unto them, because he knew all men, (25) And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what
was in man‖. (John 2:23-25)
Word had been going around Jerusalem (which meant most of the Jewish nation that was gathered there)
that Y‘shua of Nazareth, the son of Miriam and Yoseph, had been doing miracles there. This was very
exciting, since a prophet who did miracles hadn‘t come to Israel in hundreds of years. Yochanan tells us that
many ―believed in His name‖. These miracles produced some belief; but it was only partial faith and not full
confidence. Belief in Y‘shua or His miracles isn't enough.
―Believe‖ means more than mere mental affirmation. It means following, obeying, becoming a persecuted
disciple, and sticking with Y‘shua to the bitter end.
Still in Jerusalem: during the Passover Feast Y‟shua teaches Nakdimon (Nicodemus)(23) ―Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name,
when they saw the miracles which he did.
(24) But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
(25) And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man‖. (John 2:23-25)
It is at this point that His miracles become public. They are for the purpose of authenticating His person and
His message. What is His person? He is the Messiah. What is His message? He is offering to Israel the
Kingdom of YHWH spoken of by the Old Covenant prophets. These miracles serve as signs for the nation of
Israel to come to a decision regarding His claims.
―There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:‖ (John 3:1)
One who has observed His miracles and is impressed by them is a man by the name of Nicodemus. The first
thing to notice about Nicodemus is that he is a Pharisee. What is about to happen will challenge one of the
fundamental points of doctrine for the Pharisees. ―All of Israel has a share in the world to come (Olam
HaBah)‖. If you were born a Jew, that is sufficient for entrance into the Kingdom (Malkut Shammayim).
Another quotation from Pharisaic sources reads, ―Abraham sits at the gates of Gehenna to snatch any
Israelite consigned thereto‖. If inadvertently some Jew was consigned to hell, not to worry—Abraham sits at
the gates of Gehenna to prevent him from going in. This teaching by the Pharisees will be contradicted by
Y‘shua to ―the Teacher of Israel‖ this night. To be born a Jew (to be born physically) was spoken of
figuratively in rabbinic writings, to be born of water. To be born of water was a figure of speech for physical
birth. Baptism is not at all being spoken of here. The church has taken this section for a teaching on baptism,
which is totally wrong.
―The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, 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‖. (John 3:2)
Many Pharisees served YHWH faithfully in genuine devotion. It must not be viewed as a summary of the
entire movement in places where the Gospels charge the Pharisees with hypocrisy. (See section, ―James
the Brother of Y‘shua‖ under ―Matt 13:53-54: And when he was come into his own country‖.) Later, when
Christianity left Judaism and became a Gentile religion, the word ―Pharisee‖ became a negative term to
those who did not realise both the good and the bad. In fact, Y‘shua, believing the entire Bible, would have
aligned Himself with this group more than any other of His day. Like the fundamental groups that are most
critical of each other, so Y‘shua pointed out the errors of His own group.
Nicodemus is also mentioned in rabbinic literature (Taan. 19b, 20h, 21c) as Nakdimon Ben Bonai.
Nicodemus is the Greek rendering of the name. According to the Talmud, he was one of three wealthy Jews
of Jerusalem who helped accumulate stores for the siege by the Romans in A.D. 70 (Git. 56a). We know by
this information four basic things about him.
He was one of the wealthier men in Jerusalem.
His real name was not Nicodemus, but Bonai.
After he became a believer in Y‘shua, he and his family somehow lost their wealth. Rabbinic source
Sanhedrin 43:1, using an altered name the Rabbis gave him, says Bonai was a disciple of Y‘shua.
And last, he made his living by digging wells around Jerusalem.
(3) ―Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
(4) Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother's womb, and be born?