John 2:23-3:21.
In this section, John is contrasting positions of the heart. First, he describes a worldly crowd that is awed by Jesus' many miracles. It's a bandwagon thing. It's an entertainment thing. It's the signs they are loving, not Him. Again, we are reminded of the pointed question Jesus posed, "What do you want?". Do we want His presents or His presence? Next enters Nicodemus, a man of many masks, taking them off, one at a time, and coming into authentic belief. This is a picture of modern man, where we can pose as different characters in different settings for whatever may benefit our reputation. May we burn our masks and be the man God wants us to be- real and genuine in every venue. Jesus knows our motives. There's no fooling Him. At the end of the day, may we be found true.
Nicodemus comes at night, either needing secret or just needing a longer amount of time with Jesus who had been around crowds all day. He climbs the exterior ladder leading to the roof where Jesus was sitting in the cool of night. Nicodemus had no idea he would be the recipient of the most famous passage in the bible. The two main points of the gospel are presented: you must be born again and the Son of Man must be lifted up. Born again? To be saved, one must first be born a human, for they are the targets of salvation. Then, they must experience the miracle of transformation by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is the birth of the Spirit, a new creation from God Himself. Jesus may have felt the breeze blowing on that rooftop and used it as to explain. We can't see the wind. We see the effects of the wind. We know it's real, but don't know where it comes from or where it goes. That's the miracle of the Spirit. It's the miracle of grace undeserved. It's amazing, how God can take a mortal, sinful man, and redeem him into an immortal, righteous being. Salvation truly belongs to God!
The Son of Man must be lifted up. Why in the world would Jesus point to Moses' story of the Israelites getting bitten by snakes? You have to consider the position of the people's hearts in that story to understand the setting for salvation. God had given specific instructions for Moses to build the brass pole, wrap the brass snake on it, and lift it up. The people were told to look upon the object to receive healing. Now, friends, I don't believe it was the pole/snake that did the healing. I believe it was their obedience to God's instructions. Why did it work though? Their souls and bodies were at their lowest point of humble desperation. They realized they were destitute and without hope. That is still the requirement for any soul that will be truly saved. If we are sold out for just seeing signs and miracles, we just might miss this. We have to recognize our lowly position as sinners in desperate need of a Savior. His name is Jesus. We have to have the perfect sacrifice die in our stead. Jesus died on our behalf, lifted up on that cross. That sacrifice was sufficient enough to cover our need. He came to save us. The invitation stands for all who wish to look upon Him with their destitute eyes and receive their eternal healing for their souls.
A side point includes Jesus practically chastising Nicodemus for not knowing these things. He was a member of the Pharisees, a group that was high and mighty, claiming to know most everything. He is basically saying to us, "Come on, you should be further along than this. Read your bibles. Where is your faith?"
It was because of God's great love that He sent His son, Jesus, with the purpose of dealing with the problem of sin, once and for all. He provided the Way of salvation, that if we looked to Him as our Savior and entrusted our lives to Him, we would have eternal life. John 3:16 is probably the most famous of all bible verses, but I wonder how many people realize it was Jesus who said it?
This bit about condemnation is likened to a convicted man in prison. He is saying we are already condemned because we were born in unbelief. We are that man imprisoned. The Governor comes with the pardon to set us free forever. All we have to do is receive it. The choice is ours. Will you love the Light that has come into the world? Or will you hate it? This invitation is for "whosoever". What will you decide?
