92. Beginner Bible Course: Jesus talks with Nicodemus, the Pharisee

EPISODE 92.  The simple Bible overview of…JESUS TALKS WITH NICODEMUS, THE PHARISEE

Look at a conversation Jesus had with a man is recorded in the gospel of John. This conversation contains the most famous verse in the new Testament. You see it held up on signs at sporting events, and there was even a country song with it in its title. We're in the third chapter of John. This happens very early in the first year of Jesus' ministry. Before I give you the account of what happened, there's a term we need to understand. It's a title Jesus uses for himself. It seems to be his favorite title. The son of man, he used it once before in a private conversation with Nathaniel, the disciple, we also call Bartholomew    The son of man.

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What does it mean? A number of times I've heard skeptics pull out Jesus' term, the son of man and say, see you, Christians are making a really big deal out of this guy. Jesus would be embarrassed by what you've made them out to be. He used the term son of man to say, Hey, I'm just a guy, a guy like you. And there's some truth in this. Jesus could have been emphasizing. You know what? I'm a man like you, in fact, that's an important emphasis. Jesus had to be fully human. If Jesus was going to be our substitute in some way, as Isaiah said, the suffering servant would be, or if he's going to be the substitute lamb that takes away the sin of the world, the rest of us lambs as John, the baptizer, his Blake cousin said he has to be like us.

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I mean, if you entered your dog in a dog show and your dog got sick and your friend offered to let you take his pet and he comes over with a cat, you're not going to take that to a dog show. I mean, it's a cat. We'll see, as we go forward, Jesus was clearly human, but there's something much more significant in Jesus term. When he used the term son of man in front of religious Jews and especially priests and deeply religious Jews. Once who knew the old Testament, their feathers immediately raised a little. This was a pretty special term from the old Testament. Go in your Bible to Daniel chapter seven and read it. We talked about this in episode 73 Daniels visions of the parade of human history.

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In one chapter, God gives to Daniel the entire sweep of human history from his time until the end of time, the end to end of time. After running through the various kingdoms that would take over the earth. There's a scene of heaven. God is there with many surrounding him and he's opening up the books for a time of judgment. He's going to judge the nations and then set up an eternal kingdom. And then this happens one like the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, arrived authority honor, and power over all nations. Every race, nation, and language were given to him that they might obey him. And his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

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Whoa, one like the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven and God, the father hands, all rule authority to him. Every time Jesus used this term, son of man around religious leaders, they had to be thinking of Daniel chapter seven. But so is Jesus. That's not my opinion. That comes right out of his mouth. We fast forward to Jesus' trial before they crucified him, not able to find anything against them to put them to death. They put him the accused under oath, swear by God, are you the blessed one? The Messiah Jesus responds. I am. And you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven, that's all they needed to hear a clear claim to be God's son, the Messiah blasphemy, they concluded.

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And within 12 hours, Jesus was dead. Now folks, Jesus could have been crazy or he could have been deceiving people, but make no mistake about it over and over again. He claimed to be that son of man, the son of God, the coming one, who'd be handed all rule and authority by God himself. Now we go back to our incident, his conversation in John chapter three, this is right after he cleansed the temple. John tells us many believed in his name because of the miraculous science he did back in Jerusalem, a religious ruler, a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness.

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Very respectfully. He says this teacher, we know you're from God. You could only do these signs of God was with you. Then Jesus answered and said, wait a minute, Nicodemus. Didn't ask a question. He didn't have to. It's the middle of the night. He's a religious leader, a Pharisee. There's a tone in his voice of respect and inquiry. Jesus perceives the reason he's come and gives him the answer to the question. He's come with the answer to be a part of God's kingdom. You have to be born again. Nicodemus. Unspoken question was rabbi. How can I know I'm a part of this coming kingdom of God. You have to be born again.

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Nicodemus Nicodemus takes him, literally rabbi Jesus. That's impossible. Nobody can go back into their mother's womb. Jesus teaches this religious teacher Nicodemus. It's a God thing. Your mother birthed you the first time to be part of Herod's kingdom. But now to be a kingdom citizen, you need God's spirit to birth you again. The Spirit's like the wind. You can't summon it, control it or even see it. But when the spirit comes, you see its effects, you know, Nicodemus admit I don't get it. Jesus continues. You teach these dear people. You need to get it. I wish John had given us all the conversation.

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I imagine a long pause, Nick. I'm here from heaven for this very purpose. So here it goes. Tell me what you remember about that snake in the wilderness thing in the book of numbers, Nicodemus knew this one. Well, I imagine Nicodemus, replying. Yeah. Snakes breakout in the camp because we were grumbling. Lots of people are bit and dying all over. Then. God tells Moses to fashion that splint of bronze and put it on a tall pole. So everyone in camp can see it. God then tells them to turn and look at the snake and they will not perish. And it works for those who turn and look at this point, I can stop imagining and turn to the actual text of John.

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I'm going to give you the reference cause you need to go there. It's John three, 14 and 15, highlight it with a marker. Then dog ear, the page. This is important. I'm going to give you a Jesus exact words. Jesus said to Nicodemus as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. That's Jesus' answer to Nick's question. How can you be a part of God's kingdom? Like the snake victims in the wilderness recognize you're doomed, separated from God and heading toward death. That will seal that. Then believe what God said about me.

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Turn and look to me as your only hope to be saved from death. It's a God thing, Nick. God did it all in the wilderness. God does it all through me. And what I'm going to do for you. When I'm lifted up on a pole, how are the snake victims in the wilderness saved by believing what God said and turning their eyes toward God's cure. Jesus tells Nicodemus. That's how people are still saved. Believe what God says about me and turn and look to me to be saved. The key is to believe God believe there's John's most important word being saved has always been believing in God and his provision. That's what saved.

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Abraham made him right with God and a part of his kingdom. Please, if you haven't listened to episode 26, go back and do that. Believing in God saved those snake victims in the wilderness. According to Jesus, that same belief going all in on what God says and looking to his provision is how we are born again by the spirit and how we become part of God's kingdom. The conversation could have ended right there and it would have been mind blowing for Nicodemus, but it doesn't. Jesus goes on with the most famous verse in the Bible. I hope most of you have this committed to memory or we'll do this. Jesus gives the motive behind it all for God.

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So loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes there's our word believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Then Jesus goes on and gives more for God. Did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it, Jesus then concludes his conversation with Nicodemus this way, Nicodemus people who come out of darkness and hate light go right back to darkness. And some people don't want to come out of the darkness at all because the light will expose just what they are inside. Now out Nick, you came to me the light in the dark. Are you going to go all in and stay in the light?

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Nick, I have an awful lot of people who cross my path with the same basic question as Nicodemus had. Sometimes they've grown up really religious. They've tried really hard to do the things they thought God had said would be the right thing to do. Some have made specific commitments to follow Jesus. And yet based on the quality of their lives or just the feeling they have in their gut, they're really anxious. Am I really right with God? Or what do I need to do to become right with him? I keep going back to this passage. I remind them or tell them of the story of the snake, put on the pole in the wilderness. And then I take them to John chapter three, 14 and 15, admit that you're separated from God and outside his kingdom.

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Believe what God said about Jesus and go all in on what Jesus did on your behalf on that pole, the cross, according to Jesus' words with Nicodemus, if you do that, you go all in on who he is and what he did on the cross. You're a part of God's kingdom. Now it's time to get in the yolk beside him and learn to be his apprentice. Did Nicodemus ever go all in and believe in Jesus as the son of man, the savior there's evidence that he probably did. Nicodemus shows up two more times in the gospel of John. The first is in chapter seven, the religious leaders send out guards to arrest Jesus and bring them back.

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They come back empty handed saying, have you heard this guy teach? I've never heard anybody teach like this guy to which the Pharisee is in this group say, Hey, what are you believing in this guy? None of us believe in him. Nicodemus is there and he can help it speak up. Is it legal to convict a man without a hearing? I'm sure that went over like a lead balloon. Nicodemus shows up again in John chapter 19. This is after Jesus is dead. He's still on the cross. A man Joseph <inaudible> called by John. A secret disciple of Jesus comes to pilot and asks if he could have the body and give it a decent burial, piloted agrees.

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And Joseph returns to the cross and is joined by a second man, Nicodemus. Who's just come with 75 pounds of embalming spices together. Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped the body of Jesus and lay him in a tomb. 75 pounds of spices was very expensive. Not typically what you'd involve a criminal with more likely someone of royalty. I'm sure to his Ferris colleagues that went over like a lead balloon as well. That sounds like going all in. After his conversation with Nicodemus Jesus, then heads North to spend the rest of his first year of ministry on his home turf Galilee.

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John tells us Jesus had to go through some area. No self-respecting Jew ever had to go through some area for anything. They viewed some area as assess pool of half-breed religious misfits. Real Druze would travel from North to South on the East side of the Jordan, not Jesus though, or his tag-a-long disciples. He had to go directly through the center of Sumeria. We'll learn why and the reception he received by the Samaritans in our next word picture.