He came at night.
Not because he was wicked.
Not because he was hostile.
But because he was careful.
Nicodemus was a serious man—trained in Torah, disciplined in lifestyle, respected as a teacher of the law. He knew the scriptures by heart. He had practiced faith through repetition and ritual. He had devoted his life to learning what God had said and guarding what God had given.
And yet, something in Jesus unsettled him.
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God…” —John 3:2
Notice the language: we know. Nicodemus spoke for a class of people—teachers, leaders, the spiritually accomplished. His faith was accurate, informed, orthodox. He admired Jesus. He even defended him later in John 7:50–51. And after the crucifixion, he helped care for Jesus’ body (John 19:39).
Nicodemus always seemed to be near Jesus, in proximity to him, whether in the city streets or in a secret room one-to-one, late at night. He always seemed to be near him, but never quite with him. Like many of us, he knew a great deal about him. He had good information and great curiosity, but he lacked trust in Jesus’ words and ways.
Jesus responded to Nicodemus not with affirmation but with invitation—and disruption:
“Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” —John 3:3
Trust, risk, begin again
This is not a call to more study.
Not an invitation to deeper mastery.
Not an advanced course in theology.
It is a summons to trust, to risk, to begin again.
Nicodemus wanted clarification. Jesus offered transformation.
Nicodemus wanted categories. Jesus spoke of wind and birth and mystery.
“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” —John 3:8
Nicodemus knew too much to be reckless or cared too much about his position as the teacher of Israel. Nicodemus had too much to lose to be spontaneous, especially his celebrity and authority among the Jewish faithful. Nicodemus’ faith was strong—but it was also rigidly held, so he could not explore Jesus as a teacher in his own right.
And so he never leaves the night.
Faith can stay contained in the mind, our thoughts, and never get released to our heart and our practice.
Nicodemus represents a danger especially common among religious leaders and serious believers: a faith that is correct, practiced, admired—but never surrendered.
- He studied Jesus but did not follow him.
- He honored Jesus but did not reorganize his life around him.
- He believed Jesus was from God, but never entrusted himself to God through Jesus.
There is no scene where Nicodemus drops his nets.
No moment where he leaves the Sanhedrin table.
No story in which he risks his reputation, position, or security to walk openly with Jesus.
He believed about Jesus. His belief never moved him toward following. In the stunning TV series The Chosen, the writers show a heartbroken Nicodemus, unable to break the ties to his former beliefs, as Jesus invites him to join the disciples on the mission placed before them—to declare the kingdom of God and himself as the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah. As Jesus and his followers leave the city, they find a bag of silver left for them by Nicodemus. He could go that far—to give his fortune, but not his feet for the journey, perhaps even his heart, but not all of his obedience.
Risking visibility
Contrast Nicodemus with others—many less educated, less polished, less certain—who nevertheless stepped into costly trust.
Peter: Faith That Leaps Before It Understands
“If it is you, Lord, command me to come to you on the water.” —Matthew 14:28
Peter sinks, yes. But he steps out of the boat. His faith is messy, impulsive, often wrong—but it is alive.
Mary of Bethany: Faith That Loves Without Calculation
“Mary took a pound of costly perfume… and anointed Jesus’ feet.” —John 12:3
No theology exam. No cautious delay. Mary responds not with explanation but with devotion.
Zacchaeus: Faith That Reorders a Life
“Half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor.” —Luke 19:8
He climbs down from the tree and rearranges his future. Faith shows up in restitution, generosity, and change.
The Samaritan Woman: Faith That Becomes Witness
“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” —John 4:29
She leaves her water jar—her reason for coming—and runs toward others. Her faith spills outward.
Each of these people does something Nicodemus never does: They risk visibility.
The Tragedy Is Not That Nicodemus Doubts
The tragedy is that he delays.
He keeps faith safe.
He keeps discipleship theoretical.
He keeps Jesus admired—but not followed.
And perhaps the most haunting question in John’s Gospel is not spoken aloud: What if Nicodemus had stepped into the light? What if he had followed Jesus openly, imperfectly, vulnerably—like the others?
A Word for Us: What we can learn from Nicodemus on his long way around?
Nicodemus is not a warning against learning. He is a warning against never moving from knowing to trusting.
There is a kind of faith that memorizes Scripture but never entrusts the body.
A kind of faith that practices rituals but avoids surrender.
A kind of faith that stays in the night because daylight costs too much.
Jesus does not shame Nicodemus. He invites him. And that invitation still lingers:
“For God so loved the world…” —John 3:16
Not the informed world. Not the accomplished world. But the trusting world.
The question Nicodemus leaves us with is not What do you know? It is this: When admiration ends, will you follow?
What if Nicodemus had joined Jesus apprentices, disciples, mathetes (students)? We will never know, but one like Nicodemus did follow some years later—Saul, who becomes Paul, the great apostle of the church.
Practice
Lent is a season for honesty with oneself. Ask yourself, “How might I be like Nicodemus? What keeps me from a total commitment of mind, heart, strength, and soul to follow Jesus? Write in your journal, but keep it close as we walk through these weeks until Easter.
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This spring, Keith Anderson and Rob Loane are creating space for leaders to tend the inner life together in A Leader’s Journey in a Fractured World. You can read more and register here.
Keith Anderson, D.Min., is a Faculty Associate for Spirituality and Vocation at VantagePoint3 and President Emeritus of Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. He is the author of several books, including his most recent: On Holy Ground: Your Story of Identity, Belonging and Sacred Purpose (Wipf & Stock, 2024). His other works include Reading Your Life’s Story (IVP, 2016), A Spirituality of Listening (IVP, 2016), and Spiritual Mentoring (IVP, 1999). In his writing, teaching, and mentoring, Keith seeks to set a table for people looking to enter the “amazing inner sanctuary of the soul” in the most ordinary and extraordinary moments of life.