“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
There are people who are experts in every field. Who would you look to as an expert in, say, music? Medicine? Computers?
There are experts in electrical work, law, medicine, physics, cooking, carpentry, auto mechanics, teaching...you name it. And we look up to them and seek their knowledge in their respective fields. Sometimes we pay them a lot of money for their expertise. But sometimes the experts don't even really "get it".
In John 3, it's clear that Nicodemus is one of these people. He is an expert in spirituality, an expert in Jewish law, and expert in the Scriptures. But he asks Jesus several questions that show he doesn't really understand what Jesus is talking about. "How can this be?" he asks in verse 9. How can a person need to be born spiritually in order to enter the kingdom of God?
It's helpful to understand Nicodemus' frame of reference. He is used to thinking that entrance into God's kingdom is based on a certain degree of obedience to the law. He thinks that the spiritual world operates in the same way that the physical world here on earth does - on the basis of performance. He just cannot grasp that the spiritual world operates by different rules. Namely, that being right with God, that is, being in a relationship with Him, comes by God's grace, His favor bestowed upon us, through faith in Jesus Christ, not by fulfilling a list of dos and don'ts.
To drive this point home, Jesus references a passage Nicodemus would have been very familiar with - Numbers 21:4-9. Let's discuss this passage in small groups.
Numbers 21:4-9
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Questions:
1. How do you think most people answer this question: “Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He were to say, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ What would you say?” How would people most likely answer that question?
2. Read Numbers 21:4-9. Jesus was referring to this incident in verse 14 when He said “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…” Read Numbers 21:4-9.
a. What was the problem here with the Israelites?
b. What was the consequence?
c. What was God’s solution?
d. Who did God extend this offer to?
e. What would have happened if a person chose to reject God’s offer and try to be saved another way?
f. In what way is this a parallel to Jesus and the cross?
3. How does this gospel differ from the way that most people think the spiritual realm works (i.e., based on our performance)?
4. What about you? How have you considered the spiritual world and how it works? How different is the spiritual world Jesus describes from how some of the religious "experts" in your life have described it?
5. What is one thing you can do tonight to align yourself rightly in the real spiritual world of grace, mercy, and faith?
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