I did not know what to make of the former mayor, he had had a long association with the church and had been taught the discussions several times. He had also read The Book of Mormon a few times. I think he believed the church to be true, and might even have known it, but he worried too much about what people would think if he got baptized. He did say that he would have had to give up all of his many ties in the community if he were baptized. He was always willing to take us out to dinner and have a discussion about the gospel, but I wasn't sure if it would really be worth our time.
I thought of the former mayor recently when I read about the nighttime visit of Nicodemus with the Savior. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, and a prominent Pharisee. It seems that he timed his visit with Jesus in order to minimize the risk of being seen with him. He did not want to attract attention lest anyone think he was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.
"Rabbi," said Nicodemus, "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." It appears that the Pharisee was trying to justify this visit to himself.
The Savior surely knew that Nicodemus, while he might be an admirer, was not really a convert, and that his interest in seeing Jesus was intellectual curiosity rather that spiritual searching. As a learned man, Nicodemus's mind was in a well built box. He had been taught to be infatuated with mysteries in the scriptures, turning the simplest truth into obuscure perplexity. Having sized up his interlocutor, Jesus sought to open his mind, to get Nicodemus to think outside the box.
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
"How can a man be born when he is old," asked Nicodemus, "can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"
In addition to opening his mind, Jesus was also trying to get Nicodemus to humble himself, to admit that he didn't know what the Savior was saying. Next Jesus hinted that he was speaking symbolically.
"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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
There were definite clues here, references to teachings of the ancient prophets which used the "new birth" of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost as symbolism of natural birth. In the Book of Moses, in the Pearl of Great Price, we read this is the way it was originally taught to Adam. But as a trained Pharisee, Nicodemus could not recognize the reference. Jesus then tried to get the Nicodemus to fish or cut bait.
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 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."
One wonders if there might have been an evening breeze as Jesus tried to find evidence of spiritual curiosity in Nicodemus. One might also wonder why the Savior didn't just tell the Pharisee straight up that he needed to repent and be baptized. But Nicodemus had likely already heard that message from John the Baptist and had not accepted it. Even now, despite the efforts of Jesus to get Nicodemus to humble himself and open his mind to simple spiritual truths, the Pharisee was still locked in his box of intellectual mystery making.
"How can these things be?" he asked. While this might sound like an admission of ignorance, it was instead an intellectual thrust designed to put Jesus on the defensive. The Savior fired right back with a challenge of his own.
"Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and Ye receive not our witness."
The "we" referred to both Jesus and John the Baptist. Nicodemus had confessed that Jesus must be a man of God to perform the miracles that he did, but he did not come to the Savior in the nighttime seeking instruction, much less repentance and baptism. Rather, he was intellectually fascinated by the Nazerene.
"If I have told you earthly things," Jesus continued, "and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"
At this point, there was only one thing left to do, bear testimony. This is a common experience for missionaries in these latter days, as well. When a missionary has tried to open the mind of a contact or investigator, and it has not worked, it is time to start bearing their testimony. This is what the Savior now did with Nicodemus.
"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: The whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world, the he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not comdemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
The Joseph Smith Translation adds "which before was preached by the mouth of all the holy prophets: for they testified of me."
Finally to the man who came to see him at night, Jesus continued, "And this is the condemnation, the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
While Nicodemus was not converted, he did remain a friend. He would defend Jesus when the Pharisees were going to condemn the Savior without a trial. Then, after Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus brought myrrh and aloes for the Savior's burial. Nicodemus may have been one of those honorable men referred to in Doctrine and Covenants 76:73-76: "These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fullness." One might hope, however, that Nicodemus may have later, after the Savior's resurrection, accepted the gospel.
Sources:
John Chapter Three
Skousen, W. C. (1992). Days of the Living Christ, Vol. 1. Salt Lake City, UT: Ensign Publishing Co.
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