Pre-Easter Theme: What Jesus Taught Us
Theme for this week: God Loves Us
March 15, 2022 (Tuesday)
You may be familiar with the visit to Jesus by Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin. You may remember the main thing about that visit is the moment when Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” (John 3 reproduced at bottom of this page).
If you recall that statement by Jesus, then you probably remember the reaction of Nicodemus, when he asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus’ response must have startled Nicodemus because of his amazement that Nicodemus, a person of authority and learning, had never heard of the new birth. Jesus said, “You must be born of water (physically) and the Spirit (spiritually). Jesus reasoned that there are some things we know about, like the wind, that we take for granted without understanding how it happens.
As they continued their discussion, suddenly Jesus shared with Nicodemus the most important message ever given to this world: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).
Most Bible students believe that Nicodemus became a disciple of Jesus, howbeit a secret disciple. When Jesus died on the cross, Nicodemus and his fellow Sanhedrin member, Joseph of Arimathea, asked that they be given permission to bury Jesus. This they did, burying Jesus in Joseph’s own new tomb.
Nicodemus was in the dark, spiritually, when He came to Jesus, the “light of the world.” Jesus told him,”The light condemns the acts of darkness, but the same light reveals the good works that have been carried out in God.” That statement describes a situation that exists in our present age.
We wish we had writings about Nicodemus and Joseph. I feel sure that their faith in Christ was revealed to others in many ways throughout the rest of their lives.
Have you had such an encounter with a Christian who is concerned for your spiritual well being? Did he/she tell you how to be saved, and did you respond by believing in Christ as your Savior? If so, what a day that was, as you turned from darkness to light and found a new life in Christ Jesus.
Have you, as a Christian, had encounters with people who needed to believe in Jesus as their Savior? Years ago, a great crusade for Christ took place in a Spanish-speaking country. People wore lapel pins and signs were everywhere, reminding everyone, “Cristo La Unica Esperanza!:” Christ The Only Hope!” The crusade is now history, but the motto for it remains everywhere, if we could but see it: “Christ is our only hope.” Share the message with someone today.
Evie Karlsson
You may think it’s foolish what I’m going to say,
I’m not ashamed, no not ashamed,
One day I prayed Jesus, take my sin away,
And that’s when I was born again
Born again, there’s really been a change in me,
Born again, just like Jesus said,
Born again, and all because of Calvary,
I’m glad so glad that I’ve been born again.
One man came to Jesus, john and chapter 3,
Oh so afraid, oh so afraid,
Master you’re from God, I really do believe,
And Jesus said, be born again.
Born again, there’s really been a change in me,
Born again, just like Jesus said,
Born again, and all because of Calvary,
I’m glad so glad that I’ve been born again
I’m glad so glad that I’ve been born again.
John 3 (English Standard Version)
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c] 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind[e] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you[f] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[g] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[h]
For God So Loved the World
16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
What Jesus Taught Us:God Loves Us
Blogs This Week (March 14-18)
God Our Father Loves His Children (Monday)
God Gives Us A New Beginning (Tuesday)
We Can Love God (Wednesday)
We Can Love Others (Thursday)
We Can Demonstrate Our Love (Friday)