and for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.

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In multiple instances the dialogue in this story comes directly from Scripture. Whenever i am quoting Scripture, it has been italicized. The Scripture references are as follows and have all been taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

(1)  John 2:16

(2)  John 2:18

(3)  John 2:19

(4)  John 2:20

(5)  John 3:2

(6)  John 3:3

(7)  John 3:4

(8)  John 3:5-6

(9)  John 3:9

(10) John 3:10-21

Copyright © 2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock