Nicodemus Learns a Lesson (John 3:1-21)

And this sermon I preached last night (8/3/08 ) at East Paris CRC.  Enjoy…

Our text this evening is by far one of – if not the most – well-known passage in the Bible.  Believers and non-believers alike can recite at least one verse out of the 21 we’ll be looking at.
Which means that I have put myself in a rather difficult position of coming up with something original to say about John  3.  But as I was studying this passage this week it occurred to me that there is a good reason as to why John 3 is so popular.  It has little to do with the ease at which 3:16 can be memorized.  Perhaps it’s the idea of one of those arrogant Pharisees actually coming to Jesus – albeit under cover of night – and admitting that they know who Jesus is.  Such humility and honesty is certainly not what come to mind when we think about a group that tried so hard to have Jesus arrested and killed before his time.  Or maybe it’s the riddle-like nature of Jesus’ words when he teaches Nicodemus about being “born again.”

Last fall one of my high school teachers – who, ironically, I now sit beside in many of my seminary classes – pointed out to me that I, like a significant majority of my classmates, listed John 3:16 as my favorite Bible verse in our yearbook.  To be honest, it was not a lack of creativity that resulted in that choice, but simply that, at 14, it was the only verse my classmates and myself had actually memorized.

I realized several years later that I had no idea what was going on when Jesus spoke those words.  And the only reason I knew it was Jesus who said it was because it was highlighted in red in my NIV Student Bible.

I point all this out simply because there is a distinct possibility that some of you here have never really paid much attention to what is happening in the first 21 verses of John 3.  You know that verse 16 is important and you know it says something about what it takes to be saved.  But you’re unsure about what makes it any more of a favorite than the hundreds of other verses in the Bible that say basically the same thing…

But let’s start by taking a brief look at what’s going on…

One night, Nicodemus hunts down Jesus.  He’s a little embarrassed about the fact that he’s talking to Jesus because he’s a Pharisee.  But he comes to Jesus, nonetheless, and gives Jesus a very shocking confession.  He says, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.”  What he’s doing is telling Jesus that the Pharisees – the very people who want to see Jesus killed – actually do know who he is.  Therefore, whenever the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed or blaspheming, they’re lying.  They know who Jesus is and yet they have rejected his teachings and witness.

Then look at Jesus’ reply: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  If you find Jesus response confusing, you’re not the only one.  Jesus responds by telling Nicodemus that the Pharisees who criticize his ministry are doing so because they are not born again.

This idea of being “born again” is actually the major theme of John 3.  I sometimes laugh at how misconstrued the term “born again” has become in our culture.  There’s a certain segment of the Christian population that has adopted the phrase as a way to describe who they are.  If it stopped there everything would be fine.  But the problem is when these people use the adjective “born-again” to set themselves apart from other Christians.

The Bible makes no distinction with regards to “born again” apart from those who are, and those who aren’t.  Those who are “born again” are saved; those who aren’t, are not saved.  And in our politicalization of the Christian faith, those who describe themselves as “born-again” rather than “Christian” have created a divide that is never found in the Bible.  In other words, to be “born-again” is to be saved; to be saved is to be “born-again.”  You cannot be one without the other.

Let’s keep going…

Jesus starts talking about being “born again” and Nicodemus is confused.  Nicodemus takes Jesus literally and thinks he means he’s supposed to climb back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time.

So Jesus clarifies in verse 5: “I tell you the truth, no on can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”  Jesus is referring to baptism.  But he’s not saying that a person must be baptized in order to be saved.  Rather, it has to do with what baptism represents.  The water itself does nothing; but it does represent the cleansing – or purification – of the heart carried out by the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus’ explains being “born again” as being purified by the Holy Spirit.  And based on verse 6 being born of the Spirit basically means to be transformed from the inside out.
Nicodemus is still confused.  And in 10-12, Jesus seems to almost mock Nicodemus because of his confusion.  Nicodemus is one of the great exerts of the Law.  He’s been thoroughly trained in theology and is one of the foremost religious leaders of Judaism.  Yet he still doesn’t understand what Jesus is talking about.

I’m inclined to say that the major hang-up for Nicodemus is in the transformation of the heart that Jesus is talking about.  The Jewish faith is largely deed-based; that is, as long as you’re doing the right things, everyone assumes your alright.  But throughout the Gospels Jesus shows himself to be more concerned with what’s happening within a person’s heart than what they’re doing.  There’s this understanding on Jesus’ part that a person’s actions reveal the state of their heart.

And so, while Jesus is being rather harsh with his treatment of the Pharisees – including Nicodemus – for their faithless works, Nicodemus is struggling to understand how it is that he and the other Pharisees can be so wrong in Jesus’ book.  They’re all trying to advance the kingdom of God; but in Jesus’ book, the kingdom of God is advanced through faith, not deed.

And then Jesus does something very interesting: he compares himself to the snake Moses lifted up on a pole in the desert.  This is the story told in Number 21; the people were being rebellious so God sent a plague of poisonous snakes into the Israelite camp.  The people pleaded with Moses who eventually prayed for deliverance from God.  God instructed Moses to take one of the snakes and place it on a pole so that everyone could see it.  When someone was bitten by a snake, all they needed to do was look at the snake on the pole and they would be saved.

Jesus says – in verse 15, “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.”  It took great faith on the part of the Israelites – and grace on the part of God – to believe that by merely looking up at the snake on the pole they would be saved.

Jesus would soon find himself placed on a pole and we, as believers, would find ourselves in the same position as the Israelites: plagued by sin which brings death, all we need to do is fixed our eyes on the Son of God and accept his sacrifice for our own wrongdoing.

And then we come to verse 16…

READ 16-21

The Greek text is very ambiguous as to whether or not verses 16-21 were actually spoken by Jesus or additional commentary from John.  No matter who these words are coming from, the intention is exactly the same.  And this is where studying the context of John 3:16 should help to bring greater appreciation to this verse.  Yes the verse is about salvation by faith; but how much more clearly is the emphasis on faith when placed side-by-side with the story of the serpent on the pole?

In the larger context of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, verses 16-21 are condemning the Pharisees even before they’ve had a chance to witness Jesus’ death and resurrection.  They’ve already recognized Jesus for who he is and yet they continue to reject him and the salvation he brings.  And for that reason they’re already condemned…

And finally, in verses 19-21 John brings back the imagery of light and dark from chapter 1…but with a twist…

So often we refer to John 3 with a somewhat self-centered focus: if you have faith, you will be saved.  It almost sounds like salvation rest solely on your shoulders.  While there is a definite call to faith here, there’s danger in placing the responsibility on humanity.  And even John is careful not place the burden of salvation on his readers.

We really haven’t talked much about action yet.  When Jesus explained “born again” as “born of water and the Spirit,” there are hints of faith in action in his words.  With a transformation – or purification – of the heart comes a dramatic change in how a person lives.

Another very popular passage describes in a little more detail what verse 21 is talking about.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “But we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

What Eph. 2 is saying is that those who are predestined for salvation are elected to do the work which has prepared for them to do.  Back in John 3:21, those who are “born again” “live by the truth,” giving glory to God in all that they do.  They become a bright light in a very dark world.

For Nicodemus this lesson would have been quite a shock; for the first time he became aware of the necessity of consistency between faith and deed.  And what may have been even more shocking to him – and shocking even to us – is that true faith does not mean doing good deeds to bring glory to ourselves, but to God.  Our hearts may be transformed and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but the credit still goes to God when we do something good.

If nothing else, that should drive home the reality that we are never justified by what we do, but by the presence of the Holy Spirit within our heart…

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Filed under: Bible Study, Christian Living, Ministry, Preaching, Sermon