When we reflected yesterday on Nicodemus’ second recorded encounter with Y’shua Jesus, I suggested that he had not yet publicly affiliated with Christ. It is my view (not accepted by some of you, I’m sure) that Luke would have included a public aligning there, given the potential implications. I’m also conscious that that wasn’t the last time we heard of Nicodemus. It is possible that he was convinced then, but didn’t see himself as a follower of Christ. If we compare that with this final encounter, what would we say about Nicodemus? Was he a convert, or was he on the sidelines? Would we say he was convinced of Y’shua’s divinity? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
John 19:38-40 AMP
[38] And after this, Joseph of Arimathea—a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews—asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away His body. [Matt 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56]
[39] Nicodemus, who had first come to Him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, [weighing] about a hundred [Roman] pounds.
[40] So they took Jesus’ body and bound it in linen wrappings with the fragrant spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
For FEAR of the Jews
The phrase, ‘for fear of the Jews’, is what convinces me that Nicodemus didn’t declare Y’shua publicly in John 7. Although used here in relation to Joseph of Arimathea, we realize that it would have been somewhat difficult for Nicodemus to publicly acclaim Y’shua’s deity and remain a member of the Sanhedrin. Perhaps not impossible, but they would have made his life difficult. The prophets of 1 Kings 19 hidden in plain sight did not bow to Ba’al. But they were unknown to Elijah. Nicodemus and Joseph were not the first undercover adherents.
Given those considerations, we are left to determine where Nicodemus aligned previously. Today’s Holy Nougat establishes that when it mattered the most, Nicodemus stood for Christ. I believe that at Y’shua’s Crucifixion, Nicodemus counted the cost and decided to stand with Jesus publicly. It was after Jesus died, but he stood. He, unlike the Twelve, aided in Y’shua’s burial, alongside Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple!
Self-Check
With the known disciples being absent, where would we have been at the time of Y’shua Crucifixion?
Application
Extra canonical literature includes a Gospel of Nicodemus, which may suggest, unlike the plot line of The Chosen, that Nicodemus was convinced of Christ’s message. By joining forces with Joseph in that very politically fraught moment, I also maintain that Nicodemus made his stance very clear. I agree that it was possibly at a safe moment, but he was present enough for John to state,
Nicodemus, who had first come to Him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes… about a hundred… pounds.
That’s a lot to expend financially if one isn’t committed, at a time when any act of affiliation with Y’shua was probable cause for persecution! Nicodemus didn’t need to defend Christ. There was no need to pretend that he was simply upholding the law. Opting to assist with the burial of a crucified ‘enemy of the state’ guaranteed visibility and possibly gossip. Yet he did both. Those acts caught John’s attention, and the rest is history.
When it mattered a lot, Nicodemus stood for Y’shua.
Point to Ponder
How far are we willing to go for Christ? Will we put our money where our confession is? Selah
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May all we seek be found in Christ
