December 3rd Lesson Plan: The Book of John 3:1-21

Verses 1 - 21: Jesus and Nicodemus

Part 1: 

Nicodemus wanted to sit down and talk with Jesus, this man from Galilee who all of a sudden became so popular because of his teachings and the miraculous signs and wonders he’s been performing. It’s important to note that Nicodemus was a Pharisee so we know he is a scholar of the law, he wasn’t  just someone who showed up at the temple once a week, he had studied and probably memorized most of the Torah. Additionally, we’re told that he is a ruler of the Jews which means that he was probably part of the Sanhidren. The association with this group means that Nicodemus was not just a scholar of the law but he was also a judge of the people according to the law, weighed in on religious disputes, and oversaw religious practices. He was kind of a big deal within the Jewish community so it makes sense as to why he wanted to have a sit down with Jesus.  We are also told that they met at night which could have been the case for a number of reasons. Because of Nicodemus’ standing amongst the Jews he may have wanted to keep this meeting as secret as possible since Jesus wasn’t eagerly welcomed by most of the religious elite of that time. One other potential reason for the evening meeting was that Jesus’ popularity had grown significantly by this time and it’s possible that the evening was the only time that these two could sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation, which Jesus granted him. Regardless of the reason for the off-hours sit down, Nicodemus starts out by acknowledging that Jesus clearly is from God because no human could do what Jesus had been doing. Jesus’ response to Nicodemus is interesting though (verse 3). 

Discussion Questions: 1) Why do you think that Jesus goes right into talking about being born again as the only entry point into the kingdom of God? (Remember that Nicodemus knew the law, taught the law, and enforced the law over the Jewish people.) 2) What can we learn from Jesus’ question and how can we apply this to our lives? 

Part 2: Not surprisingly Nicodemus is confused by the concept of being born again. But Jesus challenges Nicodemus’ inability to comprehend being born again in verse 10 indicating that this should not be a new concept for someone who knew the Torah as well as he did. A Google search helped to shed some light as to why Jesus was focusing in on the necessity of the rebirth and transformation in the Spirit. Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus that he is ushering in a new era and a new covenant, not just for the Jews but for the entire world. This new covenant would contain what scholars believe to be three elements: 1) the gathering of Israel 2) the cleansing and spiritual transformation of God’s people, and 3) the reign of the Messiah over Israel and the whole world. Jewish people thought the first two parts of the covenant had already happened and they were just waiting for the Messiah. Jesus is challenging Nicodemus that the spiritual transformation (part 2) hadn’t happened yet and that he was the answer to the third part. 

Discussion Questions: 1) Does Jesus’ reminder to Nicodemus of the need for spiritual transformation ring true for us? Might it be possible that at times in our lives we’re thinking that we’re just hanging out waiting for the second coming of Jesus? What do we do with this reminder? 2) We can easily fall into the cycle of sinning and then responding to that sin as if there’s no spiritual transformation but only the law. We’ll get into that more in a second but for now we need to be reminded that Jesus’ response to our sin isn’t guilt and shame, it’s an invitation to hand it over to him so that he can change us from the inside out. This can be more of a personal question so if you’re not wanting to share with the group, ask yourself and God what do I need to hand over to Jesus to be cleansed and transformed? Or, if you have a God success story where he broke the cycle of sin in your life and transformed you from the inside out feel free to share that too so we can all rejoice with you and be encouraged by God’s love and faithfulness.

Part 3: In verse 14 Jesus refers to something else that Nicodemus would be familiar with. In Numbers 21 we learn that because of the Israelites continued disobedience God sends poisonous snakes which begin biting the people. The only way they can be saved is by looking at a bronze statue of a snake that Moses is lifting up. Jesus lets Nicodemus know that his death will signify the same lifesaving capabilities when he is lifted up on the cross. If you Google the significance of bronze from a biblical perspective you’ll find that this metal signified God’s righteous judgement. The only way for the Israelites to be saved from the snakes was to look to the righteous judgement of God. Similarly, Jesus is letting Nicodemus know that the only way we can be saved is to look to his death on the cross, the act that saves us from sin and the bite of the snake, or the devil. Through his death he conquered sin and removed the venom that once put us to death. Jesus follows this verse with one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16. The contrast continues from the plight of the Israelites being bitten by snakes and looking to the bronze snake for salvation to now the Messiah being sent out of God’s love for people, enduring the cross, and rescuing us once again from sin. Verses that aren’t quoted quite as much as 3:16 but are still so very important are 3:19-21. Let’s read those together and answer the following questions.

Discussion Questions: 1) Jesus compares darkness with evil and light with truth for Nicodemus. More specifically, he states that people who do wicked hate the light because it exposes what they seek to do in the dark. We might read this and think it only applies to others, you know, the really bad people. But if we’re truthful, it’s a daily battle to actually seek God’s truth to allow it into our lives to shed light on the things that we’d rather keep hidden. What is your process for continually keeping God’s truth your focus and allowing it to continue to expose and transform your life? 2) How does the enemy try to disrupt this process or confuse the truth for you and how do you partner with the Father to combat the devil’s tactics?