There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. John 3:1
The great men who did such a wonderful task of compiling the King James version of the Bible weren’t perfect; they missed a few important things. Our text today is an example of one of their mistakes. They weren’t alone, though. Most other Bible translations also ignore or drop a word that is supposed to be at the start of this verse. You will find it in the original Greek, so it should be there. The Darby translation includes the missing word, and so does the Louis Segond version in French. The missing word is ‘but’. Although not a big word, it makes a big difference in the account of John’s Gospel. For one thing, it explains why Jesus took the time to converse with a member of the Sanhedrin, a group that he roundly condemned for their hypocrisy and rejection of Himself. Jesus still has time to converse with people like Nicodemus.
In the previous chapter, we find Jesus purging the temple of merchandisers and performing miracles, attracting many people to hear Him preach. Despite their open acceptance of Himself, Jesus did not commit Himself to them. He knew their hearts. He knew that they were curious, fascinated, and deeply interested in Him, perhaps even hoping He might be the One Who God would send to deliver them from Rome. Jesus knew the extent of their interest and passed on. It is against Jesus’ acknowledgment of the crowd’s insincerity that we encounter the ‘but’ of John 3:1. There was somebody whose interest was more than curiosity. Despite his high rank in Israel and his wealth of knowledge of the Scriptures, Nicodemus put aside his pride and his prejudices because he sincerely wanted to know Who Jesus was. Because his heart was open, Jesus was ready to talk. You and I found the same thing when the Holy Spirit broke through our pride and prejudices and brought us to repentance. Our hearts were thrilled that day that He would have the time of day for us. Did you know He still has the time of day for you today?
Sometimes the business of our jobs, school, home, and social activities, even our Assembly activities, can get in the way of a timely talk with our Lord. We deprive ourselves of much when we don’t take Him up on His promise to be with us. We also deprive ourselves when we are not sincere in our approach to the Lord. He knows our hearts, and He will not commit Himself to us unless we approach Him – like Nicodemus did – with a complete willingness to listen to everything He has to say.
Jesus knows our hearts today. And if we seek Him sincerely, He will draw near and unfold His heart to us. -Jim MacIntosh