Born Of The Spirit

Well, if you would, please open up your Bibles this morning to the Gospel of John.

The Gospel according to John. Last week we ended chapter 2, and we ended with the end of chapter 2, verses 23 through 25.

I'm going to read those verses again for us this morning for the sake of context,

because verses 23 through 25 of chapter 2 serve both as the end of chapter 2 and as a bridge here to the beginning of chapter 3.

So if you would, follow along with me as I read chapter 2, verses 23 through 25, all the way through chapter 3, verse 12.

Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man,

for he himself knew what was in man.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him,

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God,

for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

Jesus answered him,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to him,

How can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?

Jesus answered,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born of water and the Spirit,

he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh,

and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I said to you,

you must be born again.

The wind blows where it wishes,

and you hear its sound,

but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.

So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus said to him,

How can these things be?

Jesus answered him,

Are you the teacher of Israel,

and yet you do not understand these things?

Truly, truly, I say to you,

we speak of what we know

and bear witness to what we have seen,

but you do not receive our testimony.

If I have told you earthly things

and you do not believe,

how can you believe

if I tell you heavenly things?

This is the word of God.

Let's bow and pray once more.

Lord, we pray again and ask,

and as your word is preached,

that you would move with power

and accomplish the purposes for which you sinned.

We pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

We are on sacred ground here

with John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

Martin Lloyd-Jones, the famous preacher,

he preached 39 sermons

on this one chapter of John's gospel,

at least 39 that were recorded,

and I'm fairly certain

that if he were still with us today,

he probably would have preached

a handful more.

This chapter, John chapter 3,

John 3 · chapter mention

probably more than any other chapter

in the New Testament,

possibly more than any other chapter

in the entire Bible,

is very familiar

in the minds of believers

and non-believers alike.

In it, we see two very familiar phrases.

We see a great condition.

You must be born again

to enter the kingdom of God,

and we see a great provision.

For God so loved the world

that he gave his only son,

that whoever believes in him

should not perish,

but have eternal life.

These are two familiar words

to most of us in the room this morning,

but let me caution you

as we begin John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

that familiarity can be deceiving.

Many are familiar with these words,

but do not truly understand

what Jesus is saying here to us.

So let me encourage you

as we begin our journey

into John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

over the next several weeks

to listen to these words carefully

with attentive ears

as if this were the first time

you were hearing these words.

Essentially, what I'm asking you to do

is I want you to place yourself

in Nicodemus' shoes

as we journey through John chapter 3 together.

John 3 · chapter mention

As you hear these words of Jesus,

this command is not just for Nicodemus,

it's for you and for me.

If we would enter the kingdom of God,

you must be born again.

What does this mean?

What does this mean?

I want us to see four answers

to that question this morning

in our passage.

What does it mean to be born again?

What does it mean to be spiritually reborn?

Four answers to that question.

First, spiritual rebirth

is a matter of necessity.

Number one, first,

spiritual rebirth

is a matter of necessity.

Two times,

once in chapter 3, verse 3,

again in chapter 3, verse 5,

Jesus tells us that

spiritual rebirth

is a matter of necessity.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born again,

unless one is born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Verse 3,

and unless one is born again,

you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Verse 5,

this is a necessary condition

that must be met

in order for anyone

to enter into the kingdom of God.

Chapter 3, verse 1,

it tells us that Nicodemus was a man,

which doesn't sound like much

of a detail to us,

but we've read the context,

and so we understand

that John is making a connection

for us

with the end of chapter 2

to the beginning

of chapter 3,

the end of chapter 2

where he says that

some believed in Jesus' name

when they saw the signs

that he was doing,

but Jesus, on his part,

did not entrust himself to them

because he knew all people

and needed no one

to bear witness about man,

for he himself knew

what was in man.

John is showing us

that many are seeing Jesus' signs

and do not truly believe

who he is.

They acknowledge something

special about Jesus.

They acknowledge something

miraculous is happening.

They acknowledge that

he is unique in his ministry,

but they do not truly yet believe

that Jesus is in fact

the Messiah,

the Son of God,

and Jesus knows the difference.

So chapter 3,

John says,

now there was a man.

If you mark in your Bibles,

I want to encourage you

to draw a circle around

that word man

at the end of chapter 2

as well as here

at the beginning of chapter 3

because again,

John is connecting

these ideas for us.

Verse 2,

he says,

this man came to Jesus by night

in the cover of darkness

and said to him,

Rabbi,

we know,

speaking on behalf

of the Pharisees,

that you are a teacher

come from God

for no one can do

these signs that you do

unless God is with him.

And of course,

he is partially correct.

He recognizes Jesus' uniqueness

and prophets

throughout the Old Testament.

They performed signs

and often performed

validating works

to validate their ministry,

to profess that they were

in fact speaking

on behalf of God.

But as we've seen already

in the Gospel of John

and will continue to see

as we move forward,

Jesus' signs are meant

to show us

he's not just a prophet,

he's the Messiah.

He's not just a teacher

teaching on behalf of God,

he is the very Son of God.

It's clear that Nicodemus

was familiar with Jesus,

familiar with his works,

but not yet convinced.

And Jesus,

in his omniscience,

he knows.

He sees right through

the state of Nicodemus' heart

and he utters these famous words

here in verse 3,

Truly, truly,

I say to you,

unless one is born again,

he cannot see

the kingdom of God.

It's a matter of necessity.

Spiritual birth

precedes spiritual sight.

Say that again.

Spiritual birth

precedes,

it comes before,

it's a necessary condition

for spiritual sight.

Here's the thing,

anybody with physical eyes

can see the signs.

Anybody with physical eyes

can look and can see

that Jesus is unique.

All sorts of world religions

claim to have a high esteem

for Jesus as a prophet,

as a teacher,

as one who did a lot of good,

as one who has a lot of followers,

but only those with spiritual eyes

can see who he is.

That he is God.

Unless you're born again

from the inside of the Spirit,

you cannot begin to see

or perceive the kingdom.

Simply acknowledging the signs

does not mean

that you acknowledge

the message of the signs.

Simply seeing the wonders

that Jesus did

does not mean

that you worship Jesus.

Simply being familiar

with who Jesus is

does not mean

that you have faith

in Jesus.

This was

the beginning

of the unraveling

of Nicodemus'

entire view

of everything.

His mind

is completely blown

to pieces

here

by what Jesus

has just said.

And here's the reason why.

Nicodemus

is limited

to physical sight.

He's limited

to physical understanding.

He does not have

the necessary

spiritual perception

to even begin

to understand

Jesus' words here.

He's only thinking

in terms of

what is physical,

what is tangible.

And so he asks

a very physical question.

Now,

they say there are

no dumb questions.

I disagree.

He says,

how can a man

be born

when he's old?

Can he enter

a second time

into his mother's womb

and be born?

Now,

clearly,

Nicodemus

was not dumb.

He was

highly educated.

He was a Pharisee.

In fact,

not just that.

It says he was

a ruler

of the Jews,

meaning he was

one of the 70 members

of the Sanhedrin.

It's a pretty elite

ruling class

that ruled

over the rest

of the Jews.

This man was,

as far as the physical

eye could tell,

he was the cream

of the crop

for the Jews.

And yet,

he simply

doesn't get it.

He can't,

he can't see it.

To a Jew,

the Jewish understanding

to,

the requirement

to be included

in the family

of God

was to be born.

Nicodemus

met that requirement.

He,

he was born

physically

into a Jewish

community,

into a Jewish

family.

He was physically

a descendant

of Abraham.

he was physically

circumcised.

He had hope

of a physical

kingdom to be

restored to Israel

with a coming

physical king

to reign here

and now.

In his understanding,

his relationship

with God

was on the basis

of his physical

identity,

his physical being,

his physical doing,

his physical belonging.

Jesus says,

all of that's great.

None of that

is necessary

to enter my kingdom.

what is necessary

for you

is to be born

again.

Not of flesh,

not of blood,

not of the will

of man,

but of the spirit.

We often wonder,

don't we,

why the world

doesn't see

the worth

of Christ?

Why don't they,

why don't they get it?

Why doesn't the world

understand the depth

of their sin,

the consequence

of their beliefs,

the consequence

of their actions?

Why are they so

unaware?

Why can't they

just get the beauty

and the worth

of God?

It's because they can't.

They can't see it.

They can't perceive it.

They're blind to it.

Until they are born

again of the spirit,

all they know

is the flesh.

So they think

according to the flesh.

They reason

according to the flesh.

They act

according to the flesh.

They worship

according to the flesh.

And so did we.

Until the spirit

of God came

and caused you

to be born

again.

Gave you

a new identity

from the inside out.

This is our

second point

this morning.

Second,

spiritual rebirth

is a matter

of identity.

Spiritual rebirth

is a matter

of identity.

Look there

to verse 6.

Chapter 3.

Jesus tells us

that there is

a categorical

difference

between those

who are

physically born

only

and those

who are

spiritually

born.

What does he say

there in verse 6?

He says

that which is

born of the flesh

is flesh

and that which is

born of the spirit

is spirit.

According to the flesh

Nicodemus had

everything going for him.

He was religious.

He was

highly educated,

deeply devoted,

well respected,

successful,

Jewish.

Jesus says

none of that

really matters

at all.

You may believe

that for whatever

reason,

maybe because of

your religious

upbringing,

maybe your

family line,

maybe your

religious devotion,

maybe you have

just a lot of

knowledge about

Christ and about

the Bible,

you may think

that because of

these things

that you are

in the kingdom

of God,

you would be

wrong.

Jesus says

that's not how

this works at all.

The very best,

most religious,

kindest person

you know,

if they have

not been

transferred

from the flesh

to the spirit,

they're still

flesh.

They're still

sinful.

They're still

hostile to God.

Jesus says

the requirement

for you to

enter into

his kingdom

is that you

must have

an identity

change from

flesh to

spirit.

You must

become something

entirely different

than what

you are.

How does

this happen?

not by our

doing.

There is

no amount

of effort

that you

or I

can put

into this

fleshly

identity

to cause

it to be

spiritually

reborn.

You can

change a lot

of things

about who

you are.

You can

change

behavior.

You can

change

attitude.

You can

change

actions.

You can

change

physical

appearance.

You can

change the

way you

dress,

the way

you talk,

the way

you act,

what you

drive,

what you

do,

what you

eat.

None of

that determines

your identity

because you

cannot change

who you

belong to.

I had a

seminary

professor who

used to say

all the time

the most

important thing

about you

is not

who you

are,

it's

whose

you are.

Not who

you are.

To whom

do you

belong?

If you

belong to the

flesh,

you are

flesh.

If you

belong to

God,

you are

of the

spirit.

I drive

a Chevy

Equinox.

It's fine.

It does

the job.

I'm not a

car guy

at all,

but I can

usually pick

out the

nice cars

when I

see one.

I tell

y'all what,

I've never

seen as

many Teslas

in my

life as I

see in

Mount Pleasant

when I drive

the boys to

school,

when I go

into town,

those things

are everywhere.

I saw one

this week

that had

this nice

shiny white

paint job.

I could

tell just

by looking

at it,

that car

was an

entirely

different

thing than

my car.

They were

entirely in

different

categories

all together.

That Tesla,

my Equinox,

not the

same thing.

Imagine

if I

went home

and took

a can

of white

spray paint,

took it

outside and

sprayed my

car white,

went back

inside,

came back

out with a

Sharpie,

wrote with

permanent

marker a

big Tesla

T right on

top of the

Chevy logo,

and then imagine

I drove that

car into town

and parked it

right there

next to all

the Teslas.

What did

they say?

you're crazy.

A little

paint and

a handmade

logo does

not make

a Chevy

a Tesla.

There is no

amount of

work that

you can put

in to

change that

car into

that.

It simply

cannot be

done.

In a way,

this is what

Jesus is

saying to

Nicodemus.

He says,

you think

your worldly

accomplishments,

your worldly

belonging,

is of any

value.

You are

just decorating

the flesh.

What you

need is to

be born of

the Spirit.

You need

something entirely

new in

your identity.

So how is

this done?

Look to

verse 5.

He says,

truly,

truly,

I say to

you,

unless one

is born of

water and

the Spirit,

he cannot

enter the

kingdom of

God.

That which

is flesh

is flesh.

That which

is born of

Spirit is

Spirit.

Many

suggestions,

as you can

imagine,

have been

made as

to what

exactly he's

talking about

here.

Water and the

Spirit.

Some see a

reference to

baptism.

Some see a

reference to

physical birth.

I'm convinced

this is a

reference to

the prophecy

that was read

this morning

from Ezekiel

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

chapter 36,

a passage

that Nicodemus

as a Pharisee

should have

been well

familiar and

acquainted with,

where the

Lord tells

the exiled

people of

Israel,

I will take

you from

the nations

and gather

you from all

the countries

and bring you

into your own

land.

Listen to

this.

I will sprinkle

clean water

on you and

you shall be

clean from

all your

uncleanness.

and from

your idols

I will

cleanse you

and I

will give

you a new

heart and

a new

spirit I

will put

within you.

I will remove

the heart of

stone from

your flesh and

I will give

you a heart

of flesh.

I will put

my spirit

within you

and cause

you to

walk in

my statutes

and be

careful to

obey my

rules.

How is this

done?

God does

it.

God does

it in

you.

Does this

sound like

anything we

can do

in the

flesh?

This is a

work of

God in

you to

give you

a new

identity

by purifying

you as

with water

and by

recreating

you with

a new

heart by

putting his

own spirit

in you.

This is a

miracle.

We can

describe it.

We can

see it

clearly here

in the

pages of

scripture.

We've

experienced

this.

If we're

in Christ

we have

experienced

this

firsthand

but I

have to

be honest

we cannot

fully

understand

this.

We can't

fully grasp

the depth

of what God

is doing

here and

giving us

his own

spirit and

recreating

our

identity.

It's a

wonderful

beautiful

spiritual

mystery

which is

our third

point this

morning.

Spiritual

rebirth

is a

matter of

mystery.

It's a

matter of

mystery.

It certainly

was to

Nicodemus.

We don't

see his

response

recorded here.

I'm just

speculating but

I'm just

going to

assume that

his jaw

had dropped

all the

way down

to the

floor.

Jesus says

in verse

7 do

not marvel

that I

said to

you you

must be

born again

and he

gives this

wonderful

illustration

the wind

blows where

it wishes

and you

hear it

sound but

you do

not know

where it

comes from

or where

it goes.

So it

is with

everyone

who is

born of

the spirit.

What's he

saying?

What's he

saying?

Well for

one he's

making a

play on

words here.

The same

word in

the Greek

for spirit

is the

exact same

word that

they translate

wind and

so he's

making a

connection,

a comparison

here,

a play on

words between

spirit and

wind.

He's comparing

the movement

of the wind

with the

movement of

the spirit.

Here's the

point I think

he's making

is the

movement of

the spirit

is a

mystery.

who can

predict

with 100%

certainty,

accuracy,

when someone

is going to

come to

faith in

Christ?

Who could

have foreseen

it in your

own life?

What would

happen to you

when the spirit

gave you life

and caused

you to be

born again?

Weathermen only

get their job

right maybe

half the time,

right?

Maybe,

if that,

predicting the

wind,

and we're

maybe,

maybe that

accurate in

understanding

the spirit.

In some cases

it seems like

someone should

come to

faith,

everything that

you can

perceive,

it seems like

they're a

great candidate

God.

What's going

on?

They're kind,

they're generous,

they seem

interested,

why won't

they believe?

And they

never do.

In another

case,

someone else

seems so far

from the

kingdom,

so hostile

to God,

so turned

off to the

things of

the Lord,

and yet

it's like

the wind

blows and

everything

changes.

All of a

sudden,

they're willing

to sell

everything

and go

and make

Christ

known.

How do

we explain

this movement

of the spirit?

We can't.

It's a

mystery.

But another

point I think

that he's making

here is that

the spirit,

like wind,

cannot be

controlled by

the flesh,

cannot be

controlled by

the flesh.

How do you

get born

again?

What must

I do to

be born

again?

You can't

do it.

You can't

control it.

You can't

manufacture it.

You can't

manipulate it.

You might as

well reenter

your mother's

womb.

It's an

impossibility

for the

flesh.

It's like

wind.

Where does

the wind

come from?

How do we

know where it

will go next?

You can

observe it.

At times,

you can feel

it.

You can

respond to

it.

You cannot

control it.

My boys

this week

have been

playing with

kites.

Out in the

yard,

they got some

kites.

They've been

running around

playing with

kites.

When the

wind blows,

the kite

lifts off.

It takes

off.

It has

life.

It flies.

When the

wind doesn't

blow,

guess what?

It lies

dead.

boys had

a great

time when

the wind

was blowing.

When the

wind stops,

they look

at me.

They,

Dad,

make my

kite fly.

I have to

say,

son,

I cannot

control the

wind.

Neither

can we

control the

spirit.

Nothing

that we

have done

in the

flesh

causes our

spiritual

rebirth.

We need

to understand

this.

nothing that

we can

do in

the flesh

causes our

spiritual

rebirth.

Walking an

aisle,

saying a

prayer.

Faith and

repentance are

the results

of rebirth,

not the

cause of

rebirth.

I'll say

that again.

Faith and

repentance are

the results

of spiritual

rebirth,

not the

cause of

rebirth.

earth.

The kite

can't fly

unless the

wind blows

and gives

it flight.

Dead men

cannot have

faith.

Dead men

cannot repent

unless they're

brought to

life,

born again

by the

spirit.

Baby

Christians

can't take

a single

step of

faith until

they are

first born

again of

the spirit.

Blind men

cannot perceive,

cannot see,

unless they're

first given

spiritual sight.

Think of

your own

story.

Christian,

you were

going about

your life

far from

the Lord.

Someone

comes along,

invites you

to church,

shares the

gospel with

you.

Maybe you

grew up in

church all

your life.

You were

like Nicodemus,

familiar with

the Lord,

but did not

yet truly

understand,

truly trust,

truly have

faith in

Christ.

But then now

all of a

sudden,

something happens.

All of a

sudden, you

feel this new

desire for the

Lord, this new

love for God.

Something awakens

in you.

You're aware

of the depth

of your sin.

You begin to

hate sin and

love God.

Where did that

come from?

You didn't

manufacture that

in yourself.

What did he

promise in

Ezekiel?

Again, I'll

read it again.

I will remove

the heart of

stone from

your flesh,

and I will

give you a

heart of

flesh, and I

will put my

spirit within

you.

I will cause

you to walk

in my

statutes.

I will cause

you to be

careful to

obey my

rules.

This new

birth is

God's work.

To us, it's

a mystery.

But here's

what we do

know.

We know

the means

that God

uses to

do it.

It's the

authoritative

message of

the gospel.

The

authoritative

message of

the gospel.

For everyone

who calls upon

the name of

the Lord will

be saved.

How then

will they call

on him in

whom they've

not believed?

How are they

to believe in

him of whom

they have never

heard?

How are they

to hear without

someone preaching?

How are they to

preach unless

they are sent?

as it is

written.

How beautiful

are the feet

of those who

preach the

good news.

But they've

not all obeyed

the gospel.

For Isaiah

says, Lord,

who has

believed what

he has heard

from us?

So faith

comes through

what?

Through hearing

and hearing

through the

word of

Christ.

Being born

again is a

work of God

in you that

he brings

about through

the proclamation

of the gospel

as you listen

to the word

of Christ

and believe.

Which means

fourth.

And finally,

spiritual

rebirth is

a matter

of authority.

Spiritual

rebirth is

a matter

of authority.

If you

want to

learn about

engineering,

ask an

engineer.

If you

want to

learn about

gardening,

ask a

gardener.

If you

want to

learn about

mathematics,

go ask a

mathematician.

And if you

want to

know about

being born

again as

a child

of God,

ask the

Son of

God.

If you

want to

know about

eternal

life,

life from

the dead,

ask the

one who

rose up

from the

grave.

If you

want to

know about

things of

the Spirit,

ask the

one who

sins the

Spirit.

Nicodemus

says to

him in

verse 9,

how can

these things

be?

Nicodemus

was a

man again

of great

authority.

His peers

had great

authority from

a human

perspective.

He was

the authority

on the

law,

on righteousness,

on God.

But Jesus

says,

are you a

teacher of

Israel?

And yet you

don't even

understand these

things?

Truly,

truly,

I say to

you,

we speak

of what we

know.

we bear

witness to

what we

have seen,

but you

do not

receive our

testimony.

If I've

told you

earthly

things and

you don't

believe,

how can

you believe

if I tell

you heavenly

things?

Jesus is

asserting

himself here

as an

authority of

all things

spiritual,

of all things

that we

need to

know and

understand

to enter

into the

kingdom of

God.

Jesus says,

I am the

one that

needs to

be listened

to.

And then to

add to his

resume here in

verse 13,

he says,

hey, you

know,

no one has

ascended into

heaven except

he who has

descended from

heaven,

the son of

man.

In other

words,

Nicodemus,

forget everything

you thought

you knew

and listen

to me.

We speak

of what we

know and

bear witness

to what we've

seen.

You still

don't receive

our testimony.

Why?

Because you

have not yet

been born

again.

You are

still of

the flesh.

To be

born again,

you must

set aside

all self-trust,

self-reliance,

self-righteousness

and believe

in your

heart and

confess with

your mouth

that Jesus

Christ is

Lord.

That he

alone is

the supreme

authority,

that he has

the authority

to lay down

his life and

take it up

again,

that by his

authority,

by his word

alone,

can anyone

enter into

the kingdom

of God.

And if the

Lord says

that the way

into the

kingdom is

you must be

born again,

the debate

is settled.

You must be

born again

to enter

in to

the kingdom

of God.

It is

amazing to

me how

anyone can

just assume

that if

they're good

enough,

they will

enter the

kingdom.

On whose

authority do

you base

that on?

Yours?

Somebody

else tell

you that?

It's just

what you

assume to

be true?

Any

other path,

any other

suggested

way to

be right

with God,

all the

many different

world religions

that claim

a path to

God,

it all comes

down at the

end of the

day to

a question

of authority.

Whose word

are you

trusting to

be true?

I'll speak

for myself.

If we're

talking about

eternity,

I'm going

to put my

trust in

the one

who rose

from the

dead.

only one,

only Jesus

has conquered

the grave.

Only Jesus

has died

for your

sin.

Only

Jesus.

He says,

I am the

way,

the truth,

the life.

No one

comes to

the Father

but by

me.

This

gospel

call is

for all

of us

here this

morning.

If you

would repent

and believe

in the

name of

Christ,

you will

be born

again.

This is

Lord willing

what we'll

see next

week.

An

incredible

detail as

we see

from John

3.16

this great

need of

ours.

How can

one be

born again?

How can

one be

given a

new heart?

It's not

by doing.

It's not

by earning.

It's not

by being.

But by

believing.

God so

loved the

world that

he gave

his only

son.

Whoever

believes

should not

perish but

have eternal

life.

But here

today,

church,

we need to

see that

this call

that Jesus

makes to

Nicodemus,

to the

Pharisees,

is not

just for

them,

it's for

us.

If you

would enter

into the

kingdom of

God,

there is

one requirement.

you must

be born

again.

We don't

know what

happened to

Nicodemus

immediately after

this encounter,

but I guarantee

you his head

was spinning.

I'm sure he

probably didn't

get any sleep

that night.

He was

probably tossing

and turning,

thinking,

reflecting,

reading on

the passages

Jesus was

referencing,

thinking back

to the words

of Christ,

probably went

home questioning

everything he

thought that he

ever knew.

Maybe when we

get to heaven,

we can ask

him.

Because I

believe that

this encounter

changed Nicodemus'

view on

Jesus.

And that he,

by the grace

of God,

was eventually

born again.

Why do I

say that?

Well,

we see

Nicodemus two

more times

here in the

Gospel of

John.

John 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7.

The people

are disputing

and arguing

over who

Jesus is.

The Pharisees

wanted Jesus

arrested,

but Nicodemus,

who previously

had come by

the cover of

night to

avoid any

association with

this man,

he spoke up,

came to his

defense,

he faced the

social criticism

that he once

avoided.

The second

time,

we see

Nicodemus

again in

chapter 19.

After Jesus

was crucified,

a man

named Joseph

of Arimathea

asked Pilate

for the body

of Jesus,

and it says,

Nicodemus also,

who earlier

had come to

Jesus by night,

now came

publicly,

bringing a

mixture of

myrrh and

aloes,

about 75

pounds in

weight.

The average

Jewish burial

required five

pounds of