were righteous because they were keeping all the laws. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin were a group that made up the Jewish court system. There was the Great Sanhedrin made up of 71 members who governed from the temple in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. There were smaller Sanhedrin in every town in the land of Israel. The Great Sanhedrin met every day in the temple except during festivals or holy days. They dealt with religious and ritual matters in the temple. Nicodemus appears three times in John. First, in John 3, then again when Jesus is arrested where Nicodemus states the law, and last with Joseph of Arimathea when he helps Joseph prepare Jesus' body for burial.
There was a writing called "The Gospel of Nicodemus" most likely written after his time by members of the Order of Nicodemus. That writing includes writings about the trial and resurrection of Jesus among other things.
Being a wealthy and respected man, especially a Pharisee, he struggled with accepting Jesus. As time passed he began to express his faith more and more openly. He is only referred to in the Gospel of John. Here in chapter 3, we read of his initial encounter with Jesus.
Nicodemus called Jesus "Rabbi" (teacher) and admitted that many believed Jesus was sent by God to teach them. He also said that His miraculous signs were proof that He was sent by God. Remember, as we saw earlier, the religious leaders attached miracles as validation of a person sent by God. Nicodemus came to Jesus to talk with Him perhaps as one teacher to another. But Jesus was so much more than a teacher and he replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see theKingdom of God."
Nicodemus could see and understand the world he lived in but to see and understand what Jesus did, he would need to be born again. Nicodemus asked how that could happen for an old man could not go back into his mother to be born again.
Jesus told him that no one could enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water (water birth is to be born as a human) AND of the Spirit (a spiritual birth that comes from above). Humans give birth to humans but only the Holy Spirit can give the birth of spiritual life in us. Jesus told him to not be surprised by that. We live within two different realms. We live in the world and are of the flesh but we also have the opportunity to be of the Kingdom of God by being spiritually born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then tells Nicodemus he should not be surprised at this for us to live in the world is just the nature of being a human but it takes much more that that to enter the Kingdom of God. Only being born of the Spirit can lead us to His Kingdom.
The Spirit is invisible and His work cannot be seen. He comes and goes whenever and wherever He wants. None of us can see Him at work or know where He is. Jesus compares the Spirit to the wind as the wind blows wherever it wants. You can hear the wind but cannot tell where it came from nor where it is going.
Nicodemus can't quite grasp what Jesus is teaching him. He asked Jesus how those things are possible. Jesus then comments, asking how he can be a teacher but not understand these things? Jesus talked of the heavenly things which were rejected by the religious leaders because they could not understand them. Their understanding may have been blocked by their great knowledge of things of their world thus leaving no room to grasp the teachings of Jesus. Jesus went on to say that if he could not understand the analogy He gave Nicodemus about being born again how could he ever understand what He has to say about other heavenly things.
Jesus told him that no one has ever gone to heaven and returned but He, the Son of Man, has come down from heaven. He went on to speak about something Nicodemus would grasp. Jesus spoke about how Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole while they were wandering in the wilderness. God told Moses to do this so that if anyone who had been bitten by a snake would look upon the snake on the pole, they would live. Jesus said that just as that was done, so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that anyone who believes in Him would live for all eternity.
Remember that the serpent brought death into the world in the garden. Ever since then, the snake has been seen as evil. Consider how the people in the wilderness could live (an earthly life) after being bitten by a snake by looking and believing in God's promise of the snake on the pole. Just as earthly life could be restored by looking at the snake on the pole and believing God's promise, SO THEN, when the Son of Man is raised up, all who believe in God's promise of eternal life through faith in him, will live forever.
Could we see being bitten by the snake as a physical thing in the wilderness and the life given also being a physical thing? Then can we see being bitten by the snake (as a representation of evil) in our spiritual life? To then be given life after the death bite of evil in our spiritual life, we must look upon Jesus and believe God's promise of life in Him to have life eternal.
Jesus then tells us something that is of the heavenly realm. He tells us that God loves us so much, He sent Jesus (His one and only Son whom He loves) so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have life everlasting. God sent Jesus into our world not to judge or condemn it but to save it through Him.
There is no judgement for those who believe in Jesus as God's Son and our Savior. In fact, those who believe are promised salvation by God. Those who don't believe and reject God's promise have already been judged, not for how they lived their life but for not believing in Jesus. Jesus came into the world as light but people liked the darkness more and chose it over Jesus. They liked the darkness better because they could do all the evil they pleased thinking their actions would not be seen in the dark. With that in mind, they stayed away from Jesus and the light He brought for fear their evil ways would be exposed. Even more, they hate the light because it could expose them. On the contrary, those who do right and avoid evil want to be in the light so others can see that they are doing what is right.
Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and went into the countryside baptizing people. John the Baptist was near by, also baptizing people. John the Baptist's disciples got into a debate with some other Jews who were asking why they should be washed by John's baptism when they already had the ceremonial washing they had grown up with as taught by the Pharisees. Not to mention that the group following Jesus was much larger than the group following John.
John's disciples came to him concerned about Jesus doing more baptisms than they were. John taught them that nothing comes to anyone unless God gives it to them. He reminded them that he was not the Messiah but the one who was there to prepare the way for Him. He spoke of himself being like the best man at a wedding where Jesus was the groom. He taught them that he was content to be the best man and hear the groom's vows while the groom marries the bride. John was filled with joy to watch Jesus' success for that is how it was supposed to be. John baptized with water, while Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit.
John came to prepare the world for Jesus' coming. For Jesus to do what He came to do, John must become less visible and less important so that all will look to Jesus. John told them they were only of the earth while Jesus is from heaven. We teach about what we know, which are only earthly things while Jesus teaches what He has seen and heard in the heavenly realm. Even so, many don't believe what Jesus is telling them.
Jesus was sent by God and God gave Him theHoly Spirit without limits. Any who believes in Jesus words can affirm that God is true. The Father loves Jesus and has put all things under Jesus authority and anyone who believes in Jesus as God's Son will receive eternal life. Those that refuse to obey Jesus, by not accepting the truth, will never have eternal life but will remain under the wrath of God and will be judged accordingly.
WE ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS AWAY FROM MOVING ON IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. SO FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WE WILL STUDY JOHN 4,5 AND 6. FEBRUARY HAS 28 DAYS AND OUR PLAN IS TO READ THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT 30 TIMES. I WILL READ THOSE CHAPTERS OF JOHN ONCE A DAY PLUS AN EXTRA TWO TIMES TO KEEP THE 30 DAY STUDY ACCURATE.
WE ARE MOVING FORWARD VERY WELL AND BEFORE LONG, WE WILL HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OUR GOAL. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
LOVE AND BLESSINGS, RICH