Character

Sometimes Who's Who doesn't know for sure just what's what! Consider the character of this man who comes to Jesus at night. Nicodemus clearly was a well-connected man yet it is clear he lacks some very vital information. He is remembered here as a "Pharisee," the highest sect among the Jews. We often think of the Pharisees as harsh, hypocritical, and uppity (and certainly there were moments when Jesus heaped scorn on them). Here, however, is a Pharisee, Nicodemus, who does not fit that mold. He is a sincere, mild-mannered personality. This is further confirmed in John 7 when some Pharisees asked the temple police why they had not arrested Jesus. Nicodemus, having already had the dialogue we read in John 3 with Jesus, intercedes by asking, "Our law does not judge people without …