Reflective Bible Study

As we continue moving through the events in John’s gospel, we come to the event surrounding one of the most famous Bible verses in the world. However, while this verse is incredible, the event and discussion that surrounds this verse is just as amazing. The conversation happens at night, and I wonder if some of the disciples had already fallen asleep.

Let’s read about what happened, and about what Jesus shared during this late-night conversation with a Pharisee. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 3, and we will read it from the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. ² After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? ¹¹ I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. ¹² But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

²² Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

In this late night conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus shares some amazing things, while always seeming to be one step ahead of Nicodemus’ question. When reading this event, it is as if Nicodemus asks Jesus a question, and Jesus answers what would likely have been Nicodemus’ follow up question.

However, the three big answers Jesus gives us are amazing and profound. Tucked within these big answers is a powerful message that we might be tempted to miss, skip, or ignore. Allow me to share a set of verses or statements pulled from Jesus’ three answers to Nicodemus’ questions. “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. … I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. … As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. … God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” (v. 3, 5, 14-15, 17-18)

In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, there are two clear topics, and both of these topics are initiated by Jesus. The first topic is about being born again. The powerful truth I see in Jesus’ response is that those who have not been born spiritually are unable to see the Kingdom of God. In other gospels, Jesus shares how the Kingdom of God is present among us, and one way to understand Jesus’ words is that the Kingdom of God is present wherever God is actively moving, working, or being present.

With this working definition, we can conclude an obvious but easily overlooked truth that people who are not connected with the Holy Spirit cannot discern how God is working in the world today. Someone connected with the Holy Spirit can look around and see God working everywhere, whereas someone disconnected and uninterested in the Holy Spirit sees random chance, a series of coincidences, or just good or bad fortune.

The second topic of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus is about eternal life and judgment. It is within this second topic that we find our famous set of verses summarizing Jesus’ life and ministry. John, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17 tell us “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

However, the verses immediately before this and immediately after this are in many ways more powerful than these two famous ones. The two verses before verse 16 predict Jesus’ crucifixion and the results of His sacrifice: “as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” (v. 14-15)

The two verses after verse 17 tell us about the one criteria God’s judgment will be based on when Jesus returns: “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” (v. 18-19)

Jesus tells Nicodemus, and all of us, that God’s judgment is reserved for those who do not believe in God’s one and only Son, Jesus. The way people reject Jesus is by preferring darkness and evil actions over coming into the light and letting Jesus wash away their sins. In this framing of judgment, those who avoid God’s judgment are able to because they have placed their belief and trust in Jesus, and they have left their sinful lives in the past, while those who are judged are those who preferred sin and darkness over the offer of a Savior.

Jesus did not come into the world to fulfill the role of judge. Instead, Jesus came to this world to fulfill the role of God’s light, and Jesus’ presence separates those who want to seek God, His light, and His forgiveness, from those who reject God, prefer their sinful lives, and willingly choose to refuse the light God offers.

Whether we face judgment is 100% up to us. While it is unpopular to do in the world today, choosing Jesus in this life gives us a free pass to avoid the judgment when the world ends, and choosing Jesus in this life is done by leaving our sin-filled past in the past, and actively growing towards Jesus each and every day!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first and choose to believe in the Light God sent into the world through Jesus. When we choose to follow and obey Jesus over our sin-filled desires, we are choosing life over judgment and death. We reject Jesus when we choose sin over our Savior. Always choose to obey Jesus when faced with a choice, because choosing Jesus in this life, regardless of the consequences, is never the wrong choice from eternity’s perspective.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to Jesus. Through personal prayer and study, grow a personal relationship with Jesus and lean on Him for the strength to face each day moving forward in this life.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Of the metaphors and illustrations Jesus used during His time preaching and teaching, He seemed to return periodically to the idea of light and that we should not hide the light that we have been given. Several weeks ago, we touched on one of these passages, and in our episode for this week, we turn our attention onto another time Jesus uses this metaphor.

However, unlike the last time we read about Jesus using this metaphor, this time Jesus shares a different conclusion and He emphasizes a different truth that we should learn.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 8, and we will read it from the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 16, Luke tells us Jesus taught:

¹⁶ “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

In these few verses, while Jesus shares a similar visual picture of not hiding a lamp after lighting it, the truth Jesus concludes with is powerful and unique. Jesus shifts our focus away from shining our light and onto the truth that nothing we think is secret will ultimately remain secret. And like Jesus teaches about in other parts of the gospels, we should be intentional about how we listen, and we should be intentional about what we have been given.

What do secrets, listening well, and being responsible have to do with lighting a lamp? On the surface, it would appear as though these ideas don’t readily align with each other. For example, keeping a secret is more logical in some cases than exposing the secret, while the metaphor of lighting a lamp implies keeping a secret is illogical and fundamentally impossible in the long run.

However, Jesus placed these seemingly opposite ideas together for a reason, so let’s discuss why He may have done this.

First off, what would be the biggest examples of secrets that should remain hidden? While it might be logical to lump activities like theft, moral failures, sexual sins, coveting, lust, lies, and/or other less reputable activities into being secrets that we might believe should remain hidden, there are much fewer actual examples of secrets that shouldn’t be exposed.

A secret about harm being done to someone needs to be exposed, because by exposing it, potential future harm can be avoided. A secret where someone felt hurt or experienced loss needs to be exposed for the same reasons.

Very few types secrets benefit society when they stay hidden. This is simply because secrets separate people. While two people might feel closer when they have a secret that is hidden from everyone else, outside observers will eventually notice that those with secrets will start to pull away from the community. When the members of a community isolate themselves, the community suffers.

In this passage, Jesus doesn’t focus on keeping secrets. The emphasis is on exposing secrets and shining light on them. The clear truth Jesus emphasizes is that we don’t have the choice about whether a secret will stay a secret. All we can do once a secret is present is choose to reveal it on our terms, or let time expose it outside of our terms.

The destiny of secrets is ultimately for them to be revealed, and when we honestly think about it, nothing is truly a secret, especially when we bring God into the picture. It is foolish to think we could keep a secret from God, who knows everything, and sees everything, and who understands our thoughts better than we do. The best-case scenario is that a secret is kept between one or more people and God – except that through Jesus, God has challenged us with the truth that all secrets will be revealed.

We don’t have the choice of whether a secret will ultimately be revealed. The choice we do have for a limited time is exposing the secret on our own terms.

While this would be a great place to finish off our episode, I want to take a few more minutes and share two other ideas regarding secrets.

The first idea is that when discussing secrets, there is a close cousin to a secret we call a surprise. While secrets have a negative reputation, surprises generally have a positive one. However not all secrets are negative and not all surprises are positive. So what is the difference?

In my own mind, we should define a surprise as a secret that is designed to be revealed and as a secret that when it is revealed uplifts all of those present. A surprise party is a good example. While those who the party is for don’t usually know all the details, or perhaps even any of the details, of the party, they get to enjoy the event and after the surprise has been revealed, the secret-surprise is no longer a secret. A surprise party is a temporary secret.

Another example is when a couple learns they are pregnant. There are many weeks that the gender of the child is unknown, and even when they reach the point of learning the gender for themselves, they can choose to keep it a secret from others, or they can choose how they want to share their great news with their friends.

However, the nature of this secret also demonstrates the temporary nature of secrets and surprises because there will be a point that a birth occurs and those in the baby’s life will learn the new arrival’s biological gender.

Secrets pull people apart because they never want to be revealed to others. Surprises can draw people together because of the release that happens when the news is shared.

The other idea that is worth sharing is that it is possible – and perhaps even desirable – to live a life where secrets aren’t even necessary. If we lived our lives knowing that our history would be turned into a biography or a novel, would we change how we lived? If we lived our lives knowing that everything we do, think, and say was being recorded for our family, friends, and community to review, would we choose to live differently?

If we would live differently knowing that others knew something about our lives, then we have the opportunity to change how we live now, and we have the opportunity to avoid a secret from forming or getting worse.

The goal of a life with integrity is that both the public and private areas of life match up, and when we talk about integrity as a characteristic of our character, we see both the public and private areas of our life as something that we are not embarrassed of if they get revealed to others.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always do, the first challenge is to seek God first and to continue placing Him first in your life. If you have secrets hidden in your life, choose the best way to move forward. Know that eventually, the secret will be exposed, and that makes the opportunity you have right now one where you can expose the secret on your own terms. While I don’t know what your secrets are, know that God does know, and if you are fearful of how to move forward, take your fear to God and let Him lead and guide you with how to move forward.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through prayer and Bible study, we can grow our personal relationship with God and we can let Him give us the courage to face our fears and let Him help us step into the plan He has for our lives.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or hide yourself away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!