Readings
John 3:1-21; Numbers 21:4-8; John 7:45-52; John 19:38-42Introduction
This morning, we've heard everything the Bible has to say about a man called Nicodemus, and I'd like us to spend some time looking at what we learn about him and from his story.John tells us that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. These two facts tell us something about his beliefs and lifestyle, and something about his significance in the society of the day.
- The Pharisees were a minority Jewish sect concerned with rigorous keeping of the Torah and the rules placed around it to avoid accidental transgression. The apostle Paul was also a Pharisee and, when writing to the Philippians, he was able to say that as far as righteousness based on the law was concerned he was faultless. Such was the claim of a zealous Pharisee.
- The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem had jurisdiction throughout the region of Judea. It had its own powers of arrest, and had authority in civil and criminal matters in all cases except where the penalty was death; they had to refer those cases to the Roman procurator to have the sentence confirmed – which is why they had to take Jesus to Pilate to have him executed.
So we can see that Nicodemus was a very religious and righteous man, and an important figure in the nation. He would seem to have a lot going for him. He also seems to have been different from other Pharisees who Jesus encountered, most of whom were intent on catching him out. Nicodemus seems to have been a genuine seeker, and perhaps he saw in Jesus something more than his devout law-keeping could give him.
His Encounter with Jesus
Nicodemus would have been well aware of the disquiet about Jesus among fellow Pharisees and in the Sanhedrin. If he'd been sent out with some of the other Pharisees to check up on Jesus, he would have seen him in action, would have heard him speaking. He may have heard reports of Jesus saying, "… unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees … you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20)Most Pharisees seemed to disapprove of Jesus for doing things like healing people on the sabbath but something didn't sit quite right with Nicodemus… How could a "sinner" do the things Jesus was doing? Surely God must be involved in this somehow? So he decided to find out for himself what was going on. He found out where Jesus was staying and went to visit him by night.
Why did he go by night? Well, it may be that during the day, with the other Pharisees around, he wouldn't dare to ask the questions on his heart. As our second reading from John shows, taking Jesus seriously wouldn't have put him in a good light among the ruling council. So he went secretly, under the cover of darkness, through the unlit streets to the place where Jesus was staying.
We can imagine Nicodemus being invited in and led into the room where Jesus was. They sit down together. I can imagine Jesus saying, "And how can I help you, Nicodemus," then waiting patiently for Nicodemus to gather his thoughts and frame his opening line – a bit like when you go to the doctor's with an embarrassing problem and don't know where to begin. Then it comes: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
The last verse of chapter two tells us that Jesus knew what was in the hearts of people. Jesus can see into Nicodemus's heart. There were probably all sorts of questions about the expected kingdom of God and his place in it. Jesus can read the subtext in Nicodemus's whole demeanour: "I've done my best, but …" He looks intently at Nicodemus, and says lovingly, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
Throughout the world, there are people like Nicodemus sitting in church thinking, "I've tried to live a good life. I've always gone to church. I hope it's enough." Perhaps there are even some here today who feel that way. You've done all this stuff—but something is missing… And Jesus would say the same to you as he said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again."
We've possibly met, shall we say, "unhelpful" people who declare, "I'm a born-again Christian," and we may have thought, "Well, if that's what a born-again Christian is then I don't want to be one." But Jesus tells Nicodemus it's absolutely necessary to be born again or, as the footnote in my Bible explains, born from above.
You see, Jesus didn't come to start a new religion; he came to build a new family. The way into the family is not by the practice of religion; it's by New Birth.
Now, this whole idea was new to Nicodemus, and he found it confusing. "How can someone be born when they are old?" he asks. And Jesus explains that he's thinking about it wrongly. The kingdom of God isn't like worldly kingdoms and you don't get in by you own efforts. As well as his natural birth, he needs a spiritual birth. And it's the only way into God's kingdom. And it's not something he can do for himself: it depends on the action of the Holy Spirit, over whom he has no control.
How to be Born Again
So, how can someone be born again, or born from above? Well, there's no formula for it. There's no ritual, not even the act of Confirmation. It's not something you can do for yourself or that any other mere human being can do for you. But Jesus and the account of Nicodemus give us a few clues as to what God may be looking for.The first clue is to be a seeker. God says, "'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you', declares the LORD …" Jer. 29:13. Nicodemus was a true seeker. He took risks to seek out Jesus. He really wanted to know what Jesus was about! He went looking for his own personal encounter with Jesus. And that's what we all need, and what God wants for each one of us: it's personal!
The next clue is to follow the path that God prescribes. Jesus reminded Nicodemus about the story of Moses lifting up the snake in the wilderness. It would have been a familiar story to Nicodemus, and we've heard the account from Numbers this morning – so we also know what Jesus was talking about.
In the story, the people had been grumbling against Moses and, in judgement, venomous snakes were sent among them. Anyone bitten would die. The people repented and asked Moses for help. God told Moses to make a model of a snake and put it up on a pole where anyone could see it. People who were bitten had only to look at the bronze snake to save their lives. This was God's miraculous remedy.
If you were there and were bitten by a snake, what would you have done? Ignored the remedy? Looked for another way of surviving? Why, when God's remedy was a sure thing?
Now, Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man, and he told Nicodemus that he, Jesus, would be lifted up like the bronze snake was, and that whoever looked to Jesus would live.
Whether, at this point, Nicodemus understood the way that Jesus applied the story to himself, we don't know. With the benefit of hindsight, of course, we know that Jesus was referring to his being raised up on the cross and dying to pay the penalty that we all deserved for our own sin, and from which there was no other means of escape.
We've all been bitten by the snake of sin and are without remedy of our own making. Jesus is our only hope. He is God's miraculous remedy by which the penalty of our sin is paid on our behalf, and the grip that sin has on our lives is broken.
The next clue is an explanation of what it means to look to Jesus. Jesus said, "the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." And, in the most famous Bible verse of all, we read, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
So how do we believe, or what does it mean to believe? It's a whole lot more than giving mental assent to the Gospel. Last time I was here, Ken gave us a great illustration of real belief, and it bears repeating.
I've been standing a long time. I could do with sitting down. There's a chair over there. It looks like a very good chair. From looking at its construction, I believe it is perfectly capable of taking my weight and giving me somewhere to find rest. I believe in that chair. This is mental assent, but it isn't really believing. If what you believe makes no difference to your behaviour, then you don't really believe it!
This is believing. I'm sitting on the chair, I've put my full weight on it. My feet are off the floor. I'm not relying any more on the effort of my own legs to keep me off the floor.
- This chair was no use to me while I stood over there admiring its properties.
- The bronze snake in the wilderness was no use to those who had been bitten unless they went and looked at it.
- Jesus can only save us if we place our reliance fully on him.
We have to acknowledge our deep need of Jesus, and recognise that we can do nothing to save ourselves. If we could save ourselves, why would God send his Son to die for us? We have to give up on our own efforts, stop thinking we can make it on our own, otherwise we're believing in something else, relying on something other than God's remedy. That won't work, and our separation from God remains.
Hear these words from the old hymn, Rock of Ages, cleft for me:
Not the labours of my hands
can fulfil thy law's demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears for ever flow,
all for sin could not atone:
thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to thy cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Saviour, or I die.
When we come to God trusting in Jesus this way, the Holy Spirit stands ready to bring us into God's kingdom by new birth.
New Identity
Now, I hope that you're all born again and know that you are. But do you realise that when you are born again you have a brand new identity!People are defined by all sorts of things. For some, it's their work that defines them, and they have problems when they retire. Only this week I watched a news item in which a soldier said that after he left the army he didn't know who he was any more. For some, it's family that defines them, or a particular relationship, and, when things go wrong, meaning and purpose can just evaporate.
John 1:12-13 tell us that "to all who [received Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
When we're born of God we have an identity we can never lose! We are children of God by right; a right given to us by God himself! He sends his Holy Spirit into our hearts, bringing assurance of salvation, and the knowledge that God is our Father. We have our own personal relationship with God, we belong to his family, we're surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ. Our future is no longer defined by our past; we have a whole new life to live!
Do you know who you are in Christ? Explore the New Testament to discover what it has to tell you about your God-given identity. Maybe I'll talk more about this next time I'm here.
Winding Up
So, what happened to Nicodemus? Was he ever born again? We see him trying to stand up for Jesus in the Sanhedrin, exposing himself to criticism in the process. And we see him helping Joseph of Arimathea bury the body of Jesus, and supplying a huge amount of anointing oil. Neither of these things are evidence in themselves of new birth but they do show his enormous respect for Jesus, even when everything he'd hoped for seemed forever lost …The resurrection must have had a massive impact on a man who had put so much faith in Jesus. We hear nothing more of Nicodemus beyond what John records but John must have got his information about Nicodemus from somewhere; maybe from Nicodemus himself. I think that Nicodemus, like the apostle Paul, discounted all the perceived benefits of his culture and lifestyle, staked his all on Jesus, and discovered what it means to be born again.
What about you?
Are you a seeker?
Are you relying on your own efforts, or believing fully in Jesus?
Do you know what it is to be born from above?
Are you rejoicing in your new identity as a child of God?
Can there be anything more important than trusting fully in Jesus and becoming his follower?
