Nicodemus—A Rabbi Seeking Wisdom

Abstract

The meeting of two teachers at night suggests that they will be discussing sacred texts, as this was a conventional time for such learned dialogues. Nicodemus initiates the discussion, pointing to the “signs” Jesus has performed; Jesus elaborates further on the deeper meaning of the signs that Nicodemus so far has missed. The story of Jacob in Genesis 28 and the descriptions in the Wisdom of Solomon provide rich intertext for understanding the Nicodemus pericope. In the person of Jesus, the Son of Man has descended from heaven, and the heavens have been opened, enabling access to the reign of God for the one who is born anew.