Jump Start # 1284

John 3:1 “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 have come from God, as a teacher; for no one can do thee signs that You do unless God is with him.’”

  Nicodemus is a very unique person that Jesus met. He is a ruler of the Jews. He’s one of the Pharisees. Commentators make a big deal about this encounter “at night.” Was he stepping closer in belief but didn’t want others to know? Did he fear losing his position if others knew? Or, was it nothing more than he had a busy day and that was the best time to meet?

Nicodemus spoke in a way many of us do. He brought in the plurality. He said, “We know…” Who is the “we?” When Jesus answered, He addressed Nicodemus personally. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you…” No we, just you.

Nicodemus doesn’t seem to need anything. So many that came to Jesus had a sick child back home, an injured servant, or a family member in need of a miracle. A few came to Jesus who needed healing themselves. The woman with the issue of blood and the ten lepers who cried out to Jesus for mercy, they were in need of help. Nicodemus is not like that. He doesn’t ask for a miracle.

Nicodemus doesn’t ask Jesus a question at first. Others did that. There was the young man that asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Then there was the man who told Jesus to make his brother share the family inheritance. Nicodemus doesn’t have a question, not at first.

It’s hard to know just why Nicodemus came to Jesus. He’s heard and seen enough to recognize that Jesus has the power of God behind Him. Being a ruler of the Jews, he may be starting to put the pieces together in his mind about Jesus.

After Nicodemus’ opening statement, Jesus takes the conversation. He leads Nicodemus into a discussion about the kingdom, how one gets into the kingdom and the positon and purpose of Jesus. The famous, John 3:16 verse, “God so loved the world…” is in this discussion with Nicodemus. There are 21 verses devoted to this discussion. Nicodemus speaks four sentences. Jesus does most of the talking.

Aside from the obvious lessons about being born again and the motive for Jesus coming to earth, we find a  fascinating encounter between Jesus and someone who was knowledgeable in God’s word and even a teacher. This shows us that one size fits all Bible studies do not always work. You must begin where a person is at. With some, it’s very fundamental, and very slow. There are many, many people who know very little about the Bible. Flipping through and reading multiple verses only makes their heads spin. Slow it down. Take time. Show. Talk. Explain. Too often, especially for those who have been in a strong Bible teaching church for a long time, it’s hard to understand that many people do not know what a parable is, who Moses was, or how to find the books of the Bible. People do not read the Bible much today, and many that do, are not given the basic understandings to grasp what they are reading. So they read nice stories. They don’t know if a Pharisee is a social club, a street name or a disease. They just skip over things like that and try to find something nice to hold on to. Their approach to the Bible is like a daily devotional. Chicken Soup of the Bible is how they read the Bible. When you meet folks like that, be patient. Don’t over load them. Don’t go too deep, too fast. Their heads are spinning.

Then you meet a Nicodemus. He’s different. He’s been teaching the Bible. He knows many things. Your approach with him is much different than others. The nets can be lowered. Concepts can be explained more quickly. In the Lord’s discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus mentioned, “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…” and then He made a comparison to Himself being lifted up, an analogy to the cross. What is interesting is that Jesus didn’t have to quote the O.T. reference to Moses. He didn’t have to explain it. He didn’t have to give the background story about what the serpent meant. Nicodemus knew. People not in Nicodemus’ shoes might think that Moses had the serpent from the garden of Eden. Jesus understood the level of Nicodemus’ knowledge. You can do the same by talking with someone. Finding out their religious history, what they have been reading, what they know about Jesus. It doesn’t take much to see that some people have a good grasp on Bible concepts and others don’t.

Jesus shows us how to connect to people. This is true one on one, this is true when teaching a class or preaching. Know your audience. Not everyone is where Nicodemus was.

Teaching is a journey. It takes patience. It takes understanding the subject as well as understanding the person you are teaching. The joy of teaching is seeing changed lives. It is seeing hearts bow to Christ. Nicodemus’ name comes up again at the end of the Gospels. When Jesus was crucified, it was Joseph and Nicodemus who took the body of Jesus off the cross and buried it. Nicodemus. One wonders if he thought about this conversation, Jesus being lifted up, when he  pulled the body down from the cross. Nicodemus and Joseph had traveled in faith with the Lord. Their presence that day illustrated that they were disciples, they were believers.

Teaching is challenging. It’s an amazing thing that God puts His perfect word about His perfect Son into imperfect hands, such as mine, and allows me to teach others. Amazing. The teacher must be careful. The teacher must be true. The teacher has an important job to do. You become the bridge to the Word and that becomes a bridge to God.

Roger