Nicodemus

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 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. 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. 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? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? John 3:1-12

Steps: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Nicodemus was a Jewish leader of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leadership group. Nicodemus recognized that not all was well with him and he wanted to talk to Jesus but he knew if he talked with Jesus during the day time that people would see and wonder if he was a follower of Jesus and he would lose his place in the Sanhedrin. So Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to preserve his anonymity. Nicodemus wanted to talk about spiritual things with Jesus but he only knew how to start by attempts at flattery. But Jesus, Nicodemus’ sponsor cut right to the heart of the matter. He told Nicodemus that he must be born again – he needed a spiritual awakening in order to understand recovery concepts. Nicodemus’ response revealed that it had not happened yet, although the process was under way because he had taken the risk to go to a meeting with God Himself – Jesus, the Creator of the universe in human form. Jesus slowly took Nicodemus through the steps – Jesus informed Nicodemus that he was not born again. To have an 11th and 12th step one must have an experience with God to bring a new mind and a new life into play. To do this he must recognize that he is a sinner/addict and that God only could save him. Nicodemus made a decision that night to follow Jesus. And even though it took several years to complete the process Nicodemus took the steps and was willing for the change to occur.

Prayer for Today: God, when it is our turn to speak to You, help us not to run away from You. You know that spiritual things are difficult for the non-recovery mind to grasp. Help us to gain courage from the experience of Nicodemus that You will not reject us but You will take the time to walk us through the steps and go through all of the experiences necessary to make the change. Thank You for this wonderful gift.