February 24 | John 3:1-15

Pam Mann
Feb 24
3 min read

DAILY READING

John 3:1-15

REFLECTION

The Go-To Guy Meets His Master

By Pam Mann

Nicodemus visits Jesus at night. Likely, under cover of night, he get less grief from his

Pharisee pals, who aren’t big Jesus fans. At night, there are no

crowds. Finally, Nicodemus can have a quiet word with Jesus. After all, being a go-to guy himself, Nicodemus knows some of what this young prophet is facing. Being older and wiser, he can give the rookie some direction. Nicodemus is convinced that Jesus comes from God because of the miracles He does. That affirming admission starts their conversation.

Then, poor Nicodemus is hardly settled in his seat when Jesus jumps immediately to kingdom of God talk. If Nicodemus is serious about the kingdom of God, Jesus warns him: You must be born again.

Say, what? Nicodemus responds to the obvious absurdity of Jesus’ comment. Jesus doesn’t let it go. Instead, He explains how the Spirit, like the wind, goes where it wills and how essential spiritual rebirth is. Again, Nicodemus responds with the obvious question: How can this be?

Finally, Jesus comes out with the very thing Nicodemus has come seeking: an explanation of who Jesus is. To explain Himself, Jesus draws on a bit of Israelite history which Nicodemus will know well from Numbers 21. The Israelites, grumbling against God and Moses about their miserable trek through the desert, find themselves overrun with fiery serpents. Quickly, the grumblers start dropping like flies. In a heartbeat, the grumblers become grovelers, pleading with Moses to beg God for deliverance. In His mercy, God instructs Moses to fashion a bronze serpent, set it up on a pole, and tell the dying people to look toward that uplifted serpent.... and live!

Now, Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

What does Nicodemus say in response to this? John chapter 3 doesn’t tell us. Whatever fatherly goodwill Nicodemus may have felt in coming to the young Galilean seems irrelevant now. Jesus has given Nicodemus (and us) a dramatic biblical life-and-death comparison that reveals who the Son of Man is. Whether we’re talking about venomous snakes in the Israelite camp or our own just punishment, the human condition needs a Savior. The dying need new life. We’re lost if there’s no one to rescue us.

Nicodemus, the go-to guy, will, in John 7:50-51, defend Jesus to his fellow Pharisees and get grief for it. In John 19:38-40, Nicodemus, the go-to guy, will arrange with Joseph of Arimathea for a burial place for the crucified young miracle worker. Perhaps on that John 3 night, Nicodemus thinks of himself as meeting his match, someone like his younger self. Maybe he comes prepared to cajole or even coach this passionate Jesus. Then, in that intimate face-off, it’s not his match that the go-to guy meets. Jesus of Nazareth is unlike anyone Nicodemus has ever counseled. Is Jesus the Master, the Messiah?

When this Son of Man, the Messiah, is lifted up, will it be upon a throne that can hold off the Roman Empire? No, Nicodemus begins to suspect not. It doesn’t seem that that’s what God has planned. God has a rescue plan that involves the Son of Man being lifted up from the earth. Nicodemus likely leaves, puzzling over that enigma, as he returned home in the dark. Nicodemus returns to his original assertion: Jesus is One come from God.

The evening has not gone as Nicodemus had expected it would. Every statement and action of Jesus seem to fuel the fire now burning with Nicodemus. He no longer asks: What will we do with Jesus, for God’s sake? Now he (and we) must ask: What will God do with us, for Jesus’ sake? It could be that the Messiah has at last come, even to us! Then, how do we, looking up to the uplifted Son of Man, now live?

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord, for the gumption and perseverance of Nicodemus. Empower us, also, to puzzle over the important mystery of how You work in human lives. Show us this day how to embrace spiritual rebirth in every corner where Your Spirit blows.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.