A Quick Look at Nicodemus in the Bible Quiz

Answer: John

John is the correct answer. Using the NKJV, Nicodemus' name appears five different times in the Gospel. His name appears in John 3:1, 3:4, 3:9, 7:50 and 19:39. However, there is no mention of Nicodemus in any other book in the Bible.

Answer: Pharisee

According to John 3:1, Nicodemus was a Pharisee, part of an elite group that comprised religious leaders of the day. Apart from the fact Nicodemus was a Pharisee, no further information is given in the New Testament about his personal life.

Jesus, as well as John the Baptist, were often at loggerheads with the Pharisees, accusing them of being a "brood of vipers". (See Matthew 3:7 and 12:34)

Answer: At night

According to Scripture, Nicodemus met with Jesus at night. No details are given as to whether the meeting took place early in the evening or late at night.

Some people have speculated Nicodemus met with Jesus at night because he didn't want to be seen associating with Christ, as many of the Pharisees were adamantly opposed to Him. Others, myself included, are of the opinion Nicodemus met with Jesus at night because it was the only chance to have a one-on-one meeting with Him. Jesus was often surrounded by large crowds of people making it next to impossible to have a private meeting with Him during the daytime.

Answer: Scripture doesn't say

Scripture simply doesn't say where the meeting took place between Nicodemus and Jesus. However, a number of Bible scholars have speculated the meeting took place in Jerusalem as the last twelve verses of Chapter 2 tell of Jesus being in Jerusalem. Chapter 3 starts by telling of the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus. Meanwhile, Chapter 4 tells of Jesus departing for Galilee.

Answer: Jesus said he must be born again

In John 3:3, Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, however, was perplexed by Christ's statement, asking, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

In John 3:5-8, Jesus gives Nicodeumus an explanation: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Answer: True

In John 3:16 in the NKJV, Jesus is quoted as telling Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Similar wording appears in versions such as the KJV and the NIV.

The verse has become arguably the most famous verse in the Protestant Bible. It has been also displayed front and center by evangelical Christian organizations around the world.

Answer: Scripture doesn't say

Scripture simply doesn't say what Nicodemus did after his conversation with Jesus. However, Christ's words must've resonated with Nicodemus, as John 19:38-42 tells of him helping prepare His body for burial after the crucifixion. Bear in mind while Nicodemus was preparing Christ's body for burial, all the other disciples had fled, with the exception of John.

In other words, there is an extremely high probability Nicodemus had come to the conclusion Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

Answer: They strongly shot down his suggestion

Nicodemus was shot down by the other Pharisees when he stated they should not pass judgment on Jesus until they heard Him out and knew exactly what He was doing.

In John 7:51, Nicodemus tried to reason with the Pharisees asking, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"

Kaboom! The Pharisees strongly disagreed with what Nicodemus was saying, replying, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

The statement by the Pharisees was intended as a severe putdown on Jesus, stating nothing good could come out of a backwater place like Galilee. It would be a bit like asking today, "Can anything good come out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan?" (Hey, no offense to the fine people of Moose Jaw, a community in which I lived for a few years. I simply use the city's name to make my point.)

The Pharisees, however, had not done their homework, as Jonah, a prophet of God, was from Galilee. And as Jesus would eventually prove to the world, much more than a prophet had been risen up in Galilee.

Answer: Joseph of Arimathea

Nicodemus helped Joseph of Arimathea, also a Pharisee, in preparing Christ's body for burial after the crucifixion. John 19:38-42 tells of Joseph getting permission from Pilate to remove Christ's body from Calvary. Verse 39 states Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus who came, "bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds." The passage goes on to state Joseph and Nicodemus bound the body of Jesus "in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury."

Answer: False

There is no mention of Jesus appearing to Nicodemus after His resurrection, although it is possible. 1 Corinthians 15:6, for example, states Jesus appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once after His resurrection, but no names are given for those who saw Him. Nevertheless, the answer has to be false. What's more, there are no such verses as John 22:1-5.

The Gospel of John ends at John 21:25.