by There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
John 3:1
Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. He was a religious man, a member of the strict sect of Pharisees. He was wealthy, and he was a gifted teacher. Jesus called him, “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10, emphasis added). Yet for all this, he was empty. His power, wealth, religion, and status didn’t give him a satisfied mind or heart. He arranged a secret meeting with Jesus under the cloak of darkness, and the young Rabbi of Galilee told the old teacher of Jerusalem that he needed to be “born again” (John 3:3).
And Nicodemus was! He is mentioned twice more in John’s Gospel. In chapter 7, he sought to defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin; and in chapter 19, he gained access to the crucified body of Jesus and arranged for His burial.
There’s no better new beginning than the new birth. When money, status, wealth, fame, and occupation all fail, try Jesus. He alone can satisfy the empty space in your heart.
He went from darkness to light…. When we first meet Nicodemus, he is in the dark; but the last time we see him in Scripture, it is midafternoon and he is openly giving witness of his faith in Christ.
Warren W. Wiersbe