Talking To Jesus at Night
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jeremy_3_03-31-2025_123331: [00:00:00] We often pride ourselves on how smart we are, especially when we come up with some creative solution to a problem. But sometimes we have to wonder whether we're as smart as we think we are. For example, how did we put a person on the moon before we put wheels on luggage? I mean, you have to wonder our priorities there.
That seems a little off,
today we're gonna see a story of someone who thinks he's really smart and he's gonna have a conversation with Jesus. Now this is found in John chapter two toward the end of that chapter, and this is gonna go into chapter three. Here's what we read in John two beginning in verse 23. Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.
But Jesus didn't trust them because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature for he knew what was in [00:01:00] each person's heart. I. Jesus can read your mind, read your heart, and evidently not all reasons for following Jesus are equal. So just because people were following Jesus does not mean that Jesus recognized them the same way or trusted them.
Now this next story, this is all a setup for what's gonna happen in chapter three. And you have to remember when John wrote this, there were not chapters. So even though you might think, well, this is chapter two, how does this connect to chapter three? This is all one long text together, and this is the context we get for the story we're about to read.
Now, this next story is only found in the Gospel of John. It's not in Matthew, mark, or Luke.
So here's John three. Beginning in verse one. There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus Rabbi. He said, we all know that God has sent you to teach [00:02:00] us you miraculous signs or evidence that God is with you. Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.
What do you mean exclaimed, Nicodemus? How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again? He's totally lost by this. Jesus replied, I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and of spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth.
It's a spiritual life, so don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants and 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.
We have to remember that Nicodemus is a guy that had a lot going for him. First off, he's very religious. He's a Pharisee. Now, if you've studied the Bible, if you spent time in church, [00:03:00] you might have a negative connotation to that word, but these were the religious elite of that day. Many people have suggested that there were never more than 6,000.
Pharisees, and so this was a small group of very diehard people who were interested in following God to the letter of the law. They were the theological conservatives of that day. We also know he's educated. He has a Greek name.
Most people who lived in Judea had Hebrew or Aramaic names. If you were in the upper class, you would also have a Greek name. Now, the fact that Nicodemus is going by his Greek name is an indicator that not only is he educated, but that's how he sees himself. He sees himself as set apart as probably more educated, more elite than many other people around him.
I'm a college man. I won't need my high school diploma anymore.
jeremy_3_03-31-2025_123331: We also know that he's very involved. [00:04:00] Community. He's a leader of the Jews. He's a member of what's called the Sanhedrin, which would be a, politician in that day. He's part of the Jewish ruling class, and despite all of these credentials in this conversation, John makes him look lost.
He's just confused by what Jesus is saying. It's a reminder that intimacy with God is about participation, not qualification.
For all of his efforts, for all of his pedigrees. He still doesn't know who Jesus really is. And so he may sound like he's got it all together, but this is someone who's exploring and he's doing it at night. 'cause he doesn't want other people to know what he doesn't know. He's trying to figure Jesus out.
And what we see in this encounter as Jesus interacts with this man that seemed to have everything going for him, is that Nicodemus still has a need that only Jesus can fill [00:05:00] for him. He would've been one of those guys that that appeared to have it all. But in the quiet of night, he comes to Jesus and reveals how he really feels.
And then we see in John chapter three verse nine, how are these things possible? Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, you are a respected Jewish teacher. I. And yet you don't understand these things I love. It's just toying with them. I assure you. We tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony.
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? This is Jesus Dunking on Nicodemus a little bit here saying, look, Nicodemus, if you can't handle the basic things I'm trying to explain to you. How could I explain bigger things to you than that?
the truth. You can't handle the truth.
jeremy_3_03-31-2025_123331: Now, this passage ends in [00:06:00] uncertainty for Nicodemus. We're not quite sure like what happens next and what does he do with this interaction with Jesus. But we're gonna find Nicodemus again throughout the gospel, and it seems that this encounter launches him on a journey In chapter seven, we'll see him show up and he's gonna defend Jesus.
In front of other Pharisees in front of his peers. Now he's not coming at night in chapter seven. He's gonna do it in the daylight in front of his peers. And then in chapter 19, we're gonna find Nicodemus anointing Jesus' body after his death. So this encounter he has with Jesus seems to begin an incredible journey for him, but it's a journey that begins with unlearning.
Many of the things that Nicodemus probably thought he knew.
It reminds me of what Barbara Brown Taylor has said. The problem is many of the [00:07:00] people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do Now, I love this story of Nicodemus encountering Jesus because it's a reminder to you and I that even when we think we've got things figured out about God, even if you've been in church your whole life, you've been raised in this and you're like, no, I've heard all the right answers.
There is always an unlearning that is at the heart of a journey with Jesus. We must be willing to challenge those things that maybe we've been told for many, many years, and yet we realize they might be the things keeping us from this next experience with Jesus. One of the incredible things to me, I grew up in the church, grew up as a preacher's kid was in ministry for decades, and yet in my forties, I'm finding that I'm still unlearning things that I have assumed for many years.
And in [00:08:00] the process I'm learning new things. Jesus, this is what we can take away from the story of Nicodemus, and it's an invitation for you and I to learn new things about Jesus as we unlearn some of the old things that may be in the way. I'll see you next week on Rebuilding Faith.
Jeremy: You wanted to go deeper in your faith, but maybe you're not sure how. I wanna invite you to join us in the online community for rebuilding Faith. This is a place for you to connect with like-minded people, explore big ideas, and share your journey with other people. Check out the link in the notes below to find out more.
