John 3:9-15 says,...

Our devotional this morning includes John chapter 3 and verses 9 through 15, which read,...

v.9 - Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?"

The religious leader named Nicodemus has come to Jesus under the darkness of night wanting to know more of Him.  Jesus goes into a conversation and explanation of being born again.  Nicodemus is thinking only of the physical birth while Jesus is explaining the spiritual birth.  This spiritual birth is under the control of the One who controls the wind.  This spiritual birth determines the entrance into the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus asks a second question after Jesus' initial explanation of how this is to happen.  He needs to hear more from Jesus.  I am so thankful that Nicodemus comes back with one more question.  How we need to pray for those around us to ask one more question about God or for us to ask one more question of them concerning God.  Those "one more questions" can result in eyes being opened wider to see Jesus.  Nicodemus comes back one more time with, "How can these things be?"

v.10-12 - Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.  If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"

Jesus comes back as He does many times with more questions.  We find out that Nicodemus is not only a religious leader but also a teacher.  Because of his position in knowing and teaching the Old Testament, Jesus pushes him a little bit about not grasping what He is saying.  It is also interesting that Jesus uses the plural "we" when speaking of what is known and testified about.  What Jesus was saying and doing was not only pointing to God and identifying His position of being the Anointed One, the Messiah, but it was done by God, Himself.  This is what Nicodemus wasn't grasping yet.  He was saying that these things were definitely God type of things happening but he was not grasping that it was God actually doing them.  God was here making known and testifying.  Jesus wants to tell Nicodemus more than how someone enters the kingdom of God but this is needed to be grasped first before other things are understood that God wants him and us to know.  The Christian has the aid of the Holy Spirit after conversion to understand the heavenly things that God wants us to know.  Nicodemus is not there yet.

v.13-15 - "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, but He who descended from heaven; the Son of Man.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."

So Jesus keeps on the topic of salvation with Nicodemus.  Jesus tells him where He came from.  Jesus came from heaven and He is headed back there.  There is going to be something that will happen to Him just like the serpent lifted up on a stick in the wilderness.  Relief only came to those who looked up at the serpent on the stick.  Relief will only come to those who will look up at Jesus on the cross as the Savior of their souls.  You can read of this event in Numbers chapter 21.  Nicodemus is reminded of an Old Testament event that was a picture of what was to come.  God used these so many times in the Old Testament to be referred to so that the Jewish people could and would connect the dots to their Messiah.  Jesus also identifies Himself with the term "Son of Man" which would also be a trigger for Nicodemus to think of that reference in the book of Daniel.  

I think these are still powerful tools today as we use the events of the Old Testament to point to the events of Jesus in the New Testament.  I think it is also good to log away common comparisons that we can make that paint the picture for the one we are talking to that they can relate to.  Stories that have a powerful point and especially in your life can be shared to help others see the Gospel more clearly.

Jesus then gives us the phrase "eternal life" prior to the famous verse 16 which we will cover on Wednesday.  The Apostle John records this phrase 17 times in this book.  It appears with its cousin "life everlasting" 50 times in the New Testament.  This eternal life comes to those who believe.  We will talk of that more in the days to come.  This eternal life comes with certainty for they "will in Him have."  This eternal life is directly connected to Jesus for those who believe for they believe "in Him."  I think Jesus is getting Nicodemus prepared for verse 16 but He is also presenting what comes with salvation and the entrance of kingdom of God as something so much to be desired.  He has placed the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in front of Nicodemus and just an arm length from him.  

The Gospel is so inviting when presented to those who are being called by God.  They don't repel away but move their chair in a little closer.  They make more eye contact and ignore their buzzing phones to hear what is to be said next.  May we pray for some more of these type of conversations like Jesus had with Nicodemus.  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, was a conversation is unfolding between our Savior Jesus Christ and one named Nicodemus who is being called by You.  May we see how You keep on point with Nicodemus and not take Him further into the heavenly things.  You stick with salvation and the entrance into the kingdom of God.  May we not get so side tracked with other issues that we don't get back to the question of who Jesus is.  Amen."

Pastor Adam