Add to this Elder McConkies speculation about the possible location of Nicodemuss dialogue with Jesus: We are left to assume the meeting took place in a house owned or occupied by John in Jerusalem. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1981, and grew up in Southwest Ohio by way of Upstate New York. Instead she sent a message to her husband and said that she had a dream about Jesus Christ. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [28] Tenny and Barabas, eds., Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, s.v. This letter is placed in the keeping of his synagogue administrator, Jairus, to give Yussif time to reconsider his words before sending it. An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. He may have had a sincere desire to have a serious private conversation away from the crowded, county-fair atmosphere of the Passover-choked streets and temple precincts. Nicodemus knew from personal experience what the officers meant when they said that never man spake like this man. On that night years earlier, Jesus had used phrases like I say unto thee, we speak, we know, we testify, I tell you, and we have seen. His authority derived not from quoting others but originated from Himself. This must have caused some uneasiness among those whom we know were or may have been in this meeting of the Sanhedrinpeople such as Nicodemus (himself a Pharisee), Joseph of Arimathea, and others among the chief rulers who also believed on him.. Known for: Nicodemus was a leading Pharisee and well-recognized religious leader of the Jewish people. Genesis doesn't claim that these men are good examples of morality in every area of life. The scriptures are silent about Joseph until the Crucifixion of Christ. The next time we encounter Nicodemus, he is trying to convince the Sanhedrin to give Jesus a fair hearing and is accused of sympathizing with him (John 7:45-52). What did you observe about the way Jesus interacted with Eden and her mother? I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. [9] Put succinctly, Jesus did not trust the peoples professed belief. Omissions? He is typically, but not always, paired with Joseph of Arimathea, who together with Nicodemus carries the body of Jesus. Together with his friend and fellow Sanhedrin member, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus lovingly cared for the body of the crucified Savior, placing the Lord's remains in Joseph's tomb. February 8, 2022 New Testament mirabela Caiaphas was the high priest, considered the wisest of Jesus' time. When the Sanhedrin heard that Jesus was teaching nearby in the temple courts, the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him (v. 32). Learn Religions. Zavada, Jack. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Finally, John associates Nicodemus with Joseph of Arimathea, who is described as "a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38). When he heard about Jesus' ministry, he grew disturbed and confused by the words the Lord was preaching. In the 16th century, during the conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants, the term "Nicodemite" was introduced in the common vernacular to indicate a person belonging to the other faith than the one prevalent in the region. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. The possibility of seeing the Kingdom of God is also talked about. One other small critique of Nicodemus' conversion story: he understands far too much about Jesus far too quickly. The dream must have been a bad dream for the Greek, pascho polys, states that she suffered great pain during the dream. 801-422-6975. By raising these issues to the surface, you will hopefully encourage your youth to feel safe expressing their difficulties with Scripture (instead of never talking about them until they get older and then deconstructing). He wanted badly to understand, and he sensed that Jesus had the answer. God doesn't use them because they're good people; God uses them because they trusted his promises. One of these cantatas, O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165, is the most faithful to the gospel. The amount that we know about Nicodemus based on these three episodes is pretty limited, although that actually may serve the purpose of adaptation well, since it leaves plenty of white space for The Chosen to fill in. Jesus and the disciples did not agree with them, and this group of people was a major opposition to Him and His ministry. If we were able to walk the streets of Jerusalem at Passover in Jesuss day, we would see ample reason for any sincere individual to seek a secluded setting in which to have a private, serious conversation: The streets were blocked by the crowds from all parts, who had to make their way to the Temple, past flocks of sheep, and droves of cattle, pressing on in the sunken middle part of each street reserved for them, to prevent contact and defilement. At this Feast of Tabernacles the scriptures next mention Nicodemus as he sits in this meeting of the Sanhedrin. The truth is that these carvings were created at least a thousand years after Nicodemus life. It's unlikely Nicodemus ever physically followed Jesus in his travels. This amount of spice was enough to fittingly bury royalty, signaling that Nicodemus had recognized Jesus as King. [26] The name, which seems to have been not uncommon among the Jews . On the one hand, he's a Pharisee, a group that the Gospel of John unequivocally associates with opposition to Jesus. Zavada, Jack. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Inside the Temple space, the noise and pressure were, if possible, worse. John records Jesuss testimony to Nicodemus as follows: He who believeth on him is not condemned; but he who believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the Only Begotten son of God, which before was preached by the mouth of the holy prophets; for they testifyed of me (Joseph Smith Translation, John 3:18). Have you ever been concerned about how women are sometimes treated in the Old Testament? The Heal-Face Turn is a very popular trope in Christian fiction. Required fields are marked *. Nicodemus is often depicted in an exotic turban, intended to indicate his position among the Pharisees. For a more detailed analysis of the Josephus and Babylonian Talmud source materials, as well as a number of arguments for and against the thesis that the two are one and the same person, see Robinson, Priority of John, 28487. They also hold that he lived the remainder of his life in the home of Gamaliel, another member of the Sanhedrin who otherwise remained in good standing among the Pharisees (Acts of the Apostles 5:3439). Jesus Teaches Nicodemus. Nicodemus was not the only one among the ruling classes who believed in Jesus; but of most of these we learn nothing to indicate that they had sufficient courage to come even by night to make independent and personal inquiry. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. 4. During the conversation, Jesus explains the nature of the kingdom of God and teaches Nicodemus how to enter it through water and spirit. They denied the evidence of Jesus' deity. Corrections? Elder James E. Talmage observed: Apparently [Nicodemus] was impelled by a genuine desire to learn more of the Galilean, whose works could not be ignored; though pride of office and fear of possible suspicion that he had become attached to the new Prophet led him to veil his undertaking with privacy. Spiritual & Religious Leaders The episode also gives Nicodemus a wife, who seems to exist mainly to give him someone to express his ideas to when he isn't with his fellow Pharisees. The Pharisees had created new law, an oral lawthe portion of the Talmud called the Mishna or second law; it is a law founded on tradition instead of revelation, a law that they esteemed to be of greater worth than the Torah, or law of Moses itself. He may have been absent. While there are plenty of other interesting topics in the episode, as we see several male storylines wrapped up, The Chosen Episode 8 presents a great opportunity to talk to youth about women, patriarchy, and the impact of Jesus on the gender dynamics of society. Nicodemus asked. Today, what are some ways that women might have their lives disrupted by Jesus' kingdom? That being said, I'm not 100% sold on every aspect of how The Chosen ends up depicting his character and interactions with Jesus. He had a wife who had become accustomed to the stable, secure, and beautiful life his position afforded. Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him up. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 1) Nicodemus meets Jesus secretly. The entirety of the apocryphal account was, at some point, attributed to Nicodemus and later incorporated into a more elaborate work, known as the Gospel of Nicodemus. He was afraid of what might happen if he spoke to Jesus in broad daylight, where people might report him. He did this despite the fact that embalming was more or less not allowed in Judaism. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who believed in the miracles that Jesus performed. . He is using plain, simple, and forceful language. Nicodemus speaks in subtle defense of Jesus, saying that Jewish law requires that a person cannot be condemned without first being heard (John 7:5051). . Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 8 of The Chosen with your youth group. However, Nicodemus became a disciple of Jesus and publicly defended Him in the fourth gospel. On more than one occasion, he expresses theological questions and doubts, only to get batted down by his wife, who reminds Nicodemus of the potentially negative social ramifications if someone else heard him talking that way. Because of this, he is commemorated on the Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women, two weeks after Pascha. For example, some traditions relate that he was ostracized by the Pharisees for his Christian sympathies. I wanted the youth to enjoy it and not just see The Chosen as an elaborate preaching illustration. Sellers of all possible wares beset the pilgrims, for the great feasts were, as has been said, the harvest time of all trades at Jerusalem. There's also a lot of fear at work in the back and forth conflict that Nicodemus has with Shmuel. In 1937, Ernst Pepping wrote an Evangelienmotette (motet on gospel text), titled Jesus und Nikodemus. Peter doesn't even make his triumphant confession that Jesus is the Messiah until a significant way into each Gospel. It will be remembered that blasphemy was the very charge the Sanhedrin would use three years later to justify Christs death (see Matthew 26:6368; Mark 14:6165; Luke 22:6671; John 19:7). On both sides of the east Temple gate, stalls had for generations been permitted for changing foreign money. What a wonderful turn of events if the executioners wife became a believer and a follower of the one her husband rejected. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading, The Chosen: 6 Good Friday & Easter Episodes, The Rings of Power, LOTR, and Bible Adaptation, Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation, In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1), In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 2), Imagining Mary Magdalene (5 More Bible Adaptations While You Wait for The Chosen Season 2), Yussif, Jairus, & Shmuel in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Reflecting on The Chosen Season 3 & Anticipating Season 4: What Worked & What to Fix, Ears to Hear (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 & Episode 8: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Feeding of the 5,000 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 8 with Youth or Small Group), Pontius Pilate & His Wife in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Intensity in Tent City (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 2 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 1 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4 with Youth or Small Group), Physician, Heal Thyself (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3 with Youth or Small Group), Two by Two (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2 with Youth or Small Group), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture (Adapting Biblical Characters), Homecoming (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 with Youth or Small Group), 2022 BY THE BIBLE ARTIST. Jesus identifies Nicodemus as a prominent Pharisee and a leader of the Jewish people. In Season 1, Episode 8, Nicodemus turns down the invitation. It is hard to imagine that someone in Nicodemuss position could have been ignorant of what was afoot. In these conversations, he expresses his theological questions and worries, but his wife squashes them. In The Chosen, during Season 1 Episode 5 Nicodemus visits John the Baptist in jail and asks him questions about miracles and the coming of the Messiah. Nicodemus protested, urging the group to give Jesus a fair hearing. The following outlines Nicodemus' actions and response to Jesus. . Now, ever since my Packing Party, in 2010, I'm . At Passover time great numbers of Jews camped outside the city proper, but within the limits of a Sabbath days journey.[4]. Representations of Nicodemus in art tend to focus on his sympathy for Jesus, his identification as a Jew, and his purported social prominence. Many a husband and wife today live in this situation. However, the portrayal of him in the Gospel is generally positive. John said this discussion happened at night, probably because Nicodemus had his reputation to protect since Jesus was a controversial figure . If Zohara met Jesus, do you think she would respond differently to Nicodemus' spiritual struggle? While Johns Gospel leaves many questions unanswered about Nicodemus, the main points of the story are clear: Nicodemus was a disciple of Jesus but was not publicly declaring his faith. Nicodemus, in the Gospel According to John, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews at the time of Jesus preaching and crucifixion. The problem would be to locate this one person among the millions in and around Jerusalem. Because of the carnival atmosphere in Jerusalem during Passover, it might have been difficult to have any kind of meaningful personal or private conversation with Jesus in the crowded streets or in the din of the temple courtyards. It is believed that he was somewhat elderly, based on the first question he posed to Jesus: How can anyone be born after having grown old? (John 3:4). In this context, Nicodemus decides to utilize the literal over figurative meaning of anthen (definition: from above, from a higher place) and presumes that the meaning undermines the importance of the word. Though common at the time, the name Nicodemus is not held by anyone else in the New Testament. According to the Bible, Jesus was strongly opposed by the Pharisees, a group of Jewish scribes who followed the letter of the law. What do you think Jesus desires for women in these situations? 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