When God Showed Up For Nicodemus

When God Showed Up For Nicodemus

John 3:1–21

Nicodemus comes at night. He’s a Pharisee. A ruler of the Jews. A teacher of Israel.

He has credentials but something is missing. He comes at night to find Jesus and when he does, his titles mean nothing.

“Rabbi, we know You are a teacher come from God…”

He tries to control the conversation. Keep it theological. Safe. But Jesus cuts straight to the heart:

“You must be born again.”

Not: “Try harder” or “Be more religious.” Not: “Improve your behavior.” Jesus is saying the problem isn’t effort. Religion can’t fix a dead heart.

Nicodemus is stunned. Jesus just told one of the most religious men in Israel that he’s spiritually dead. Nicodemus thinks he needs more rules. Jesus says he needs new life.

“How can a man be born when he is old?”

Nicodemus had read Scripture his whole life yet, standing before the Living Word, he realizes how little he truly knows. Jesus says:

“You are the teacher of Israel,

and you do not understand these things?”

There it is again … that same principal about getting close to God. The closer we get, the more we realize how far we really are.

Jesus invites him closer:

“For God so loved the world…”

Those words have become the world’s most famous invitation. It’s not just for Nicodemus. This story is included in the Bible for you and I to read and learn from. The whole world is given the same opportunity that was offered to a searching Pharisee.

Now, did you ever wonder why this story takes place at night? Think of it like this: Nicodemus came in darkness and Jesus offered him Light. Isn’t that how we all come to Jesus? Colossians tells us:

“He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

Interestingly, Nicodemus doesn’t respond immediately. But he later defends Jesus publicly and, in John 19, he helps bury Him.

Those happened in the daylight. Courage replaced caution. Light replaced darkness. New birth replaced spiritual deadness.

That’s what rebirth looks like.

You can know Scripture and still miss the Savior. You can be religious

and still be lost. But when God shows up, He exposes what religion hides —

a heart in need of rebirth.