John 3:1-8

John 3:1-8

And there was a man out of the Pharisees, Nicodemus is the name for him, a ruler of the Jews.  This one came to Him in the night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we have known that you have come from God and you are a teacher.  For nobody is powerful enough to do these signs that you do except that God should be with him.”  And Jesus answered after saying to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you.  Except that he should be born from above he is not powerful enough to see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be powerful enough to be born while being old?  He is not powerful enough to enter into the womb of his mother a second time and to be born?”  Jesus replied, “Amen, amen.  I say to you, unless he should be born out of water and the Spirit he is not powerful enough to enter into the Kingdom of God.  That which has been born out of the flesh is flesh.  And that which has been born out of the Spirit is Spirit.  You should not be amazed that I said to you that it is necessary for you to be born from above.  The wind blows wherever it desires and you hear its sound.  But you do not know from where it comes and to where it goes.  It is the same with all the ones who have been born out of the Spirit.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s make sure we understand Nicodemus.  He was a ruler of the Jews.  That’s John’s way of saying that he was a member of the Sanhedrin – the elite of the elite among religious Jews.  He comes to Jesus at night.  Clearly he comes at night because he was afraid of what the other Jewish leaders might think about him when he goes to Jesus.  He was also a Pharisee.  That meant that he held the Law in very high regard.  He would have been a master of the Law and he would have been a master of ordering his life in such a way that he could obediently keep the Law from a public perception.  Finally, he acknowledges Jesus power.  He confesses that they know that Jesus came from God.  He is willing to submit and listen to Jesus.  This is no anonymous visitor that comes to Jesus.  This would be like a member of the United States Senate coming to Jesus or a member of a denominational administration coming to Jesus.  This is someone who should know what is going on and who knows the consequences for doing what he is doing.  This is a bold step, and I find it very understandable why he comes under the cover of night in the beginning.

How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus gave access not only to the poor, the orphans, and the widows, but also to those who typically are painted as his adversaries and opponents?  What does it mean to you to realize that even the elite of the elite needed to come to Jesus?

Second Thought:

Let’s also not miss the fact that Nicodemus comes to Jesus.  Here we have another example of a person in Jesus’ life that takes initiative and comes to Him.  Just like John and Andrew who follow Jesus before Jesus speaks directly to them in John 1:37-38, Nicodemus also initiates with Jesus.  Nicodemus isn’t invited by Jesus, Nicodemus takes the initiative.  Nicodemus seeks out Jesus, not the other way around.  I think this is really poignant.  God sent Christ so that anyone could have access to salvation through the blood of Christ.  That fact is still true today.  God has made the first grand step and offered salvation to all.  But we must receive it.  The offer is there, we must receive.  We must act.  In speaking with Nicodemus, Jesus is showing us that he is willing to disciple anyone from any class or social strata.  But again we see that the disciple must demonstrate to the disciple-maker that they have the internal commitment to become that disciple.  Nicodemus comes to Jesus and Jesus begins to disciple him.

How does this spin our culture on its head?  Do you think we as Christians are more comfortable being “invited in” rather than being “told to pursue?”  Why is it important for a discipleship culture to believe and value an “I need to pursue” understanding of discipleship instead of a “by-invitational-only” understanding of discipleship?  When you think about your own spiritual growth, do you grow more often when you pursue God or when you passively sit and wait for God to teach you?

Third Thought:

If we look at what Jesus says to Nicodemus, we get a powerful teaching.  Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless he is “born again” or “born from above” or “have another birth” then he does not have the power to see the Kingdom of God.  Don’t miss Jesus’ blunt point.  Even the religious elite will not be with God without the Spirit of God dwelling intimately within them.  As Paul says in Ephesians 1:13-14, the Holy Spirit is our guarantor of eternal life.  Everyone is born once.  Out of them, some people may say they believe God exists.  But only those who humble themselves, submit to God, and become born again through the very real presence of God’s Spirit within us will know the Kingdom of God.

Is the Holy Spirit within you?  How do you know?  If not, is it important for you to receive the Holy Spirit?  What will you proactively do to truly draw close to God and live with His Spirit?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 3:9-15