# Who was Nicodemus in the Bible? From night visitor to public devotion > Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem who appears three times in the Gospel of John. His quiet arc—from questioning Jesus by night in John 3, to asking for a fair hearing in John 7, to bringing costly burial spices to Golgotha in John 19—offers one of Scripture's clearest portraits of gradual, courageous faith. > There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: > — John 3:1 (King James Version) > The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, 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. > — John 3:2 (King James Version) > Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. > — John 3:3 (King James Version) > For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. > — John 3:16 (King James Version) > Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) > — John 7:50 (King James Version) > Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? > — John 7:51 (King James Version) > And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. > — John 19:39 (King James Version) ## A character who only appears in the Fourth Gospel Some people in the Gospels experience an immediate transformation in a single afternoon, leaving their fishing nets or tax booths behind at once. Nicodemus is different. Mentioned only in the Gospel of John, he is a Pharisee, a respected teacher of Israel, and a "ruler of the Jews"—a member of the Sanhedrin, the high council in Jerusalem. He has a reputation to protect and a lifetime of scholarship behind him. Rather than telling his story all at once, John lets us watch Nicodemus across three brief scenes spaced across Jesus' ministry. ## The three appearances of Nicodemus in John ### Scene one: questions in the dark (John 3:1–3, 16) In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He begins courteously, acknowledging that Jesus must be a teacher come from God because of the signs he performs. Jesus cuts straight past the polite opening to the heart of the matter: unless a person is born again (or "born from above," as the Greek word *anothen* carries both meanings), they cannot see the kingdom of God. When Nicodemus struggles to understand how an adult can begin life over, Jesus speaks of the wind of the Spirit, the bronze serpent lifted up by [Moses](/en/lessons/who-is-moses-in-the-bible) in the wilderness, and God's love for the world in John 3:16. Nicodemus leaves that night without an explicit confession recorded in the text, yet the conversation stays with him. ### Scene two: a cautious voice for fairness (John 7:50–51) Months later, in John 7, hostility among the authorities in Jerusalem has sharpened, and officers are sent to arrest Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles. When the officers return empty-handed, impressed by Jesus' words, the chief priests and Pharisees rebuke them. At that moment Nicodemus—whom John pointedly identifies as "he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them"—speaks up inside the council. He asks whether their own law judges a man before hearing him first and learning what he is doing. It is a measured legal question rather than a full declaration of discipleship, and his colleagues immediately mock him for it, yet he refuses to stay silent. ### Scene three: costly devotion in broad daylight (John 19:39) Nicodemus's final appearance comes at the darkest hour of the Gospel. After Jesus is crucified and most of his closest disciples have scattered, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for Jesus' body. With him comes Nicodemus—and for the last time John reminds us that he was the one who had first come to Jesus by night. Now, in public view before Passover, he brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred Roman pounds (roughly seventy-five modern pounds), a lavish quantity associated with royal burials. The man who once arrived under cover of darkness honours the crucified Jesus openly when there is no worldly advantage left to gain. ## Questions to carry into your reading As you read [John 3](/en/bible/john/3) and trace Nicodemus through [the Gospel of John](/en/bible/john), consider these questions: - Why do you think John includes both immediate disciples and slow, thoughtful seekers like Nicodemus in his Gospel? - Have you ever experienced faith as a gradual movement from honest questions in private to quiet courage in public? - How does remembering that John 3:16 was first spoken in a late-night conversation with a puzzled scholar fresh your reading of that familiar verse? ## Keep reading Read [John 3](/en/bible/john/3) in full in the Bible library, explore our study of [Mary Magdalene in the Bible](/en/lessons/who-was-mary-magdalene-in-the-bible)—who stood near the cross and the tomb in John 19–20—or visit our guide on [how to start reading the Bible](/en/questions/how-to-start-reading-the-bible). ## FAQ ### Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night in John 3? As a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, visiting an unaccredited Galilean teacher in broad daylight carried real social and political risk. In John's Gospel, 'night' also serves as a literary symbol of moving from spiritual uncertainty toward the light. ### What did Jesus mean when he told Nicodemus he must be 'born again'? The Greek word 'anothen' means both 'again' and 'from above.' Jesus was telling a respected teacher of Israel that entering God's kingdom requires more than religious pedigree or moral effort—it requires a fresh spiritual beginning given from above by God's Spirit. ### What did Nicodemus do after Jesus was crucified? In John 19:39, Nicodemus publicly joined Joseph of Arimathea in preparing Jesus' body for burial, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred Roman pounds—an amount fit for a royal burial. ## Sources - [John 3 (King James Version)](https://api.getbible.net/v2/kjv/43/3.json) - [John 7 (King James Version)](https://api.getbible.net/v2/kjv/43/7.json) - [John 19 (King James Version)](https://api.getbible.net/v2/kjv/43/19.json)