John 3:1-21
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 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. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Brothers and sisters, thank you for welcoming me. And Pastor Augustus, thank you for this very kind invitation to share God’s Word. I’ve chosen passage tonight in honor of our gracious host. It is the story of Nicodemus. Of course, however, I’m not sure there are many similarities apart from the name, at least in this passage. Now, let us pray and begin.
Introduction
There is an old story about a famous professor of the Bible and Christian Theology. He had published numerous books was an expert in the field. He taught at many seminaries. It was the middle of the summer and he was walking along the street. He happened to pass by a square where a group was setting up to do street evangelism. They had gotten out their guitars and the drums. They were going to sing and the preacher was going to evangelize. Just as the professor was walking by, one of the musicians stopped him, hoping for an opportunity to evangelize the professor. He said: ‘Excuse me, sir. Are you saved?’ The professor replied: ‘Well, yes, I am.’ The musician continued: ‘Are you sure? Have you really given your whole life to Jesus?’ The professor, a little shocked by this, decided he’d had enough of this: ‘Of course I have. I am a professor at the seminary. I am an expert in theology. I have given my whole life to studying the Bible.’ The musician responded: ‘It’s okay, sir. No matter what you’ve done, you can still be saved.’
You see, the professor had mistaken faith for knowledge. This evening, we’re looking at Nicodemus, who is something like the professor in that story. And I have a few questions to guide us through the drama of the passage: 1) Who was Nicodemus?, 2) What was his expectation of Jesus?, and 3) How did Jesus respond?
1. Who was Nicodemus?
Who was Nicodemus? Nicodemus is introduced to us in the very first verse. He’s a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews. The Pharisees were a religious community association with considerable social and political influence. They were the fairly conservative predecessors to rabbinic Judaism. And they had elaborate purification rituals. Nicodemus was also a leader of the Jews, or a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of Judaism in Jerusalem. He was one of the 70 men who were responsible for the legislative and judicial functions of Judaism, and working with the Roman government. In other words, he was one of the most influential, most responsible, most respectable, and most educated of the Jewish elite.
But, I want to draw your attention to one other detail. He came to Jesus at night, under the cover of darkness. Many interpreters have assumed that this is because Nicodemus was acting unofficially or secretly, wanting to conceal that he was coming to meet Jesus. That’s possible, but I think there is more to it. Nearly every other reference in John’s Gospel to both night and darkness are actually in reference to spiritual activity, a contrast between spiritual light and spiritual darkness. John 9:4: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” Or John 11:10: “But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” In other words, I think John is indicating, very subtly to us, that there is something not quite right with respectable Nicodemus. But to find out, we must continue.
2. What was his expectation of Jesus?
What was his expectation of Jesus? What did Nicodemus actually expect to happen in coming to meet Jesus? How does he begin? Verse 2: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Note that it is not actually a question. Rather, he makes a statement. ‘Rabbi. Teacher. We know that you’re doing these signs. We think that they can only be done with the presence of God. So, we are assuming you must be a teacher from God.’ But this statement is a problem for two reasons.
First, there an assumption. He’s basing his understanding of Jesus as being from God because of the miracles. People were getting very excited about the spectacle of the miracles. They were responding in human terms. But the context makes clear that this is insufficient. The last few verses of chapter 2, just before our passage, indicate that Jesus is already frustrated with people being overly focused on signs and wonders. People are looking for signs and missing the thing the signs point to. And so, Jesus is skeptical of anyone starting with signs. Second, Nicodemus’s tone is problematic. He’s presuming he knows how God works and how Jesus fits into God’s work. It’s rather revealing that Nicodemus makes a statement instead of asking a question. But just as he’s speaking, Jesus cuts in.
3. How did Jesus respond?
How did Jesus respond? He responded strongly. The dramatic tension has built to this moment: “‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ‘Listen up, buddy, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody can see how God works, nobody can see the kingdom of God, unless he’s born from above.’ Nicodemus immediately misunderstands what Jesus has said, and takes it literally. He’s startled. ‘You mean I have to be born again? How’s that even possible?’ Jesus clarifies: ‘Yes. You have to be born again. That is, you have to have faith. You have to have a belief so strong, experience a transformation so complete, that it is as if life has started again. It’s like being born a second time, and this time with the enlightenment that comes only from God.’
Notice the specific words Jesus uses. “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Many have interpreted this notion of being born of water and spirit as referring to the two births, which, I suppose, makes some sense of biological and spiritual birth. I think, however, these two ideas are not referring to the two births, but both are referring to the second birth, the new birth from above. Nicodemus, a respectable teacher of the Law, should have known that great promise in Ezekiel 36:25-27:
I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
Nicodemus needed to understand that he must have faith in Christ Jesus, and the work of God in Christ Jesus. This new transformation is so much bigger and more important than all of the religious practices and knowledge he had acquired up to this point. You see, Nicodemus knew a lot, yet he knew so little that having real faith would be like being cleansed with water and born anew with the Spirit of God dwelling in him.
Jesus puts a challenge in front of him. Notice Jesus’s words in verses 11-12:
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?
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He keeps building. He even brings it back to Nicodemus’s area of expertise: The Old Testament. Notice in verse 14: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” It’s a reference back to a short story in the book of Numbers, chapter 21. The people of Israel, in their faithlessness, were being attacked by fiery serpents. And the Lord told Moses to make a fiery serpent (perhaps out of bronze) and put it on a pole. The people, having been bitten who looked upon it would not die. And just as that fiery serpent lifted up on a pole became the means of preserving life for God’s people, so Jesus, when he is lifted up on a cross, will become the means of eternal life for God’s people.
It’s a powerful image and a powerful idea. And apprehension of it requires a complete transformation. And Jesus bases this whole transformation, or conversion, on one single, simple truth. The Christian faith is built on a foundation of one thing and one thing only—a truth that is expressed in the conclusion of our passage. And it is, perhaps the most famous verse in all the Bible. It’s so well known, it has its own Wikipedia page in English. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” There it is. It’s the gospel in a single succinct sentence. God loved the world. He loved the world so much that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, a sacrifice none of us would make. He gave up the life of his Son. Why? So that the world would have an opportunity to believe, and in believing, gain eternal life.
4. Applications
But what does it mean for us? It means we need to not be like Nicodemus, and presume upon God. We must not presume and so miss the most fundamental of gospel truths. We need to not assume we’re in, we’re saved, that we’re part of God’s people, on the basis of what our background is, what we feel, or what we know. But rather, on the basis of what we believe.
Maybe, you’re the kind of person who has been a Christian your whole life? Born to a Christian father. Your grandmother has been praying for you your whole life. Perhaps you go to church. Maybe you’re so committed that you’re involved. Leading a study? Maybe a Deacon or even an Elder? Or, maybe you’re so committed you went ahead and became a pastor? That’s Nicodemus. If this story were happening today, I think it would be about a bishop. ‘Hi Jesus. I’m Bishop Nick. I’ve just come from a big conference. I’ve been a Christian my whole life. But we’re not quite sure what to make of you?’ To which Jesus responds: ‘Listen here pal, you’re paying attention to the wrong things. Stop worrying about the miracles and listen to what I’m saying. I am going to die for you so that you may live eternally, rather than suffer the hell you deserve for your sins. This should cause a complete transformation in you. This should bring you into relationship with me and affect your whole life so much that it is essentially starting over.’ Maybe this is you? Maybe this is me? We presume on our religious pedigrees, and miss the simple gospel truth. We assume that because we were born Christians, we must be Christians. But as I was reminded yesterday, God doesn’t have spiritual grandchildren. Just children. But as Nicodemus was learning, all the Pharisaical affiliations and Sanhedrin meetings in the world mean absolutely nothing without coming into the kingdom, without truly knowing the Messiah—Jesus Christ—without being born again.
Or perhaps you’re the kind of person who goes to church because of how it makes you feel. That might also be Nicodemus. Excited about the emotional high of the miracles, he’s wondering how Jesus does it. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement. This is especially easy if the worship music is very emotional or the speaker is very moving. A lot of churches put on a really good show, and attract a lot of attention. And emotional reactions are important. But they pale in comparison to the truth to which Jesus is pointing. You see, emotional reactions are enticing. They make us feel like we’re doing something significant. But, they too quickly become ends in and of themselves. They too quickly become the words that set you off into a frenzy, instead of the words you’re praying. They become emotions you experience rather than fruits of faith. All the pageantry, all the drama, all the emotion in the world, means nothing without that most fundamental truth and our belief in it—that Jesus was sent by the father to save us for eternal life. Nicodemus might have been responding to the frenzy of miracles, but he was confronted with the gospel truth.
Or maybe you’re the kind of person who relies on what you know. Biblical knowledge is good. Theological knowledge is good. Ecclesiological knowledge is good. But none of them is a replacement for faith in the simple truth of the gospel. We might be able to memorize every Psalm, but then we’re no better off than Jo Soares. Again, it is so easy to confuse these things. We get caught up in knowing about this author or that one. We get distracted into studying this era of historical theology or that one. And we start measuring each other by how well you understand a particular version of Christianity. We use our status and an our superior knowledge to separate ourselves from others, just as the Pharisees might reject the normal, average Jews, and just as the Truly Reformed might separate from merely Reformed. Why? On the basis of knowledge? As though there is some secret that only a special few enlightened people will ever really understand? No! There is only one secret that matters and it is no secret. It is the truth I proclaim to you today: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Jesus tells Nicodemus that what is needed is faith. It is a faith so deep, so profound that it changes you so thoroughly, so radically, that it is as if you had been born again.
Finally, if you are wondering if there is hope for you, let me tell you that there is. There was hope for Nicodemus. It is not at all clear if he understood that night when he spoke with Jesus, but it becomes clear that he did finally commit to the simple truth of the gospel. Years later, in John 19, Nicodemus is there at the burial after the crucifixion of Jesus. He outlasted almost everyone. In fact, he is the one who brought the myrrh and aloes they used in putting Jesus’s body to rest. Did he know that Jesus was about to rise again? I don’t know. But I do know this: He was so clearly devoted to Jesus, to the gospel that Jesus had been proclaiming, to what it meant that Jesus would give himself so that those who believe would have eternal life in his name, that he stuck with it all the way to the end.
Conclusion
Let me conclude with this. Jesus’s death and resurrection are not just the whole reason we celebrate Easter, but by we also celebrate the Incarnation and every day in between. And it is captured beautifully in the third verse that most annoyingly repetitive of Christmas carols, but with these remarkably profound words from Charles Wesley:
Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
If you hear nothing else from me tonight, hear this: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He was lifted up on a cross and crucified. He rose again. And if faith in this most foundational of truths is not the center of your religiosity, your spirituality, your practices, your church, or who you are; you risk missing out on salvation, on eternal life.
Let me pray: Heavenly Father, give us your grace that we may know and believe in the gospel. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.