The Desire of Ages
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 17: Nicodemus
This chapter is based on John 3:1-17.
Nicodemus held a high position of trust in the Jewish
nation. He was highly educated, and possessed talents of no ordinary character,
and he was an honored member of the national council. With others, he had been
stirred by the teaching of Jesus. Though rich, learned, and honored, he had
been strangely attracted by the humble Nazarene. The lessons that had fallen
from the Saviour's lips had greatly impressed him, and he desired to learn more
of these wonderful truths. {DA
167.1}
Christ's exercise of authority in the cleansing of the
temple had roused the determined hatred of the priests and rulers. They feared
the power of this stranger. Such boldness on the part of an obscure Galilean
was not to be tolerated. They were bent on putting an end to His work. But not
all were agreed in this purpose. There were some that feared to oppose One who
was so evidently moved upon by the Spirit of God. They remembered how prophets
had been slain for rebuking the sins of the leaders in Israel. They knew that
the bondage of the Jews to a heathen nation was the result of their
stubbornness in rejecting reproofs from God. They feared that in plotting
against Jesus the priests and rulers were following in the steps of their
fathers, and would bring fresh calamities upon the nation. Nicodemus shared
these feelings. In a [168] council of the Sanhedrin, when
the course to be pursued toward Jesus was considered, Nicodemus advised caution
and moderation. He urged that if Jesus was really invested with authority from
God, it would be perilous to reject His warnings. The priests dared not
disregard this counsel, and for the time they took no open measures against the
Saviour. {DA 167.2}
Since hearing Jesus, Nicodemus had anxiously studied the
prophecies relating to the Messiah; and the more he searched, the stronger was
his conviction that this was the One who was to come. With many others in
Israel he had been greatly distressed by the profanation of the temple. He was
a witness of the scene when Jesus drove out the buyers and the sellers; he
beheld the wonderful manifestation of divine power; he saw the Saviour
receiving the poor and healing the sick; he saw their looks of joy, and heard
their words of praise; and he could not doubt that Jesus of Nazareth was the
Sent of God. {DA 168.1}
He greatly desired an interview with Jesus, but shrank from
seeking Him openly. It would be too humiliating for a ruler of the Jews to
acknowledge himself in sympathy with a teacher as yet so little known. And
should his visit come to the knowledge of the Sanhedrin, it would draw upon him
their scorn and denunciation. He resolved upon a secret interview, excusing
this on the ground that if he were to go openly, others might follow his example.
Learning by special inquiry the Saviour's place of retirement in the Mount of
Olives, he waited until the city was hushed in slumber, and then sought Him. {DA 168.2}
In the presence of Christ, Nicodemus felt a strange
timidity, which he endeavored to conceal under an air of composure and dignity.
"Rabbi," he said, "we know that Thou art a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with
him." By speaking of Christ's rare gifts as a teacher, and also of His wonderful
power to perform miracles, he hoped to pave the way for his interview. His
words were designed to express and to invite confidence; but they really
expressed unbelief. He did not acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah, but only a
teacher sent from God. {DA
168.3}
Instead of recognizing this salutation, Jesus bent His eyes
upon the speaker, as if reading his very soul. In His infinite wisdom He saw
before Him a seeker after truth. He knew the object of this visit, and with a
desire to deepen the conviction already resting upon His listener's mind, He
came directly to the point, saying solemnly, yet kindly, "Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." John 3:3, margin. [171] {DA 168.4}
Nicodemus had come to the Lord thinking to enter into a
discussion with Him, but Jesus laid bare the foundation principles of truth. He
said to Nicodemus, It is not theoretical knowledge you need so much as
spiritual regeneration. You need not to have your curiosity satisfied, but to
have a new heart. You must receive a new life from above before you can
appreciate heavenly things. Until this change takes place, making all things
new, it will result in no saving good for you to discuss with Me My authority
or My mission. {DA 171.1}
Nicodemus had heard the preaching of John the Baptist
concerning repentance and baptism, and pointing the people to One who should
baptize with the Holy Spirit. He himself had felt that there was a lack of
spirituality among the Jews, that, to a great degree, they were controlled by
bigotry and worldly ambition. He had hoped for a better state of things at the
Messiah's coming. Yet the heart-searching message of the Baptist had failed to
work in him conviction of sin. He was a strict Pharisee, and prided himself on
his good works. He was widely esteemed for his benevolence and his liberality
in sustaining the temple service, and he felt secure of the favor of God. He
was startled at the thought of a kingdom too pure for him to see in his present
state. {DA 171.2}
The figure of the new birth, which Jesus had used, was not
wholly unfamiliar to Nicodemus. Converts from heathenism to the faith of Israel
were often compared to children just born. Therefore he must have perceived
that the words of Christ were not to be taken in a literal sense. But by virtue
of his birth as an Israelite he regarded himself as sure of a place in the
kingdom of God. He felt that he needed no change. Hence his surprise at the
Saviour's words. He was irritated by their close application to himself. The
pride of the Pharisee was struggling against the honest desire of the seeker
after truth. He wondered that Christ should speak to him as He did, not
respecting his position as ruler in Israel. {DA 171.3}
Surprised out of his self-possession, he answered Christ in
words full of irony, "How can a man be born when he is old?" Like
many others when cutting truth is brought home to the conscience, he revealed
the fact that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
There is in him nothing that responds to spiritual things; for spiritual things
are spiritually discerned. {DA
171.4}
But the Saviour did not meet argument with argument. Raising
His hand with solemn, quiet dignity, He pressed the truth home with greater [172]
assurance, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Nicodemus
knew that Christ here referred to water baptism and the renewing of the heart
by the Spirit of God. He was convinced that he was in the presence of the One
whom John the Baptist had foretold. {DA 171.5}
Jesus continued: "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." By nature the
heart is evil, and "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not
one." Job 14:4. No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul.
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be." "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies."
Romans 8:7; Matthew 15:19. The fountain of the heart must be purified before
the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works
in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one
who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian's life is
not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature.
There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be
brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. {DA 172.1}
Nicodemus was still perplexed, and Jesus used the wind to
illustrate His meaning: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." {DA 172.2}
The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling
the leaves and flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes
or whither it goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can
no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not be
able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances in the
process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an
agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart.
Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made
that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating
upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word from the
living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the
soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many this is called sudden
conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God,—a
patient, protracted process. [173] {DA 172.3}
While the wind is itself invisible, it produces effects that
are seen and felt. So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will reveal itself
in every act of him who has felt its saving power. When the Spirit of God takes
possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away,
evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger,
envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects
the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the
light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul
surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a
new being in the image of God. {DA 173.1}
It is impossible for finite minds to comprehend the work of
redemption. Its mystery exceeds human knowledge; yet he who passes from death
to life realizes that it is a divine reality. The beginning of redemption we
may know here through a personal experience. Its results reach through the
eternal ages. {DA 173.2}
While Jesus was speaking, some gleams of truth penetrated
the ruler's mind. The softening, subduing influence of the Holy Spirit
impressed his heart. Yet he did not fully understand the Saviour's words. He
was not so much impressed by the necessity of the new birth as by the manner of
its accomplishment. He said wonderingly, "How can these things be?" {DA 173.3}
"Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these
things?" Jesus asked. Surely one entrusted with the religious instruction
of the people should not be ignorant of truths so important. His words conveyed
the lesson that instead of feeling irritated over the plain words of truth,
Nicodemus should have had a very humble opinion of himself, because of his
spiritual ignorance. Yet Christ spoke with such solemn dignity, and both look
and tone expressed such earnest love, that Nicodemus was not offended as he
realized his humiliating condition. {DA 173.4}
But as Jesus explained that His mission on earth was to
establish a spiritual instead of a temporal kingdom, His hearer was troubled.
Seeing this, Jesus added, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye
believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" If
Nicodemus could not receive Christ's teaching, illustrating the work of grace
upon the heart, how could he comprehend the nature of His glorious heavenly
kingdom? Not discerning the nature of Christ's work on earth, he could not
understand His work in heaven. {DA 173.5}
The Jews whom Jesus had driven from the temple claimed to be
children of Abraham, but they fled from the Saviour's presence because [174]
they could not endure the glory of God which was manifested in Him. Thus they
gave evidence that they were not fitted by the grace of God to participate in
the sacred services of the temple. They were zealous to maintain an appearance
of holiness, but they neglected holiness of heart. While they were sticklers
for the letter of the law, they were constantly violating its spirit. Their
great need was that very change which Christ had been explaining to Nicodemus,—a
new moral birth, a cleansing from sin, and a renewing of knowledge and
holiness. {DA 173.6}
There was no excuse for the blindness of Israel in regard to
the work of regeneration. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah had
written, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags." David had prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O
God; and renew a right spirit within me." And through Ezekiel the promise
had been given, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in My statutes." Isaiah 64:6; Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26, 27. {DA 174.1}
Nicodemus had read these scriptures with a clouded mind; but
he now began to comprehend their meaning. He saw that the most rigid obedience
to the mere letter of the law as applied to the outward life could entitle no
man to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the estimation of men, his life had been
just and honorable; but in the presence of Christ he felt that his heart was
unclean, and his life unholy. {DA 174.2}
Nicodemus was being drawn to Christ. As the Saviour
explained to him concerning the new birth, he longed to have this change
wrought in himself. By what means could it be accomplished? Jesus answered the
unspoken question: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life." {DA 174.3}
Here was ground with which Nicodemus was familiar. The
symbol of the uplifted serpent made plain to him the Saviour's mission. When
the people of Israel were dying from the sting of the fiery serpents, God
directed Moses to make a serpent of brass, and place it on high in the midst of
the congregation. Then the word was sounded throughout the encampment that all
who would look upon the serpent should live. The people well knew that in
itself the serpent had no power to help them. It was a symbol of Christ. As the
image made in the likeness of the [175] destroying serpents was lifted
up for their healing, so One made "in the likeness of sinful flesh"
was to be their Redeemer. Romans 8:3. Many of the Israelites regarded the
sacrificial service as having in itself virtue to set them free from sin. God
desired to teach them that it had no more value than that serpent of brass. It
was to lead their minds to the Saviour. Whether for the healing of their wounds
or the pardon of their sins, they could do nothing for themselves but show
their faith in the Gift of God. They were to look and live. {DA 174.4}
Those who had been bitten by the serpents might have delayed
to look. They might have questioned how there could be efficacy in that brazen
symbol. They might have demanded a scientific explanation. But no explanation
was given. They must accept the word of God to them through Moses. To refuse to
look was to perish. {DA
175.1}
Not through controversy and discussion is the soul
enlightened. We must look and live. Nicodemus received the lesson, and carried
it with him. He searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the discussion of
a theory, but in order to receive life for the soul. He began to see the
kingdom of heaven as he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. {DA 175.2}
There are thousands today who need to learn the same truth
that was taught to Nicodemus by the uplifted serpent. They depend on their
obedience to the law of God to commend them to His favor. When they are bidden
to look to Jesus, and believe that He saves them solely through His grace, they
exclaim, "How can these things be?" {DA 175.3}
Like Nicodemus, we must be willing to enter into life in the
same way as the chief of sinners. Than Christ, "there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.
Through faith we receive the grace of God; but faith is not our Saviour. It
earns nothing. It is the hand by which we lay hold upon Christ, and appropriate
His merits, the remedy for sin. And we cannot even repent without the aid of
the Spirit of God. The Scripture says of Christ, "Him hath God exalted
with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. Repentance comes from Christ
as truly as does pardon. {DA
175.4}
How, then, are we to be saved? "As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness," so the Son of man has been lifted up, and
everyone who has been deceived and bitten by the serpent may look and live.
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the [176]
world." John 1:29. The light shining from the cross reveals the love of
God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we
shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified
the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the
soul. The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience to the will of
Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of Him who works in
us to subdue all things to Himself. Then the law of God is written in the mind
and heart, and we can say with Christ, "I delight to do Thy will, O my
God." Psalm 40:8. {DA
175.5}
In the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus unfolded the plan of
salvation, and His mission to the world. In none of His subsequent discourses
did He explain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to be done in the
hearts of all who would inherit the kingdom of heaven. At the very beginning of
His ministry He opened the truth to a member of the Sanhedrin, to the mind that
was most receptive, and to an appointed teacher of the people. But the leaders
of Israel did not welcome the light. Nicodemus hid the truth in his heart, and
for three years there was little apparent fruit. {DA 176.1}
But Jesus was acquainted with the soil into which He cast
the seed. The words spoken at night to one listener in the lonely mountain were
not lost. For a time Nicodemus did not publicly acknowledge Christ, but he
watched His life, and pondered His teachings. In the Sanhedrin council he
repeatedly thwarted the schemes of the priests to destroy Him. When at last
Jesus was lifted up on the cross, Nicodemus remembered the teaching upon
Olivet: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth [177] in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life." The light from that secret
interview illumined the cross upon Calvary, and Nicodemus saw in Jesus the
world's Redeemer. {DA
176.2}
After the Lord's ascension, when the disciples were
scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his
wealth in sustaining the infant church that the Jews had expected to be blotted
out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril he who had been so cautious and
questioning was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples, and
furnishing means to carry forward the work of the gospel. He was scorned and
persecuted by those who had paid him reverence in other days. He became poor in
this world's goods; yet he faltered not in the faith which had its beginning in
that night conference with Jesus. {DA 177.1}
Nicodemus related to John the story of that interview, and
by his pen it was recorded for the instruction of millions. The truths there
taught are as important today as they were on that solemn night in the shadowy
mountain, when the Jewish ruler came to learn the way of life from the lowly
Teacher of Galilee. {DA
177.2}
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"He Must Increase"
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