Find John 3, and thank you for joining us in a series entitled “Let’s Get Real: Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions.”
I read about a young man in 6th grade who was so good at his particular sport that former professionals came to his games. This young man was soon playing varsity when everyone else was dealing with their acne. Can you imagine playing varsity when you were in middle school?
Jesus jumps into a varsity-level religious conversation with a man, Nicodemus. Everyone knew how good Nicodemus was, but was Jesus ready for the varsity league? In a varsity-level religious conversation, Jesus turns the clock back to talk about birth.
Today’s Scripture
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? o one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:1-15).
Again, it’s a varsity-level religious conversation.
Nicodemus comes at night because he likely wants to avoid being seen with Jesus (John 3:2). Maybe he just wants to speak to Jesus when the two can have a serious, uninterrupted conversation. Maybe Nicodemus wanted to ask Jesus questions with no one seeing him coming to Jesus. We are not exactly sure why he comes to Jesus at night.
Even if you come to Jesus at night, He still encourages you to come to Him in every conceivable way. Every one of us starts in the dark; it’s more important we go to the light.
1. An Exposed Heart
“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25).
It’s easy to get so engrossed in the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus that you forget what you just read. There is a chapter break that may cause you to forget what John has just immediately told you. John says, “Speaking of inadequate faith. Let me introduce you to Nicodemus.”
1.1 A Faith that Fails
Not everyone’s faith in Jesus is created equal. John says in effect, “Some people have inadequate faith.” If water were belief, then these people’s belief in Jesus would have been a puddle. And if patriotism were belief, this patriotism could veer off into Benedict Arnold kind of thing.
Nicodemus is exhibit one for John’s case. But Nicodemus isn’t alone.
We are now entering a section of John’s gospel that is really interesting because Jesus speaks to people with very different needs. As turn our attention to Jesus and Nicodemus, we arrive at a place where John features these different conversations Jesus has with all kinds of people. Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, whom we meet in a moment, but He speaks to a woman of a questionable background and a hated race in chapter 4 before speaking to a lame man and an official in chapter 5. A quick flip of the pages in the gospel of John and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
1.2 A Spiritual Failure Tour
John is going to give us a tour of people who have failed in spiritual matters. There is the National Honor Roll in school, but John is going to take us to the back of the class and show us the opposite of the National Honor Society.
Again, Nicodemus is exhibit one for John’s case. Remember, John has already told us: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). Nicodemus is one of Jesus’ own, as we are soon to find out in more detail.
Now, remember, John tells us that Jesus could instantly get to the heart of anyone’s needs. Remember, Jesus is the One who “knew all people” “and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:25). It must be something to work with a doctor who immediately knows what’s wrong with the patient. It would be a marvel to watch a pitcher who knows the exact pitch to strike any and every batter. And it would be marvelous if the real estate agent showed you the exact house your family perfectly agreed on. Jesus had a supernatural ability to get to the heart of the matter.
1. An Exposed Heart
2. A Spiritual Failure
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1).
2.1 Nicodemus
Look at who Jesus is talking to. Let me see if we can paint a picture of Nicodemus for you.
Verse one gives us three pieces of information: He’s a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin, and he suggests that he comes from an elite family. Right away, we know several things about him.
First of all, it means he’s old. You didn’t get up there unless you were an older man.
Secondly, he’s rich. We know this because John 19:39 says he paid for more than 75 pounds of really expensive spices for Jesus’ burial. This guy is fabulously wealthy. And if you think he carried all 75 plus pounds to Joseph’s tomb, then you don’t understand the first thing about Nicodemus’ wealth. He has people for that.
Third, he’s educated. The Sanhedrin were teachers.1 Notice down in verse 10 where Jesus calls Nicodemus a teacher of Israel. “Israel’s teacher” is actually a technical term. Jesus might have as well said, “You have a Ph.D. from an Ivy League school. You are a Scripture scholar. You are one of the accredited establishments. You are the cultural elite.”2
Now, at this point, Nicodemus would make just about any mother super proud. But Jesus isn’t. Hold that thought.
2.1.1 The Gurion Family
Recent research shows there were only 4 men with the name Nicodemus in this area of the world. All 4 of these men belonged to one family, the Gurion family. Think of someone from the Kennedy family or the Bush family who has produced two Presidents, and you get the idea. The very name Nicodemus, which means “conqueror of the people.” If Nicodemus is really from this one family, then he was a member of one of the most prominent and wealthiest families in Jerusalem.3 He is aristocracy. Since he was a prominent rabbi, he probably had an entourage of disciples with him, but John’s gospel mentions none of this. Someone of his eminent stature as a rabbi would have a number of disciples trailing along after him.4
2.1.2 Spiritual Failures
When we think of Pharisees, we automatically think of a “hypocrite.” But when people of Jesus’ day thought of the Pharisees, they were some of the most admired people on the planet. Nicodemus would be the exact opposite of what anyone would think of as a spiritual failure.
If I told you, let me introduce you to some ugly failures of men, and I introduced you to Cary Grant, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, and Pierce Brosnan. You’d say, “If those guys are ugly, what’s that make me?”
If I told you, let me introduce you to failures in terms of popularity, and I introduced you to Elvis, Taylor Swift, or Michael Jackson. “Everybody knows their names! How could they be failures?” That’s exactly how people would have thought of Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a spiritual, financial, and moral success in every way. He was a member of probably the most earnest and Bible-believing branch of the faith in Jesus’ time.5 Had there been glossy magazines available in those days, you would have seen his face on the cover of Israel’s version of GQ and Robb’s Report.
When you see Nicodemus before you, it is difficult to imagine a person more qualified to be a good human being or to enjoy a good relationship with God than him. Yet, he was a moral and spiritual failure. The Bible wants you to be asking yourself this question, “If Nicodemus’ faith enough?” If I have the faith of Nicodemus, is that enough?
But the best thing Nicodemus teaches us about faith is this: it isn’t so much where your faith in Jesus starts; it’s where your faith finishes.
2.2 Signs
“This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him’” (John 3:2).
John loves, loves, loves the words “signs!” “This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him’” (John 3:2). Nicodemus mentions “signs” plural here, but we only know of the one at the wedding in Cana. The first time we see the word is when Jesus turned water into wine: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). John closes out his gospel but telling us: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30). All these were designed so that you would place your trust in Jesus Christ. John tells us that Jesus’ signs advertised His glory (John 2:11).
A sign or a miracle is something that is contrary to nature. All of us want to see a miracle for proof that Jesus is really God. What kind of miracles would you need to see to believe in Jesus?
2.2.1 Hearing a Dead Woman’s Voice
Jennifer Groesbeck, a 25-year-old single mother studying to become a medical assistant, was driving home on a darkened Utah highway in 2015 when her car suddenly struck a concrete barrier and careened off the road. The red Dodge sedan landed upside down, partially submerged in the icy waters of a river, not visible from the roadway. Fourteen hours later, a fisherman spotted the wreck and called police. When four officers arrived, they spotted an arm through the car’s window, but the severity of the wreck argued against anyone surviving such a horrific accident. That’s when they heard a woman’s voice calling out softly, “Help me, we’re in here!” The words were as clear as day. Shouted back an officer, “Hang in there! We’re trying what we can!”
Now motivated to push harder, their adrenaline-fueled by the hope of a survivor, the officers plunged into the near-freezing waters, which at times reached their necks and used their collective strength to pull the water-laden vehicle onto its side. What they discovered shocked them. Groesbeck had been killed on impact. But in the backseat, they found an unconscious 18-month-old girl, who had hung by her car seat upside down all through the frigid night, the top of her blond hair just inches from the water. The rescuers formed a human chain to bring the child to safety, where she was briefly hospitalized and later released in good health. But that voice—where did it come from? Not from Groesbeck, who was long deceased from the crash. Not from the child, who was unconscious—besides, said a rescuer, it was definitely the voice of a woman. Officer Tyler Beddoes said he wouldn’t have believed what happened if the other rescuers hadn’t heard the voice too. “That’s the part that really sends me for a whirl,” he told reporters. “I’m not a typically religious guy. It’s hard to explain—it was definitely something. Where and why it came from, I’m not sure.”6
If you experienced a miracle, would you devote your life to Jesus? To God? It’s a funny thing about miracles, then don’t automatically produce belief. Jesus complained on one occasion, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (John 4:48). Jesus was skeptical of people who followed Him only for the signs: “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing” (John 2:23). Signs or miracles were not automatic to get people to believe either: “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,” (John 12:37). So “signs” were designed to elicit your belief and trust in Jesus but believing just because you witness a miracle was not automatic. John says brings your hall of fame worthy spiritual and moral best, and even this is nothing more than spiritual failures.
1. An Exposed Heart
2. A Spiritual Failure
3. An Outrageous Statement
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3).
This is where this gets really interesting.
3.1 The Conversation Turns
Jesus doesn’t really answer the question Nicodemus is about to ask. Instead, Jesus takes the conversation in a different direction. Nicodemus’ first statement is twenty-four words, his second statement is eighteen words, his third statement is four words, and then he never speaks again. Nicodemus asks theee questions, but the dialogue soon becomes a monologue.7 With all of Nicodemus’ titles of honor for Jesus, Jesus immediately says in effect, “You call me Teacher and Rabbi, but you cannot really see who I am. The only way for you to truly see me for who I am is for you to be born from above.”
“To see me, to really, truly see me, you must be born again. You must be born from above.”
3.2 You Must Be Born Again
Jesus says it three times, “Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” He says in verses three, five, and seven.
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3).
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’” (John 3:5).
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7).
3.2.1 Nicodemus was Shocked
This would have shocked Nicodemus on one level because the most popular belief of the time was that nearly all Jews went to Heaven. “All of the Jewish people, even sinners and those who are liable to be executed with a court-imposed death penalty, have a share in the World-to-Come…” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1).8
Jesus says everyone must be born again. The new birth isn’t just for drug addicts, convicts, and gamblers. Nicodemus is the very opposite of a “broken-down” person. Here is a man who’s so religious, he makes sure he tithes off even his birthday gifts! Jesus is coming to a very good person, an incredibly moral person, and says, “You have to go back to the beginning. You have to start at day one.” You must be born again.
3.2.2 Unless
Please take a moment and notice the word “unless” in verse 3. Unless there is air, there is no fire. Unless there is rain, there are no crops. Unless you are born again, you cannot be a Christian.
When you hear someone talk about a born-again Christian, realize there is no other kind. If you were here saying, “I was born a Christian.” Jesus says, “That’s not possible.” Jesus says “unless” in verse 3. The only kind of people who know Jesus are the ones who were born again.
You must be born again. Every one of you. No matter your culture. No matter your emotional temperament. No matter your religious upbringing. When he says, “You must be born again,” what he’s really saying is… “Nothing you have done counts toward being a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. ‘You must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven’ means not a thing you’ve done counts. You’re no further ahead than anybody else.” You must be born all over again, and you must be born from above. Instead, Jesus tells him (and everyone else who is listening) that only the most radical change imaginable (a new birth, no less) enables anyone, ever, to see the Kingdom of God.9
1. An Exposed Heart
2. A Spiritual Failure
3. An Outrageous Statement
4. A Wonderful Delveriance
“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
4.1 Moses and Snakes
Jesus takes Nicodemus back to a story in the Old Testament that both knew well. Jesus says, “It’s like this. You must see and believe like they looked to the bronze snake for healing.” Let me offer you a different story that I think will connect with you.
4.2 Marrying a Rich Woman
Imagine if I have been lazy all of my life, and I marry this hard-working, diligent woman who has through her work, amassed a fortune. And I marry her. I’m now wealthy. The Bible tells us it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it doesn’t even matter what you try to do. Unless you have married Jesus Christ, you don’t have the wealth, the righteousness, to enter into Heaven. Your spot in eternity is determined only if you have placed your faith in Jesus. So, the crucial question is this: are you born again by placing your faith in Jesus Christ? Now this faith in Jesus will change you. It will change your wants in life and it will change your “why” to life. Faith in Jesus changes you from the inside out.
4.3 What Happened to Nicodemus?
If Pilate has any real faith in Jesus at this point, it is a secret belief.10 It isn’t so much where your faith in Jesus starts; it’s where it finishes.
Most of you are familiar with the name Michelangelo, even if we are not familiar with his work. A 75-year-old Michelangelo did this sculpture called The Deposition, and you can see it in a museum in Florence, Italy, today. The three-ton sculpture has four people in it. Jesus’ body is being taken down from the cross with His mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Nicodemus around Jesus. Some think Michelangelo did this to decorate his own tomb, but few are sure of this. He would work on the sculpture for eight years and even sought to destroy it in a fit of rage. Yet, the sculpture likely depicts either Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea; scholars debate this as the hooded figure behind Jesus. But John’s gospel tells us that Nicodemus assisted in preparing Jesus’ body for burial: “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight” (John 19:39). Michelangelo is sculpting the scene of John 19 where Jesus is entombed after His death.
What happened to Nicodemus? In the beginning, here, he doesn’t see the kingdom. But by the end of the book of John, when all of his disciples deserted him, and he was being cut down off the cross, and nobody wanted to get near him. At this point, anybody who said, “I’m a follower of Christ,” his life was in danger. Nicodemus gets up, takes the body, and buries it in a beautiful tomb, gives the body of Jesus Christ a king’s burial.
What will you do with Jesus?
Endnotes
The words “ruler of the Jews” almost certainly refers to the Sanhedrin. Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 118.
2 Carson comments, “Third, Jesus berates Nicodemus for not understanding these things in his role as ‘Israel’s teacher’ (v. 10), a senior ‘professor’ of the Scriptures, and this in turn suggests we must turn to what Christians call the Old Testament to begin to discern what Jesus had in mind.” D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1991), 194.
3 Bauckham, “Nicodemus and the Gurion Family,” in Testimony of the Beloved Disciple, 94.
4 Ibid, 108.
5 Frederick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI;Cambridge, U.K.: Eerdmans, 2012), 166.
6 www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mysterious-voice-leads-police-baby-car-crash-article-1.2142732; accessed April 7, 2024.
7 Carson, 198.
8 https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sanhedrin.10.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en; accessed April 2, 2024.
0 Bruner, 169.
10 Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary & 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 536.
