Religious leaders sought him out to find answers to life's deepest questions

“It is unusual for anyone to seek out another at night unless it is desired to be kept secret. Betel nut and condiments are laid out to welcome the guest even at the late hour. Nicodemus’s robe and bared shoulder show he is a religious devotee.”

Drawing by Sawai Chinnawong who employs northern and central Thailand’s popular distinctive artistic style originally used to depict Buddhist moral principles and other religious themes; explanation by Paul DeNeui. From That Man Who Came to Save Us by Sawai Chinnawong and Paul H. DeNeui, William Carey Library, 2010.

For more images by Sawai Chinnawong in TIPs see here.

The following 1973 painting “Nicodemus” of the JESUS MAFA project is a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

Here we see Jesus patiently teaching about the kingdom of God to a perplexed Nicodemus, whose hands are in a gesture of questioning. Nicodemus has, like so many before and since, gotten caught up in the literal and limited understanding of the scriptures. Jesus attempted to explain the nature of reality in different terms that thereby he (and we) might be transformed. The boundaries we place on ourselves can be escaped if only we are brave enough to venture beyond them. Shall we remain in the cover of night with Nicodemus or step into the light that Jesus offers?

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

complete verse (John 3:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:20:

  • Uma: “All people who do evil behavior hate the light. They do not want to come to the light so that their evil behavior will not be visible.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “All who do bad really hate the light and they do not come near the light because they don’t want their bad deeds to be seen.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He who does bad, he does not want the light, and he does not come near to the light because he does not want that his bad deeds will be known.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because those who are doing evil, they dislike/reject the light (silaw), and they don’t approach-it lest their sins be shown.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The one who is doing evil, he really doesn’t like/want this light. He doesn’t want to come close because his activity which is evil will be made clear.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “All who do evil do not want it to be known. Therefore they do not look favorably on the Son of God, and do not want to go near to him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 3:20

Anyone who does evil things is a Semitism, as is the contrasting expression in the following verse, whoever does what is true.

His evil deeds is literally “his deeds.” Several Greek manuscripts do include “evil,” but Good News Translation includes this information on translational, rather than on textual grounds. That is, either Good News Translation make explicit the meaning of “deeds” in the context, or, more likely, the meaning of evil is derived from the verb (see below).

Having already suggested in the preceding verse that light involves the revelation of truth, it may be possible in this verse to eliminate any specific identification or qualification for light; one may, for example, say “anyone who customarily does evil always hates the light of truth” or “… the light which reveals the truth.” The following expression may then be translated “and he will not come to where there is this light.”

The verb to be shown up (evil) is translated “to be shown up” by New English Bible also. Moffatt, Goodspeed, Phillips, Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible all have “to be exposed.” The Greek verb itself (elencho) means, first, “to bring to light” or “to expose,” and then “to convince/convict (someone) of something.” Depending on the context, the meaning may be specifically either “to expose (something to be evil/wrong)” or “to convince/convict (someone) of something (evil/wrong).” In 8.46 (see the comments there) the meaning is “to convict (of sin),” and so Good News Translation renders prove … guilty of sin. In 16.8 (see the comments there), a very difficult passage, the same verb is used of the Holy Spirit who will “convict the world about sin,” that is, will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin. In the present passage no personal object is used; it is as in the other two passages where this verb occurs, and so the meaning is simply “to expose (as evil).” This meaning is apparently the basis for the rendering evil (deeds) to be shown up; though this rendering may also be supported by the observation that in the present context “deeds” are implicitly evil deeds.

The passive expression to be shown up may possibly be transformed into an active phrase by saying “because such a person does not want the light to reveal to others his evil deeds” or “… does not want the light to shine on his evil actions.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 3:20

3:20a

Everyone who does evil hates the Light: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Everyone who does evil here refers to everyone who does bad things. For example:

Every person who does bad things hates the light
-or-
Those who do evil things hate the light (Good News Translation)

hates the Light: This expression here refers to hating the Son of God, who is the light. Jesus was referring to himself, but he did not explain this. So it is better that you do not make it explicit.

Jesus revealed/uncovered people’s evil deeds, and so people who did evil hated him. See the note on 3:19b. This is a figure of speech, a metaphor. In some languages a figure of speech like this is not clearly understood. Here are some other ways to translate this figure of speech:

• Retain the figure of speech but make explicit that Light refers to a person. For example:

hate ⌊the one who is⌋ the light

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

hate the one who is like the light

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

hate the one who brings light, ⌊who shows/tells them the truth⌋

3:20b

does not come into the Light: These people do not want to be near the light. That means that they do not want to come to Jesus and listen to his words. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

avoid it (Revised English Bible)
-or-
refuse to go near it (Good News Translation)
-or-
refuse to enter/approach the light

3:20c

for fear that his deeds will be exposed: This clause states a negative purpose. It indicates the reason why those who do evil do not come to the light: they want to avoid something. They do not want anyone to see the things that they have done. (The word exposed means that their deeds are uncovered or revealed.) It is implied that these deeds are evil. You may want to make this explicit. For example:

they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up (Good News Translation)

Consider how your language naturally indicates the reason that people try to avoid a situation that they do not want. For example:

so that their deeds will not be exposed (NET Bible)
-or-
for fear their sins will be exposed (New Living Translation (2004))

his deeds: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deeds can be translated as a verb phrase instead. For example:

what they have done (Contemporary English Version)

will be exposed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be exposed means “made visible” or “be uncovered.” In this context, the light is what will expose the evil actions. The verb phrase be exposed is passive here. There are at least two ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

to prevent his actions from being shown up (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Use an active verb. For example:

because it clearly shows what they have done (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because they fear that the light will reveal the ⌊bad/wrong⌋ acts that they are doing

Use the verb form that is the most natural in your language.

General Comment on 3:20a–c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:

20c Those who do evil do not want it to be known. 20a Therefore they hate the one who is the light, 20b and do not want to go near him.

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