Jesus and Nicodemus

3/19/23 John 2:23 – 3:1-21

Let’s begin this morning, if you will, by reciting together John 3:16.

This morning, as we approach Easter, I would like to speak on the context surrounding probably the most well-known verse in the word of God. John 3:16.

You have seen it plastered on billboards, tagged on buildings, spray painted on railroad cars and held up in the endzone of a nationally televised football game. This verse has become a public fixture of Christian efforts to evangelize the world. By putting this verse out there, people hope others will read the Bible, encounter Jesus, and believe God sent His Son into the world to save them.

This is good. Anything that puts people into contact with God’s word is a good thing because the Spirit works through the Word. But today, we come and encounter this word in church. Here, it is not plastered on a billboard or held up in the endzone. No, here, it is spoken privately in a late-night conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Sometimes, God’s word works in a private and personal way. When you see this verse painted on a building, it is public and, unfortunately, impersonal.

You do not know who put it there or for whom it was intended. It is not part of a conversation. It is present in an environment, kind of like advertising. But, when you read this verse in John’s gospel, it is private and personal.

Now with a show of hands who can recite by memory John 3:17?

Look with me if you will at John 2:23 – 3:1-21.

23Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. 24But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.

3There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

3Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

5Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

9“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11I assure you; we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[e] has come down from heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[f]

16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[h]”

Jesus is in Jerusalem and while there one of the things he does is to perform miraculous signs. As we study this Gospel, John tells us of specific signs that Jesus did.

Miracles. Feeding the 5,000. Children’s Moments.

Healings.

God actions that demonstrated and gave evidence to the people that there was something unique in Him.

That not only was Jesus able to teach and inspire, but He also had the power, the ability to do miracles and this got people’s attention.

Verse 23 says, "many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name."

A man named Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council approached Jesus.

This man because he was a Pharisee and because he was on the Jewish ruling Council was one of 70 men who ran and oversaw the religious affairs of the nation. He had religious authority over Jews everywhere in the world.

To be in this role was to live a religiously fanatical life. To be in this group was to devote your entire life, every day to the observance of the 10 Commandments and the hundreds of other laws the scribes added, in an attempt to live a pure and righteous life.

Nicodemus had the right behaviors.

He had the right actions.

He looked holy.

He spoke holy.

He thought holy.

He had religion down; he was an expert but he didn’t know who this Jesus was.

And so, he comes at night, so others wouldn’t see his interest in Jesus, so that others wouldn’t know of his curiosity. He comes out of the darkness, being drawn in by the Light of the World and says, "Rabbi - Teacher, me and my other Pharisees, we’ve been watching and discussing who you are and what you do, and it is clear, you are a teacher who has come from God.

For no one could perform the miraculous signs you do if God were not with him."

Nicodemus has this desire.

This yearning.

This craving to know about.

To get in on this Jesus.

He’s tired of acting holy.

Tired of overseeing religion.

He wants in.

He wants to participate.

He brings to Jesus an observation, "we know you are a teacher who has come from God."

Jesus’ response - verse 3

So, you want to get in on this?

You want to know the truth; do you want to see really see who I am and what I am about. Then you must be born again or born from above.

Nicodemus’ response - verse 4

Had I been Nicodemus, I would have probably asked the same question.

Are you telling me that I need to crawl into my mothers’ womb again even as an adult?

It doesn’t make sense.

Verse 5 - Jesus answers Nicodemus 3-8.

What is Jesus saying?

1st - To enter into.

To become a participant in.

To get off the sidelines and get in on it.

To get in on, to become a participant, Nicodemus you must be born anew.

Born from above, not in the womb.

But touched by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6 makes a 2nd point.

Human life comes from human life.

But the spiritual life comes from the Spirit.

Nicodemus, you have been trying and triumphing in your religious role.

You are a very righteous person.

But what are you hungering for?

What are you yearning to have?

What you are missing is a gift that you receive.

A gift you receive from above.

And it’s like the wind, you can’t control it.

You can’t manipulate it.

You can’t legislate it.

The way God works is not controllable, you have to surrender and trust.

You can’t make it happen on your own.

It is a gift you receive and enter into.

Jesus seems to be saying that to be a true Jesus follower is more about trusting than trying, more about faith than fulfilling a list of dos and don’ts.

Nicodemus had his mind focused on trying to be good.

Nicodemus was absorbed in fulfilling all the thousands of laws.

And Jesus says that isn’t the way of faith, faith comes by trusting and surrendering to me, not to a method or plan. Not to a 10-step program, or a devotional guide, although those are important, and can be helpful.

But 1st Nicodemus, you must realize being a follower of me is just that,

Me and not a method.

Me and not a routine.

Just Me.

And I will lead you like the wind, here and there.

Taking you places and causing you to do things that break the mold. Are you willing?

And if we read John 7:50, John 19:39, we will see that Nicodemus got involved in Jesus and became a participant in the life of Jesus, out in the open.

And if you asked him how he got there?

What got him to do it?

What brought this change?

He might say, I don’t really know. I didn’t have a plan. I’ve just been following Jesus.

Kind of like the day you took the training wheels off your bike for the first time.

Scary, but excited.

No going back.

Nicodemus was living a religious life with training wheels. Little risk - little faith. He was held upright, tall, his religious robes covering the wheels.

And yet he yearns to really ride, really live, so he comes at night saying, I’m discontent, I am not happy with my spirituality. I’ve seen and heard what you’re doing. Can I get in on it?

Jesus is saying yes, but you must surrender those wheels and be willing to go to where I take you, blown, lead, guided by the Spirit. No training wheel’s - surrender and be swept away.

Friends, when we hear these stories and when we live these stories, when we allow our faith to cause us to follow the Spirits leading, we become a participant in what God is doing, and our lives and our faith become alive.

The routiness is gone.

We become sensitive to God.

We become God guided.

God prompted.

And God does great work with lives that are surrendered and willing to be swept away.

What appears impossible to humans is possible with God.

In his conversation with Nicodemus Jesus refers to all three persons of the Trinity. God is the One who loves the universe and who, unwilling to let it perish, gives the Son.

God sends the Son not to judge the world and its inhabitants, but to rescue and restore them. Jesus is both the only Son of God and the human one, the Son of Man. He descended from heaven and has ascended to heaven, connecting heaven and earth. Jesus was lifted up both to expose human sinfulness and to save people from its deadly effects. Here as elsewhere in John, “lifted up” refers to the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus

Those who place their trust in Jesus will have eternal life. Eternal life is life shaped by and utterly dependent on God’s love. It is not simply life in heaven after death. It begins now, in the moment that believers entrust their lives to Jesus. When believers receive eternal life, they enter into God’s reign in the here and now. They become citizens of God’s kingdom, submitting to God’s rule and depending on the Spirit’s guidance. Citizenship in God’s reign is not a solo affair, because believers are reborn into God’s new family.

Rebirth into God’s reign comes not by knowledge or doctrine, but by faith. If religious training were enough, Nicodemus, as a representative of Israel’s religious leaders, should have all that he needs. But he is baffled, unable to enter into new life through his intellect. Only after the crucifixion does he take a step toward commitment, bringing myrrh and aloes for Jesus’ burial (John 19:39-40). This risky act signals a change of heart, the beginning of a transformation — though it is clear that he does not yet understand who Jesus is.

As Gail O’Day says, “We cannot determine who Jesus is, but who we are must be determined by who Jesus is” (The Word Disclosed,[St. Louis, Missouri: CBP Press, 1987], p. 27).

Jesus invites all of us to receive life as God’s gift. The crucified Son of God shows us God’s love, scorned, and rejected but triumphant. Those who trust Jesus, staking their lives on divine love, will be reborn from above through the Spirit. By God’s mercy they will not be merely forgiven, but made whole, remade in God’s image as participants in God’s new creation.

Jesus, who died like a criminal, is buried like a king. It took time for Nicodemus to move from private conversation to public witness. It took time and the gracious working of God.

That gracious work is something we need to remember today.

With the growing hostility toward the Christian Church in our country, public conversations are more difficult. People disagree with many of the social teachings of the Church. They resent the privileged position the Church has had over the years and want to create a public realm where other views are heard and accepted.

What this means is this most public of verses might again need to be encountered in private ways. It is in our relationships with people where God will work through His Word. Those late-night conversations are not easy. To hold up a sign at a sporting event, all you need is to go to Walmart and buy some poster board and markers. You can make the sign and then hold it up. To enter into a private conversation with another, however, you need to cultivate a relationship of trust. You need to have a place where another person feels comfortable asking you questions, knowing you will listen to their thoughts before asking them to listen to yours.

Today, Jesus comes to us with a vision of His public work. He has come not to condemn the world but to save it. The way in which He will do it, however, is not always public. He chooses to be found in private and personal conversations: Changing lives in order to change His world.