Title: The Politician and The Prophet
Text: John 3:1-18
Date: 10/21/07
Location: Sulphur Spring Baptist Church
Introduction: This is an election year. Next month will be electing a Governor. Then in November of 2008 we will be electing a New President. For some reason I’ve always been interested in politics. When I went to college I majored in Political Science and at the time thought I might end up running for political office. But, that was before God called me into the ministry.
People get into Politics for various reasons. A few simply want to serve & represent the people in their community. Some want the fame and the prestige that comes with holding an elected office. Others have an unquenchable thirst for power and authority and see politics as a means to that end.
In 1976 a relatively unknown politician from the small town of Plains, Georgia decided to run for President. His name was Jimmy Carter, and although he had served as the Governor of Georgia, no one else in the country knew very much about him. During that campaign he was asked about his faith and responded by saying that He was a ‘Born again Christian.” Most of the reporters who were following Carter had never heard the term before. They had absolutely no idea what it meant to be “Born Again, or why Carter would use that phrase to describe his faith.
Well, Jimmy Carter may have been the first politician to use that phrase but it didn’t originate with him. Jesus is the one who initially used the phrase while talking to another Politician, a man by the name of Nicodemus.
This morning I want to take a closer look at the meeting that took place between Nicodemus and Jesus. So turn with me if you will to John 3:1, we will begin there.
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.”
This man named Nicodemus is only mentioned 3 times in the Bible, and all three references come from the Gospel of John. So consequently we don’t know a lot about Nicodemus, but this first verse gives us some important information about him that we need to understand before we go any further.
1. Nicodemus was a Pharisee.
The Pharisee’s were a Jewish sect made up of about 6000 men during the time of Christ. They were very legalistic and emphasized the importance of keeping the Law of Moses. They saw themselves as the guardians of true Judaism and consequently when John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries, the Pharisee’s were quick to check them out.
We discover in Luke 7:30 that they refused to be baptized by John the Baptist, probably because they didn’t consider themselves to be sinners. Therefore, in their minds there was no need for them to repent of their sins and be baptized. So they opposed John the Baptist’s ministry, and would eventually also oppose the ministry of Christ.
So Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was a very religious man, a man who took his faith seriously. Yet something was missing. Something wasn’t quite right. Even though he did his best to be a good Pharisee, he still wasn’t happy. He still felt like something was missing in his life.
2. Secondly, not only was Nicodemus a Pharisee, but according to this verse he was a member of the Jewish Ruling council, which we sometimes refer to as the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin was made up of 71 of the most well respected men in Israel. It was a political, religious, and judicial body that basically served as the “Supreme Court” in Jewish society. It was made up of the chief priests, elders, and the teachers of the Law. So not only was Nicodemus a very religious man, but he was also a very well respected and powerful man. He was a man of stature and influence in the community, a man that people looked up to.
So why would such an important man in Jewish society want to talk with an itinerant preacher from Nazareth? Let’s find out. Look with me at verse 2.
“HE CAME TO JESUS AT NIGHT AND SAID, “RABBI, WE KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER WHO HAS COME FROM GOD. FOR NO ONE COULD PERFORM THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS YOU ARE DOING IF GOD WERE NOT WITH HIM.”
Now I think it is interesting that it says that Nicodemous came to Jesus at night. It doesn’t tell us why he did this, but I can think of a couple of good possibilities.
(1) Nicodemous didn’t want to be seen talking to Jesus in public. Why not?
The most obvious reason is that he didn’t want anyone, especially the other Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin to know about it. This event took place early in Jesus’ ministry and the Pharisees had not yet made their minds up about Jesus. Perhaps this is why Nicodemus wanted to talk to Jesus, which leads me to a second possible reason for going to see Jesus at night.
(2) Perhaps Nicodemus wanted to spend some quality time with Jesus.
During the day that would have been next to impossible, even in his own home. It didn’t matter if Jesus was in Jerusalem or out by the Sea of Galilee wherever He went people crowded around Him. So in reality the only choice Nicodemus had to meet with him privately was at night.
Now did you notice how Nicodemus addressed Jesus?
He calls Him “Rabbi,” which is a title that the Jews reserved for their most respected religious leaders. In fact in Matthew 23:7-8, Jesus said that the Pharisee’s themselves liked to be called “Rabbi.” But here, out of respect for Jesus Nicodemus calls him Rabbi. But that’s not all. Look back at verse 2. He said,
“RABBI, WE KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER WHO HAS COME FROM GOD. FOR NO ONE COULD PERFORM THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS YOU ARE DOING IF GOD WERE NOT WITH HIM.”
Why didn’t he say “I know you are a teacher who has come from God.” Who is the “we” Nicodemus is referring to? Is it his family? Probably not.
I believe He is referring to the other Pharisee’s. I think He is trying to cast them in the best light possible. Don’t forget this, because it will be important as we continue to examine this conversation.
Not only does Nicodemus say that Jesus is a teacher that has come from God, but He also acknowledges the miracles that Jesus has performed. He was essentially saying that it was evident that Jesus was a Prophet of God, because nobody could do the things he had done unless God was with him.”
Which I think was a very astute observation on his part. However, I guess it’s possible that Nicodemus was trying to get Jesus to confirm or deny that fact.
But instead Jesus simply ignored the comment, and got right to the subject that He knew Nicodemus was there to talk about. Let’s read verse 3.
“IN REPLY JESUS DECLARED, ‘I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, NO ONE CAN SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNLESS THEY ARE BORN AGAIN.”
Now let’s stop here for a few minutes to talk about the Kingdom of God.
Both John the Baptist and Jesus had been telling the Jewish people to “Repent of their sins because the Kingdom of God was at Hand.”
The Jews believed the Kingdom of God, referred to a time in the Future when God would establish His Kingdom on earth. They also believed that they would be able to enter the Kingdom simply because they were Jews.
That’s why Nicodemus was so shocked and confused when Jesus informed him that the only way a person was going to be able to see the Kingdom of God was if they were ‘born again.’ Nicodemus had always thought that He and the other Pharisees would be shoe-ins when it came to the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was a very educated man, but he had no idea what Jesus was talking about here. So he asked Jesus to clarify what He had said. Look at verse 4.
“HOW CAN A MAN BE BORN WHEN HE IS OLD? NICODEMUS ASKED. SURELY HE CANNOT ENTER A SECOND TIME INTO HIS MOTHER’S WOMB TO BE BORN!” JOHN 3:4
Nicodemus had taken Jesus literally, he thought Jesus was talking about a second physical birth. Instead Jesus was talking about a ‘spiritual birth.’ Jesus responded to Nicodemus’ question in verses 5-8. Let’s read those verses together.
“JESUS ANSWERED, "I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, NO ONE CAN ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNLESS HE IS 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."
Unfortunately for Nicodemus, He still doesn’t get it.
Verse 9 says, “HOW CAN THIS BE? NICODEMUS ASKED.
This time Jesus responded with a little bit of sarcasm. Look at verse 10.
“YOU ARE ISRAEL’S TEACHER, SAID JESUS, ‘AND DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS.’
Some Bible Scholars believe Nicodemus was not just a Pharisee but was one of the most respected “Rabbis” or “Jewish Scholars” of the First Century. He was the “Billy Graham” of his day. Jesus’ response must have ‘stung’ a little. Jesus continued in verse 11 by saying,
“I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, WE SPEAK OF WHAT WE KNOW, AND WE TESTIFY TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN, BUT STILL YOU PEOPLE DO NOT ACCEPT OUR TESTIMONY.
Okay, remember back in verse 2 when Nicodemus uses the plural pronoun ‘we,’ when he was referring to the Pharisees. Jesus does the same thing here. He says, “WE SPEAK OF WHAT WE KNOW, AND WE TESTIFY TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN, BUT STILL YOU PEOPLE DO NOT ACCEPT OUR TESTIMONY.
So the obvious question is who is Jesus referring to here? Is He talking about himself and his disciples? Maybe, but I don’t really think so. I think he’s referring to John the Baptist.
In the first chapter of the gospel of John, we learn that a group of religious leaders including some of the Pharisee’s went out to the Wilderness to ‘interview’ or ‘interrogate’ John the Baptist. They wanted to find out who he was and why he was preaching about repentance and encouraging everyone to be baptized.
After asking their questions and hearing John’s answer’s the Pharisee’s essentially dismissed or rejected John the Baptist and his message. They refused to admit that they were sinners who needed to repent and be baptized.
They asked John why He was baptizing people and he responded by telling them that He baptized with water, but that there would be someone who would come after him who would be greater than he, that would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
So when Jesus says, “You people” he is referring to the fact that the Pharisees had rejected John’s call for repentance and that they would also reject His ministry.
Now with this in mind, look back with me again at what Jesus said in verse 5.
“JESUS ANSWERED, "I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, NO ONE CAN ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNLESS HE IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT.
Now please don’t misunderstand me here. I’m not saying that Baptism is essential for salvation. Instead what I’m saying, and the point that I believe Jesus was trying to make to Nicodemus is that a person must repent of their sins (which is what John’s Baptism symbolized) and be ‘baptized or born of the spirit,’ which is what Jesus’ ministry was all about.
In other words, a person must admit that they are a sinner, and repent of their sins before they can be “born again.” The Pharisees weren’t willing to do that, which is why they refused to submit to John’s Baptism, and why they eventually turned against Christ and began looking for a way to kill him.
But time is getting away from us, so let’s get back to our text and read verses 12-18.
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 DESERT, SO THE SON OF MAN MUST BE LIFTED UP,
THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
"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 HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF GOD’S ONE AND ONLY SON.
INVITATION:
-IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BELIEVE JESUS WAS A PROPHET OF GOD
-IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO KNOW ABOUT JESUS. (Nicodemus did)
-IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE RELIGIOUS. (HE WAS)
-IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE OUTWARDLY RIGHTEOUS. (HE WAS)
-IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE HIS POWER. (HE DID)
IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BE A GOOD PERSON BECAUSE NICODEMUS WAS.
ACCORDING TO JESUS, THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS TO BE ‘BORN AGAIN.”
AND THE ONLY WAY TO BE BORN AGAIN IS TO REPENT OF YOUR SINS, AND INVITE JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR.
