And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
-John 3:14-15
One of the most inspiring stories in all of Scripture is when Nicodemus meets Jesus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dead of night, most likely because he didn’t want any of the other Pharisees to see him speaking with Jesus. He makes an startling statement when he says, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him (John 3:2). Now although Nicodemus was concerned with the signs that Jesus had done, Jesus cuts right to the chase and answers him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven (3:3). No punches thrown – directly to the heart of the issue.
The issue with Jesus is not that He can perform miracles and signs and wonders; He’s God and God can do those things. The issue with Jesus is that He is able to give eternal life to those who would believe in Him. Nicodemus, no doubt being an intelligent man, thinks that to be born again is not only impossible but it is a ridiculous notion as well. But that doesn’t stop Jesus. Jesus begins to tell Nicodemus what He means. In order for Nicodemus to be born again he must be born of the water and the Spirit (3:5). Now there are two interpretations for this saying. One interpretation says that the water refers to the physical birth and the Spirit refers to the spiritual birth. Another interpretation says that the water is representative of the Word of God – the Scriptures – and the Spirit refers to the working of the Holy Spirit in a man’s life. For argument sake, we will move forward with the second interpretation of these words.
Now Nicodemus must have been perplexed at this point because Jesus says to him in 3:7, Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ He apparently was trying to figure out exactly what it was that Jesus Christ was saying. He then illustrates how the Holy Spirit moves in the hearts and minds of men. Just as the wind blows where it does, so the Spirit moves in the way He does. You may hear the sound of the wind but you can’t see the wind; you only see the effects of the wind. So it is with the Holy Spirit. He moves in the hearts of men and you can’t see Him but you can see the effects of the Spirit moving in the lives of men. When the Holy Spirit brings a dead soul to life in Jesus Christ you can see the effects of said salvation.
Nicodemus is still not sure as the tenor of Jesus Christ’s words. He asks Jesus in 3:9, How can these things be? Jesus Christ, who apparently has a great sense of humor, says to Nicodemus, Aren’t you a teacher of Israel? You mean to tell me you don’t have a clue? Now the Pharisees prided themselves on knowing what the Scriptures say, but Nicodemus had no idea that what he knows from the Old Testament Scriptures is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus chides Nicodemus knowing that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Remember, Nicodemus was more concerned with the miracles and signs and wonders; Jesus is concerned for His soul.
Now Jesus knows what He’s talking about and it makes it clear to Nicodemus: We speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man (3:11-13). Very clearly stated, Jesus Christ tells Nicodemus who He is. This is the case with all of us who have believed in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ, we can’t know anything about God. Without Jesus Christ, there is no such thing as knowledge of our need for salvation from sin and self.
So what does Jesus Christ say at this point? And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (3:14-15). There it is! Exaltation of Himself! Jesus Christ declaring that He is the One who can give life that is eternal, abundant and free from the clutches of sin and self. What Nicodemus failed to know and understand was that everything that he knew about the Old Testament Law and Prophets was lifting up the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior. But what does all of this mean for you and for me today?
It simply means that we, too, must exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of our various ministries at the First Baptist Church of Leonard. Our purpose is to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and to make Him known to as many as we possibly can. This means that whether it is children’s ministry, music ministry, student ministry or adult ministry the Lord Jesus Christ is to be at the forefront of everything that we teach.
