The sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of John tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. The setting for this well known verse is quite compelling. The Gospel tells us that an important religious leader, a Pharisee named Nicodemus came at night to speak with Jesus.
Nicodemus was not your run-of-the-mill Pharisee. We are told that he was, “a ruler of the Jews” (v. 1). This means he was an elite Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin – today's political equivalent of a U.S. Senator.
Nicodemus starts things off by saying, “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” (v. 2). In essence he was saying, “Hey Jesus – some of us in our group have been watching you and we are really impressed with the cool things you're doing. We're convinced you're from God and in fact, we'd like to welcome you to our little club.”
Jesus could have said to him, “Gosh, thanks for noticing the fine details of my ministry. You know, we should grab some coffee sometime. Can I get your email?”. Jesus didn't do that. He came right to the point. It's the point that Nicodemus had completely missed. Jesus spoke right to the heart of the matter and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). Jesus is really telling Nicodemus, “You are missing it – you've missed the most important thing all your life. You are an expert in the scriptures, but you've missed what the scriptures are all about...me” (John 5:46). Jesus is saying, “It's not about your knowledge of the Law. In order to enter God's Kingdom, you must first die to yourself and put your total faith in me. That's what born again means.”
Right away, Nicodemus was caught off-guard and admitted it. And Jesus looked right at him and said, “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?” (v. 10).
Nicodemus had come to believe that a specialized knowledge called legalism brought him close to God. This specialized knowledge constructs man-made rules which appear to draw us near to God. The illusion is very convincing, but legalism actually moves us away from God and will only bring us to ourselves. Legalism will artificially assuage our need for a Savior. In reality, our need for him is relentless. Nicodemus was drowning in himself, but ignored that he desperately needed Jesus to save him. He should have known this from reading the scriptures, but he was oblivious.
Some scholars doubt that Jesus actually uttered the words of John 3:16. They believe that these words were not part of this conversation, but that they are merely commentary by the author of the Gospel. I reject this notion for several reasons (which I won't cover here). But let's assume for a minute that it was actually Jesus who spoke the words of John 3:16.
What's amazing is what he said right before those famous words: “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.” (vv. 14-15). In the Old Testament, the Jews were dealing with a self-imposed problem of snakes biting and killing people, so the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and raise it up on a pole. Then when anyone would get bit, they would merely look up at the pole and they would be healed instantly (Num. 21:9).
Think about that for a minute – in order to be healed, they had to look at an image of what bit them in the first place. Jesus knew that one day he would die on a cross – and he knew that he would “become a curse” in order to redeem us from the “curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13). Jesus died on a cross to save us from our sins, but he also saved us from the Law – from legalism. Jesus is telling Nicodemus, “In order to be completely acceptable to the Father, you need to look to me and place your trust in me. That's what it means to be born again – it means to stop relying on yourself and trust in me.
Jesus then looked him in the eye and said: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (v. 16). The Gospel of John places an emphasis on how Jesus reveals and honors his Father. And now he is revealing the Father to a high-ranking Jewish official. John 3:16 is from the Father's point of view – it is God who so loved the world...and it is God who gave his only Son. It is the ultimate act of a Father who loves us and wants to fellowship with us.
On the surface, legalism offers many benefits. It allows Christians to feel like they are in a club, where all that's required is to pay their dues. None of us are completely immune from the promises of legalism, but John 3:16 is a reminder and a promise – it's a reminder that Jesus died on the cross and a promise that we are saved by God's grace.
(This article highlights my preaching series through the Gospel of John. My sermons originate from Roots Family Church - Lake Elsinore 951-764-7642)
