Nicodemus: Was He Born Again?

 Nicodemus: Was He Born Again?

The “Red-Letter Words” of Jesus

Day 37

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  John 19:38-40 (NKJV).

The above passage relates the final time John mentions Nicodemus.

Up until the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, scripture gives no evidence Nicodemus publicly declared himself to be Jesus’ disciple. The scriptures indicate just the opposite – He and Joseph of Arimathea, both Pharisees, were secret followers.

After Jesus died, many of His followers laid low for fear of being the next martyr. Not Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea. They went public. I’m sure word spread rapidly that the two Pharisees accepted the responsibility of burying Jesus according to Jewish custom.

That act alone could’ve cost them their reputations, positions, and possibly their lives.

Be forewarned. The rest of this devotion is “the gospel according to Lollie” so please bear with me.

I want to believe Nicodemus was born again and is with his Savior.

I don’t know if Nicodemus saw Jesus after His resurrection, but the good news must’ve impacted his life. After all, he touched Jesus’ corpse. He helped wrap His body in strips of linen with the special spices he purchased. He knew for a fact Jesus died.

Jesus’ resurrection forced Nicodemus to a point of decision…to believe or not believe He was the Messiah. Jesus’ words in John, Chapter 3, would have stirred his spirit because God’s Word doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:10, 11). Since he followed Jesus before His crucifixion, albeit secretively, I think it was a probable next step for Nicodemus to accept Him as his Living Savior.

Yes, my theory is speculation. Maybe I'm sympathetic towards him because he seemed like a sincere man, but I’ll be looking for him once I reach heaven.

How about you? The important question now is, “Are you born again?” Have you given your life to Jesus? Click here to learn how you can be born again: :May His Light Shine More Brightly: Salvation (lolliehofer.blogspot.com)

Father, thank You that I am born again. Jesus is my Savior and my Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and making me a new person. The old has past and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Jesus’ name, Amen.   

 

http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/john/3

http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/john/3

http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/john/3

Defining My Blog

One of my friends asked me to define this blog because she is confused as to what I am trying to accomplish here. Hmmm. Define this blog. It's fairly simple really - I like to write children's books/stories, short stories and devotionals. I don't publish everything I write but some of it does find its way to this blog. I understand that this may be too broad of a platform for some folks but I'm cool with it. I blog because I like to write. In the process, hopefully my blogging brings glory to the Lord and encourages folks in their faith walk. I do write stories from my teaching experiences (past and current) on another blog so it's more focused from a teacher's viewpoint. You can find it at lolliehofer.wordpress.com. That's it. Enough said. Hey, friend, did this help?

What I Learned at the Wordsowers Writing Conference

Workshop #1:
I leaned over so that I could hide behind the lady sitting in front of me. The speaker, Pam Morgan, had direct line of vision to my chair and I didn't want her to see my wet face. Her topic at the Wordsowers Writing Conference was on public speaking. But here she was, talking about seeing two crosses in a window...one was Jesus' cross and one was hers. Her powerful words brought encouragement to my spirit but also unwanted tears to my eyes.

Workshop #2:
I looked down at the crack in the tabletop not wanting to connect with Lee Warren's eyes. His tender story of how his father passed the patriarchal mantle to him caused more tears to flow. I desperately needed a Kleenex. How did Lee's workshop go from learning how to write nonfiction in a fiction style to another meltdown?

I thought this was a writing conference for crying out loud. A place for writers to learn the tricks of the trade. Why all the emotions? What does emotion have to do with any of this?

Evidently, quite a bit.



 

Disclaimer Against, Well, Me

It's not every day someone puts out a disclaimer against themselves but today is one of those days.  When I first started the study on the book of James, I was meticulous in my research.  I would take a portion of scripture and dissect it word by word.  Not anymore (although that doesn't mean I won't occasionally define a word in the Hebrew or Greek to bring greater understanding).  I've discovered something important along the way.  When you take a scripture out of its context it's easy to miss the whole meaning of what the author is trying to say.  I've done my best to stay contextually accurate but I now think it's best to look at the scriptures in context to the other verses around it.

I don't plan on going back and redoing what I've done.  I'm okay with what I've written but do feel it's been a learning curve where I have actually learned a few things along the way.  And one of the biggies is to look at a scripture within the context to those scriptures around it (and another is to understand the culture in which it was written...but that discussion is for another time).  Thanks goodness learning curves aren't graded.  'Nuf said. 


(P.S.  I'm still working on James 3:1-12 but it will still be at least a couple weeks before being completed.)

Somewhat of a Routine

During the school year it's sometimes tough to find the time to study and write.  By the time I teach, do lesson plans, grade papers, work at the shop in the evenings, babysit grandkids and attend church activities there's not much time for anything else.  I do miss discovering those "nuggets of truth."  I'm praying that now I'm in somewhat of a routine for the year I'll be able to start up blogging again.  Stay tuned.