Encounters with Jesus: A Smart Man

"Interview between Jesus and Nicodemus" by James Tissot

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Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus 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.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind 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.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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  (John 3:1–17).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

 A smart man. A thirsty woman. A blind beggar. A grieving sister. Four very different people in four very different situations. One of them appears in each of the four readings from the Gospel of John appointed during the month of March. Each of them encountered Jesus. Each was changed by Jesus. The smart man was instructed. The thirsty woman received living water.[i] The blind beggar was healed. The grieving sister was comforted.

In many ways their stories are our stories. We are smart. We thirst. We are, about many things, blind. And we grieve. Which is why we will have a four-part series of sermons on these four individuals as we walk toward Holy Week this Lent.[ii]

Today, we start with the smart man. Nicodemus was his name. He was a Pharisee, a religious legal expert. He was educated. He was responsible for teaching the Law to the people. This smart man paid close attention to Jesus. He watched as Jesus performed miraculous signs. He listened as Jesus taught the people with authority. He recognized Jesus was no ordinary man from Nazareth. So, he did what smart men do. He sought out more information.

It should not be hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of the smart man. After all, we are smart, very smart. Our collective knowledge is nothing short of astounding. Our understanding science and nature have led to cures for countless diseases. Try spending a day in the hospital talking with patients and not marveling at modern medicine. Our collective understanding of mathematics and physics has enabled humanity to develop technology which was unimaginable a generation ago.[iii] We know so much. We are so smart. And what we do not know we simply ask our phones. “Smart-phones” we call them!

Our Gospel reading records their conversation. Nicodemus came to Jesus during the night (he was smart enough to avoid the crowds). He began the conversation with Jesus by using a statement about what he knew (that is how smart people often begin their conversations). “Rabbi,” Nicodemus said, “we know You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs You do unless God is with Him” (3:2).

It is hard to know what Nicodemus expected Jesus to say. Perhaps, he wanted Jesus to give it to him straight, to tell him who He really was. Whatever he wanted, Jesus had other things in mind. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3).

When Jesus answered, it may have seemed He wasn’t being responsive, His opening expression assures us He was, however: “Truly, truly.” Jesus used the expression that stressed the solemn truth of His words. But then He cut quickly to the substance of His message for Nicodemus and told him what he needed to hear.

It is safe to say this was not what Nicodemus expected to hear. The smart man did not understand.[iv] “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born” (3:4)? To Nicodemus, Jesus was talking in riddles. He could hardly mean that a person must undergo a second physical birth. Nicodemus seemed to have sensed a deeper meaning, but what was it?

Jesus again emphasized the solemn truth of His response: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (3:5). The new birth, said Jesus, is from “water and Spirit,” not of the water and the Spirit as two separate experiences. Water and Spirit work together in the new birth. Jesus, of course, was speaking about Baptism, through which the Spirit works saving faith.

Jesus’ words echoed the cry of John the Baptist: “Repent!” “Be baptized!” “The kingdom of heaven is near.” They revealed what had to happen for Nicodemus to find the answers he sought with his nighttime visit.

We need this heavenly rebirth to enter God’s kingdom, or even see it. As Jesus said another time, “The kingdom of heaven is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21). God’s kingdom is God’s rule of grace in our hearts. Through Baptism the Holy Spirit connects us with God’s ruling love. He works a new birth, a birth that makes a person a child of God and a member of God’s kingdom. The apostle Paul said the same thing when he wrote, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

Two births—one is physical and one spiritual. One is flesh born of flesh, the other spirit born of Spirit.

Jesus continued, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind 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” (John 3:7-8).

“Do not marvel,” Jesus said. We can understand the working of God’s Spirit as little as we can predict the wind blowing on us. We know when it blows, and it affects us. But we don’t see it. We can’t be certain when or from what angle it will come. So, everyone born of the Spirit cannot fully understand how God in His wisdom sends the Spirit. They just know He does.

An important side point: Jesus made one almost imperceptible change in His words here. We don’t pick it up in modern English. When He said, “You must be born again,” He used the Greek plural “you.” Clearly Jesus was not speaking only about Nicodemus. “You” in the plural fits all people.

The smart man did not follow. He needed to satisfy his human reason. He asked again, “How can these things be” (3:9)? At this point Jesus appears to have become a little impatient. He rebuked Nicodemus, who, although he was a well-known spiritual teacher of Israel, didn’t know the basics of salvation for himself: “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things” (3:10)? In other words, “I thought you were smart!”

But Nicodemus remained silent. He stopped talking. He stopped asking questions. And he listened. He simply listened to Jesus.

It was his smartest move yet.

In this conversation with the smart man, Nicodemus, Jesus taught the most basic description of the Gospel truth in Scripture. It is as if Jesus was saying, “Ok, Nicodemus, I am going to make this very simple for you.” “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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” (3:16-17).

We are a smart generation, and I am very thankful for how much we know. I am very thankful to enjoy the blessings of scientific discoveries and technological inventions.[v] These are wonderful gifts from God. But when it comes to “heavenly things,” as Jesus put it to Nicodemus, there is nothing smarter than the simple truth in these two verses.

 God loved this world so much that He sent His only Son, first to Israel and then to all, including you and me. He sent His Son to teach us, to forgive us, to heal us, and to comfort us. To die. To rise. To return. For us.

To know and believe this simple truth; now that is smart!

After his late-night conversation with Jesus, Nicodemus is mentioned only twice in the New Testament (John 7 and 19). In John 19:38-42, it was immediately after Jesus’ death. Nicodemus helped wrap Jesus’ lifeless body. I wonder what he was thinking as he performed this loving and caring service.[vi] I wonder if Jesus’ words from their late-night conversation were ringing in his ears. As he walked out of that garden with Joseph of Arimathea, leaving behind the one who had raised others from the dead, I wonder if this smart man understood Jesus would give life through His own death and resurrection.

I would like to think Nicodemus understood. I would like to think the words of the Word made flesh from that late-night encounter echoed in his ears and created faith in his heart.[vii] But for us right now, Nicodemus’ faith (or lack thereof) does not really matter. He is not here. But you are! Do you understand this basic truth? Do you trust this incredible promise? Are you smart in the ways of God?

When it comes down to it, it’s quite simple: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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” (3:16-17).

Here is God, revealed in His triune majesty. God the Father loved the undeserving world so much that He sent His Son to save it. God the Son, present in the person of Jesus, came to fulfill the Father’s will and win eternal life for all people. God the Spirit comes to work the faith people need to receive the gift of eternal life. He brings about a new birth.

God’s love brought results. He offered the ultimate sacrifice for the world He loved. He gave His one and only Son as the necessary sacrifice for the world’s sins. He gave His one and only Son for the cross. So that you might have forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Indeed, for Jesus’ sake, you are forgiven for all your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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[i] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[ii] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[iii] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[iv] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[v] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[vi] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.

[vii] Gospel: John 3:1-17 (Lent 2: Series A) - 1517.org, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-john-31-17-lent-2-series-a-2023.