Nicodemus.

I am preaching a short series of sermons concerning the different approaches that Christ used with different people as he dealt with their differing situations. Nicodemus,being a Pharisee and belonging to the Sanhedrin, was well versed in the Law of God and, therefore, didn't need to have it preached to him. His problem, as was the case with all the Pharisees, was their misapplication of the Law. They sought salvation by the works of the Law rather than by faith. Hence Christ says to him that he needs to be born from above/again, so that he and his fellows would have a proper understanding, by the Law, of their need of the new birth. To Nicodemus, this was a complete mystery. The Jews, were so wedded to applying a literal meaning to spiritual precepts, was evident by Nicodemus' reply, namely, he understood what Christ had said about the new birth in a physical way. However, Christ's witness to him was not in vain, as is evident by his intervention, as recorded in John 7:50-51, in defense of Christ and his participation, with Joseph of Arimathea in obtaining permission from Pilate to take the body of Christ and entomb him, Nicodemus providing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing one hundred pounds.