Unit: Gospel of John (Part 1)
Theme: Light and Life
Lesson Text: John 3:1-21
Supplemental Texts: John 5:24-30; 12:20-26; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:7-9
Aim: Believe in Jesus so you may receive eternal life in him.
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By Mark Scott
A very young person might ask, “How long is eternity?” A momentarily befuddled teacher may respond, “Well, eternity is forever and ever and ever.” Bound by time and space, eternity is tough to get one’s arms around. Perhaps there is no way to know or describe it until one reaches that land of no more tears.
The New Testament basically has two Greek words translated as life. The word bios means biological life. Everyone created by God has that. Even animals have that. The word zoe means life in its richest sense—God-gifted life that goes beyond one’s physical life. It is abundant life (John 10:10). Only believers in Jesus have that.
A Teacher Learns About Eternal Life
John 3:1-15
Jesus conducted a brief Judean ministry prior to journeying north for the larger part of his 18-month (or so) Galilean ministry. The cleansing of the temple (John 2:13-22) created such a stir that Jesus had to lay low before heading to Samaria to encounter the woman at the well. This might be one reason Jesus met Nicodemus, a distinguished teacher of Israel, at night.
Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin), apparently had a growing, genuine interest in Jesus. That is how John presents him in the chronology of his Gospel (3:1-15; 7:50-51; 19:39-42). Nicodemus began this dialogue by admitting that Jesus came from God; he was convinced of this because Jesus had performed miracles. John thus far has specifically mentioned only one miracle (2:1-12), but clearly there were others (2:23).
Jesus looked beyond Nicodemus’s compliment and answered Nicodemus’s heart. To see the kingdom of God, Jesus said, one must be born again (or “from above” or “anew”). The language was strange, and Nicodemus asked for clarification. Jesus explained that this born-again experience consisted of a spiritual “makeover” that involved water and the Holy Spirit. Upon hearing those words (water and Spirit), a good Jew like Nicodemus would likely have thought of Genesis 1. Water and the Spirit were both present at the creation (Genesis 1:2). Water and the Spirit are essential to a person’s re-creation or “rebirth” in Christ (Titus 3:4-5; cf. Acts 2:38).
In describing the Spirit’s work, Jesus also mentioned the wind. In the Greek language as well as in the Hebrew, the same word can mean either “wind” or “spirit.” Wind later accompanied the Spirit’s arrival on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
When Jesus spoke about being born again, Nicodemus was baffled by this. He believed that life came from obeying the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 18:5). Jesus zeroed in on the difference between heavenly things and earthly things. The born-again experience is a gift from God above—not from the law below.
Then Jesus drew upon an Old Testament story found in Numbers 21:4-9 to drive home his point to Nicodemus about eternal life. As Israel made their way to their homeland via Edom, the people began to complain (again) about not having sufficient water and food. God punished them with venomous snakes who bit the people. Some died. When the people turned to Moses in repentance, God instructed him to make a serpent and put it on a pole. If the people, when bitten by the snakes, looked to the bronze snake on the pole they would live. This became a symbol of salvation, just as the cross later came to symbolize salvation. Belief in the lifted-up Son of Man would lead to eternal life. Nicodemus learned much that night.
The Teacher Gives Eternal Life
John 3:16-21
Some suggest that Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus ended at verse 15. The following verses (16-21) may have been spoken by Jesus on another occasion, or perhaps the apostle John added them. Since the language and themes are so well connected, it seems best to consider the entire section as spoken to Nicodemus.
The golden text of the Bible (John 3:16) shines so brightly because darkness is its backdrop. We should receive the love of God in Christ because, if we do not, we have nailed our own coffin. God, through his love, invites us to believe. He does not want to condemn the world (v. 17)—a word that appears four times in these two verses.
Belief leads to eternal life now. Unbelief leads to condemnation already. Jesus came into the world as the light of God. Coming out of spiritual darkness into light takes vulnerability, but the result of doing so is a life that can be lived free of fear and pleasing in the sight of God.
Author: Doug Redford
Doug Redford has served in the preaching ministry, as an editor of adult Sunday school curriculum, and as a Bible college professor. Now retired, he continues to write and speak as opportunities arise.
