Nicodemus

the night visitor

Who was Nicodemus?

He was a Pharisee and one of the leaders of the Jewish people. John 3:1
He came to see Jesus at night. John 3:2
When Jesus died on the cross, Nicodemus helped bury him. John 19:39-40

Occupation: One of the leaders of the Jewish people; Jesus called him a teacher of Israel John 3:1, 10
Feast day: August 31: Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

What the Bible says

John 3:1

And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

John 3:2

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these signs which thou dost, unless God be with him.

John 19:39-40

³⁹And Nicodemus also came, (he who at the first came to Jesus by night,) bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. ⁴⁰They took therefore the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths, with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Nicodemus

With Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. He said he knew that Jesus was a teacher who had come from God. John 3:2
With Jesus. Jesus spoke to him about being born again, of water and the Spirit. John 3:3-5
With Jesus. Nicodemus didn’t understand. Jesus asked how he, a teacher of Israel, could fail to understand these things. John 3:9-10
With Jesus. When some Pharisees and the chief priests wanted to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus asked them whether the Law condemns anyone without first hearing him. John 7:50-51
With Jesus. They answered by asking whether he was from Galilee too. John 7:52
With Jesus. After Jesus died, Nicodemus brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. John 19:39
With Jesus. With Joseph of Arimathea, he wrapped the body of Jesus in linen cloths with the spices. They laid Jesus in a new tomb. John 19:40-42
Afterward. According to Tradition: According to tradition, his remains were found beside those of Saint Stephen, the first martyr. Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Nicodemus”

Words of Nicodemus

“Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these signs which thou dost, unless God be with him.” John 3:2

The night he came to see Jesus.

“How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born again?” John 3:4

When Jesus told him that a person must be born again.

“How can these things be done?” John 3:9

When Jesus spoke to him about being born of the Spirit.

“Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?” John 7:51

When some Pharisees and the chief priests wanted to arrest Jesus.

What they were like

He asked questions: he didn’t understand being born again, and he asked Jesus how it could be. John 3:4, 9
He asked that no one condemn Jesus without hearing him first. John 7:50-51
Generous: for the burial of Jesus, he brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. John 19:39

The greatest thing they did

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus in linen cloths with the spices. They buried him. John 19:39-42
It was to Nicodemus that Jesus explained that a person must be born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5

Not to be confused with

Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Nicodemus came with the myrrh and aloes, and together they buried Jesus. John 19:38-40
Gamaliel was another Pharisee of the Sanhedrin. After the Resurrection, he advised leaving the apostles alone. Acts 5:34, 38

In the Church today

Feast day: August 31, Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (commemoration). Roman Martyrology (2004)

In art, recognized by: He appears in scenes of the burial of Jesus, beside Joseph of Arimathea From Jn 19, 38-40; this is how Christian art shows him

Nicodemus in art

What people ask

Did Nicodemus become a disciple of Jesus?

The Bible doesn’t say so in those words. It does say that he spoke up for Jesus before the Pharisees and helped bury him. John 7:50-51; John 19:39-40

Why did he come to see Jesus at night?

The Gospel doesn’t explain. It only says that he came at night, and it mentions this again at the burial of Jesus. John 3:2; John 19:39

What does “born again” mean?

Jesus told him about being born of water and the Spirit. The Church sees Baptism here. John 3:5; Catechism 1215

Did Jesus say to Nicodemus that God so loved the world?

Those words are in the same conversation. But the NABRE, the U.S. bishops’ Bible, has a note on this passage. It says that from that verse on, the Gospel writer is speaking, not Jesus. John 3:16; NABRE note on Jn 3, 1-21

Was Nicodemus old?

We don’t know. He asked how a man can be born when he is old, but that doesn’t tell us his age. John 3:4; Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Nicodemus”

Daily life He was a Pharisee and one of the leaders of the Jewish people. John 3:1 He was most likely a member of the Sanhedrin, the great Jewish council.…

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Who Nicodemus is connected to

Jesus · visited him at night
Joseph of Arimathea · buried him together

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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