Read John 3 – 3:21 NIV
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Today’s passage contains perhaps the most widely recognized verse in the Bible – John 3:16. You have likely seen it on billboards or handwritten on signs at sporting events. Jesus offered these amazing words of hope and love for all humanity to a man named Nicodemus late one night.
Nicodemus was a religious leader…a Pharisee. A member of a group of people who opposed Jesus greatly. Scripture leads us to believe that Nicodemus had come to realize that Jesus was indeed who he said he was, but perhaps Nicodemus wanted to know more. In order to learn more, and most likely out of fear of retribution from other Pharisees, Nicodemus sought Jesus out privately when he was sure no one else was around. I find this absolutely incredible!
One of the things I love most about this verse is that these were Jesus’ words to a man who sought Jesus out under the cover of night – a man too afraid to let others know what God had revealed to him. Yet Jesus gives him perhaps the most succinct explanation in the entire Bible of what God’s love is capable of and He shares with Nicodemus the amazing promise of new life offered to those who would simply believe in Him. It must have had a profound effect on Nicodemus, as we find him later in scripture among those who removed Jesus’ body from the cross and prepared Him for burial.
Sometimes we are all a bit like Nicodemus. Maybe we keep our faith to ourselves out of fear of what others might think. Or maybe we disguise our pursuit of living more like Jesus under the cover of just being a good person. My prayer for us is that these are more than just words on a sign or a billboard.
These words, spoken by our Savior under the cover of night, cut through fear and change hearts. Our hearts. Let’s allow them to change us and make us bold in declaring God’s love to everyone.
