John 3
John 3: Did Nicodemus Become a Christian? (3 of 3)
As we have seen, Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night because he thought he was “a teacher come from God,” i.e. “a prophet.” But did Nicodemus become a follower of Jesus, i.e., in our words, “a Christian?”
John 3: A Failure to Communicate (2 of 3)
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 anew, 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. “
This passage is about “a failure to communicate.” This failure takes place because of one Greek word with a double meaning. The word is a preposition, “anothen.” It can be translated “from above.” It can also be translated “anew,” or “again”
› Continue reading
John 3: A Comparative Darkness (1 of 3)
Text: John 3:1-17
Today: “John 3: A Comparative Darkness”
Everybody is familiar with the story of Nicodemus, the Pharisee, the ruler of the Jews who comes to Jesus by night, saying he is a teacher come from God. Everybody is familiar with the response of Jesus. He tells Nicodemus that it requires “a birth from above” to enter the Kingdom of God. All this is prelude to our favorite Bible verse, John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life.
For the next several days, I am going to add a few notes on this passage, dealing first with what John actually says, and then adding a few comments about how you and I respond to what he says.
(To view the Bible links without loosing your place in the text, right click on them, and then open them in a new window.)
First, note that Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night.”