When a student goes to school to learn, they do not already know all the information in the text. Some of it they may know but they do not know it all. At they study, practice and meditate on the information, understanding comes. It is the same with the word of God. We do not know it all, but as we study what is in the text we can began to understand it with practice, meditation and the help of the Holy Spirit.
I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:11-21
Nicodemus. The Truth of God. We left off yesterday with Nicodemus still not understanding the message Jesus was trying to give. We have here Jesus telling Nicodemus what one must do to be born again.
He uses an example that Nicodemus would understand. Nicodemus would have heard about and learned about what Moses did with the snake in the wilderness. That when the people looked upon the snake after they had been bitten by one, they would be healed. Jesus uses this example to express to Nicodemus a spiritual truth through a earthly example. That truth is that when the sting of sin is upon your life you will not live until you look up to the one that can remove the poison of that sin and that is Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father and the redeemer of man.
Even though Jesus tells Nicodemus that you do not understand, he tells him this truth anyway. Why do you think Jesus did that? I believe it is Jesus showing us to sow seeds even if the ground may not seem ready to receive it. We have no way of knowing what God will do to the soil to prepare it.
We do not see from this scripture how Nicodemus received this seed. I wondered about whatever happened to Nicodemus after this and if you don't know you'll be surprised that he did not just drop off the scene. We'll look at what happened to him tomorrow.
But for today, let us rejoice in the fact that Jesus will give us his truth, even if we are not ready or able to comprehend it all right now. He gives it to us because he wants all to have the opportunity to hear the truth and to be able to make a choice on what they will do. Because of this, no man can say that God has been unfair in his dealings with them, for God is just. For God will make sure that every man hears and what we hear, we are held accountable to.
Lord help us to not only hear your truth today, but help us to understand it, and accept it. Help us not to simply walk away from it.
