Nicodemus: Seeking to Know Christ’s Truth

By Kimmy Badal

Church Magazines

We may never know in this life how Nicodemus’s story ended, but we can gain insights from his interactions with the Savior as we prepare for Easter.

In terms of a life story, the details about Nicodemus are sparse in the New Testament. We know he was a Pharisee and “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). He was qualified to participate in the Sanhedrin and was likely affluent. These features marked a high standing in Jewish society. Nevertheless, the depths of his discipleship remain shrouded.

Was he a secret disciple or not at all? Did he believe Jesus was the Messiah? Did the lure of stature and worldly peers keep him from embracing discipleship? The scriptures do not say, but as modern followers of Christ, we can gain insights from Nicodemus’s actions as we seek Jesus Christ this Easter season.

A Meeting with Jesus

The first time Nicodemus appears in the Gospel narrative, he meets with Jesus in secret by night. He is bewildered by the Savior’s declaration that “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus questions this statement, viewing the teaching literally. Jesus gently rebukes him, trying to show the spiritual meaning of His words and role as Messiah. The encounter ends without revealing if Nicodemus understands the Savior’s teaching.

Nicodemus knows in his heart that Jesus came from Heavenly Father (see John 3:2), yet he is perhaps unable to distinguish Jesus’s symbolic message from secular realities and his own religious beliefs. This perspective may have been the result of a lifetime of regulated Jewish traditions.

In our lives, how often do we seek answers from Heavenly Father while holding dear to our beliefs of how the world should work? How often do we seek the Savior without wanting to change our habits or endanger our statures?

Nicodemus could not fully comprehend the Savior’s message that night, but by meeting with Him, he took a step toward understanding, and that counts for something. “We are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so,” said President Jeffrey R. Holland, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Standing for Truth

Although Nicodemus may not have fully understood all Christ’s teachings, he held on to the truths he did know. As a result, when the chief priests and Pharisees gather and condemn the Master, Nicodemus is the only one who advocates for the Savior.

“Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” Nicodemus asks. He speaks despite knowing that he risks hostility from his peers. “Art thou also of Galilee?” they jeer. “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:51–52).

Like Nicodemus, we may face opposition when we stand for truths we know to be right. But it matters that we stand anyway, especially when it comes to our testimonies of Jesus Christ.

An Easter Offering

Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. After Christ’s agonizing Crucifixion, Nicodemus helps with the burial. He brings costly myrrh and aloes to honor the fallen Savior and prepares His body to be entombed (see John 19:39–40). The scriptures don’t mention Nicodemus beyond this point, and we never learn whether he follows Christ wholeheartedly.

However, as we prepare this Easter season to celebrate Jesus Christ and all He did for us, we can approach Him with offerings of our own—willing hearts and contrite spirits. We can renew our desires to understand who the Savior is and stand by all we know to be true. As we do so, Easter will become a time to remember Christ as “the doorway to life’s greatest joys and the balm to life’s most demanding despairs.”