Nicodemus

An Honest Seeker

An Honest Seeker

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Since beginning my journey as an author a little over three years ago, i have had the opportunity to engage with a growing number of readers from around the world regarding the Good News of Jesus. In so doing, i have encountered an ever-increasing number who not only tell me they do not believe in Him; they also deny that Jesus is who He said He is. As a matter of fact, those opinions are often shared with me with a surprising amount of vitriol directed toward Him, toward what He taught, and toward those who follow Him.

It has caused me to have a greater understanding of the hatred that was unleashed against Jesus in the first century. Jesus was seen as a threat to many within the religious elite of the day. His teachings threatened not only their religious beliefs but also their power structure. Rather than choosing to honestly seek Jesus and receive His truth, many in the first century opted to harden their hearts and vilify Him….

Nicodemus - The Inquirer

Nicodemus - The Inquirer

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

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….

A Conversation with a Pharisee

A Conversation with a Pharisee

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. Pharisees were zealous in their keeping of the Laws of Moses. They were all about “doing” the right things – in so far as they defined those “right things” to be. They were well known to strain the letter over the spirit of the Law.(1) For example, the Pharisees developed such detailed rules for the observance of the Sabbath that they missed the whole purpose for why God created it to begin with.(2)

Since the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin were charged with interpreting what the “right things” were, it placed them in a position of great authority. There was no higher position of political power for a Jew in the time of Christ. Nicodemus was also considered to be one of the wealthiest men in Jerusalem of his day. So, he had it all – position, power, and money. And he was checking off the boxes – he was doing all the “right things.”