John 3!!!

Jesus’ Sermon to Nicodemus (and us).

John 2:23-3:21

Overview:

Chapter three is the first time in John that Jesus speaks at length. He shares with a man named Nicodemus about the need of man to experience a New Birth through the Holy Spirit.  This chapter includes the famous verse John 3:16 and has much to say about the work of the Son (Jesus), the Father, the Holy Spirit and about man’s salvation.  Below is an outline and some reflections of this first “sermon” of Jesus. It is taken from Frederick Dale Bruner’s The Gospel of John. This chapter is awesome.

 Outline:

-A-The Deep Need of Humans for Salvation: Everyone, even the most religious person, needs the New Birth – 2:23-3:3.
-B- The Spirit Who Baptizes into Salvation: God, through Baptism by His Spirit, brings about New Birth in Believers – 3:4-9.
-C-  The Son Who Saves: Jesus Promises that the Son of Man (remember this term from chapter 2) brings the Spirit’s New Birth to those who simply believe -3:10-15.
-D-  The Father Who Sends Salvation: God the Father loves the world and seeks to rescue from condemnation all those who entrust themselves to his Son. He uses both promise and warning to convey his message. 3:16-21

Our chapter begins with the Human Problem symbolized by what we may think of as the best type of human –Nicodemus who is a religious leader from among God’s own chosen people and a man who already seems to have some trust or belief in Jesus. But something very important seems to be missing (3:1-3). Next Jesus tells Nicodemus, and all of us who listen, how Divine Transformation radically answers the deep human problem by the Spirit’s gift of the New Birth (3:4-9).  Then at the center of the chapter we learn the Divine-Human Work (Jesus- God and Man) that made this transformation historically possible at all – the unique coming and the sacrificial atonement of the Son of Man for the salvation of whoever believes (3:10-15). Finally, we are introduced to the great giver of the son to the whole world (verse 16). This is the deeply loving God the Father, and we learn the eternal consequences attending one’s decision  for or against this good God’s freely offered Son: life or death, light or darkness (3:16-21).

In other words, like a good evangelist (teller of good news), John begins by showing us that even some people who think that they are already God’s people, even some who think they already believe, even the highly respected teachers of religion – all human beings without exception – desperately need a deep divine change in their lives in order to be with God in reality. Jesus then teaches us where this transformation takes place in person and in public: in the personal decision for and in the deep transformation of baptism by the Holy Spirit. This is why we practice baptism today. It speaks to our public confession of faith as believers in Jesus and it also symbolizes the true baptism and transformation by the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Next Nicodemus, and all of us reading about him, are told of the deep divine person  and work of the Son that makes renewal and new life by the Spirit possible and powerful for all. Finally we see God the Father sending, out of his immense love for the whole world, his one and only Son, lifting him up as a visible and saving sacrifice for the sin of the whole world.  The Song saves the world and people receive that salvation by trusting in his Son and his good work for the world.

Discussion questions:

-If you could have a one-on-one conversation with God about any topic what would you choose and why?
-When you hear the term “born again” what do you think about?
-Tell us about someone or something that you really trust. Why do you trust them? What makes them so trustworthy?

Text Questions:

Look at verses 1-10. There is a lot of back and forth between Nicodemus and Jesus about being born from above (or born again, or reborn) and a lot being said about the role of the Spirit in rebirth. Nicodemus appears confused. You may be confused as well.
     -What do you the Spirit is and what does Jesus say that it does?
     -What do you think it means to born from above?   
     -Why do you think people need to be born from above to be in the kingdom of God?

Verse 14 is alluding to a story in the book of Numbers chapter 21. God had brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and was bringing them to the Promised Land. In the wilderness the people begin to crumble and complain. They speak out against God in the wilderness and against their leader Moses. They said it would be better for them to be slaves again. God then sent poisonous snakes among the people which bit many of the people and they died. The people began to cry out to Moses saying, “We have sinned against the Lord and you. Please pray to the Lord to take away the snakes.” Moses then made a snake of bronze and put it on a pole; whenever someone was bitten by the snake if they looked up to the pole they would live and not die.

 Jesus is saying that he is like that bronze serpent. The world is bit by sin and evil just as the Israelites were bit by snakes. All that evil is placed on Jesus hanging on that cross and we are to look up to him to find life and to live in spite of the poisonous venom that has bitten us.

-What do you think about this analogy? Is being bit by poisonous snakes a good way to describe sin? Is that a good way to describe people? Why or why not.

-In verses 15 and 16 we see the phrase eternal life. What do you think eternal life is and what does it mean to have it?

-Look at verse 16. What do you think it means to believe in Jesus?

-If you began to trust Jesus all of the time what do you think would be different in life?

-If someone asked you, “How do I become a Christian?” what would you tell them (look at verses 15-21).