Youth Sunday
For Meditation
In our Come and See series we’ve seen a number of people come to Jesus because others had invited them to come and see him. This week, as we look at John 3:1-21, we meet Nicodemus who is coming to see Jesus not because of someone’s invitation, but because of his own curiosity. He comes at night, in the dark, and he comes with questions.
The phrase “being left in the dark” is often used to describe situations in which we find ourselves not knowing something, and when we don’t know something, we tend to ask questions. Nicodemus came to Jesus being in the dark about who he was and what he was all about and so he asked questions. Jesus, as he so often did, never gave Nicodemus a direct answer but instead responded to Nicodemus’ questions with more questions. Jesus wasn’t being difficult; in fact, he was helping Nicodemus move from being in the dark to being more in the light intellectually and more importantly spiritually.
There is nothing wrong with coming to see Jesus and to bring questions to him. We all (should) have questions about and for Jesus, and he welcomes them! While we may want very specific answers we also have to know that Jesus will often answer our questions in ways that we don’t initially understand but that will always move us from darkness to light in him.
What kinds of questions do you have for or about Jesus? When he responds, will you be willing to move more into the light that only he can give? Jesus wants us to be in his light and he’ll answer our questions in love to move us there. So come to Jesus with your questions and see how he moves you to live in his light.
John 3:1-21
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.