Dissonance: Jesus & Nicodemus

00:00:00 Speaker 1: For God so loved the world that he gave us one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John three sixteen. Dear Lord, to day we take time to thank you for the gift of salvation. Although salvation has been freely given to us, it came at a great cost. Thank you for sending your son to live, suffer, die, and rise again so we may live life everlasting. Teach us to live in the light of salvation, no longer slaves to sin, shame and darkness. We don't want to take salvation for granted. Give us assurance of your love for us, so we may walk boldly and confidently. We are chosen, adopted and beloved. We're no longer slaves to sin. We are free in you. Thank you Lord in Jesus's name. Amen, thank you for praying with me Today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast Epic Stories inspired by the Gospels. Today we'll catch a glimpse of an intimate conversation that gave us the most iconic Bible verse ever written. If you want to partner with us in our mission to bring the Bible to life in new ways, follow this podcast on whatever platform you're listening to. Doing so, we'll keep you updated, but also help us get discovered by more people. That way, we can reach the whole world with the story of Jesus. Lamp danced shadows and lights against the cold stone walls. The flame revealed a singular shadow creeping toward the home where Jesus was staying. The hooded figure approached the door and knocked three times. The lamp revealed the ground below, but the man's face was still hidden under his hood. The door cracked open, revealing the skeptical face of a Galileean fisherman. What do you want, Simon asked in a hush tone. Earlier that day, Jesus had flipped tables in the temple courtyard. Simon was on edge, wondering if the Pharisees would send guards to seize him. The stranger at the door wore blue fringed robes and a leather amulet around his neck. Not only was he a Pharisee, but he was a prominent face. The signet ring on his finger revealed he was a member of the Sanhedron. 00:03:07 Speaker 2: I have come to speak with Jesus. 00:03:11 Speaker 1: The man looked over his shoulder, then removed his hood. The lamplight revealed a well groomed gray beard and soft eyes. His voice was deep and familiar to any Jew in Jerusalem. 00:03:26 Speaker 2: My name is Nicodemus. I know who you are. What do you want with Jesus? Is there any one with you? 00:03:36 Speaker 1: Simon postured and looked around, fearful of who might be around the corner. But his paranoia was quickly quelled when Jesus spoke from within. 00:03:47 Speaker 3: It's all right, Simon, there's nothing to fear. Let him in. 00:03:52 Speaker 1: Simon looked back at Jesus, then looked Nicodemus up and down again. With a grunt. He let the pharisee in. Nicodemus pristine robes and well groomed beard contrasted with the humble and rugg at home where Jesus was staying. 00:04:09 Speaker 3: Have a seat, Nicodemus, How can I help you? 00:04:13 Speaker 4: Do you have questions for God? Have you ever been confused about some aspect of his nature? Have you ever struggled to understand something you've read in the Bible? You see, we've all had questions when it comes to our faith. In John sixteen, Jesus tells his disciples that the spirit will come and lead God's people into all truth. If we're willing to ask our questions and are open to receiving truth, God will give us the answers we meet, although they might not be the answers we want. This is the Jesus Podcast, Biblical reflection coupled with cinematic storytelling. I'm Zach your host from pray dot Com. Listen along as we discover the importance of questions and, more importantly, the internal impact of the answers that God gives. I want you to imagine a secret meeting, a secret meeting with the w one person your peers are wholly opposed to imagine, hiding in the shadows and security of privacy to meet the politician, the celebrity, the personality that every single one of your friends hates with all of their being. This is precisely where Nicodemus finds himself. In the quiet night, with nothing but the faint flicker of a few lamps, he enters the house in which Jesus was staying. He wants to inquire more about what Jesus was doing. The miracles, the teachings, the movement catching speed, and the true meaning behind it. All, Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a Jewish religious leader. As such, there was much to deal with Jesus's ministry, flipping traditional Jewish ideas and philosophies on their heads. While the majority of Pharisees were ready to do away with Jesus, it appears that Nicodemus has some more questions. He wants to dig deeper into the heart of what's really going on. If you've ever had questions about God, the Bible, and faith, you're not alone. Questions are good, but the answers that God provides are even better. 00:06:02 Speaker 1: The Pharisee sat up straight, with his shoulder's back. He tapped the table nervously and looked. 00:06:08 Speaker 2: Around the room. 00:06:11 Speaker 1: Simon watched them with crossed arms, while James and John leaned back on the wall. Jesus, sensing nicodemus discomfort, gestured to his disciples and said. 00:06:24 Speaker 3: Friends, will you excuse us for a few moments? I think Nathaniel and Matthew were on the roof arguing about constellations. 00:06:31 Speaker 1: James and John left immediately, but Simon lingered before finally bowing his head and leaving. Jesus sat at the table across from Nicodemus. He poured him a cup and slid it to him. How can I help you, Jesus asked again, this time with a familiar tenderness in his voice. 00:06:53 Speaker 2: Rabbi, it's indisputable that you are a teacher sent by God. My men have confirmed the rumors about the miracles and signs you have performed. You certainly wouldn't be able to do those things without God's favor upon you. 00:07:13 Speaker 1: It wasn't a question or request. Nicodemus was looking to discourse with Jesus. He opened up the conversation for Jesus to explain why he performed miracles and flip the tables in the temple. Had he come as a revolutionary, a prophet, a disruptor. Jesus took a sip from his cup. He paused a long while before answering his response. However, through Nicodemus off kild. 00:07:49 Speaker 3: It is hard to see what I am doing or where my authority comes from. Truly, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. I beg your pardon. Born again, Yes, born again. No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born anew a second birth. 00:08:12 Speaker 2: Good teacher, look at the gray hairs on my head. My mother has been resting in her grave for over a decade. Are you suggesting that someone needs to enter a second time into their mother's womb. 00:08:26 Speaker 1: Both men chuckled at the absurdity of the thought. There was a beautiful moment of connection, a moment where Nicodemus got a glimpse into heaven reflected in Jesus' smiling eyes. Jesus shook his head and wiped a joyful tear from his eye. 00:08:46 Speaker 3: No, Nicodemus, you were born once from your mother, and that is that this is a different kind of birth, the birth of the spirit. No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit, that which is flesh, gives birth to flesh, such as your mother. But the rebirth I speak of is of the spirit. The spirit gives birth to spirit. 00:09:15 Speaker 1: Nicodemus lean back at Jesus' words. It was a radical thought. Every Jew believe their birth into the family of Abraham made them justified, But Jesus was suggesting a different birth into a different lineage, a lineage of the spirit. Nicodemus leaned forward and whispered to Jesus as if speaking of such things was somehow dirty and uncomely. 00:09:45 Speaker 2: Rabbi, I must confess these sayings are surprising. How can we see such a second birth take place? How do you measure it? We have lineages to trace to Abraham, but nothing for something as ever real as the spirit. 00:10:05 Speaker 3: You shouldn't be surprised, Nicodemus. You've seen the wind. It blows wherever it pleases. 00:10:12 Speaker 2: You. 00:10:12 Speaker 3: Hear it sounds. You listen to the rustling of the leaves, and how it maps the courses of sails. But you haven't seen the wind. You can't measure its coming and going. It is the same with everyone born of the spirit. 00:10:31 Speaker 2: How can this be? How could we possibly be born of the spirit? 00:10:37 Speaker 3: Nicodemus, you're Israel's teacher? Do you not understand these things? I've spoken to you using earthly terms, but you can't understand. How then, am I supposed to speak to you about heavenly things? 00:10:51 Speaker 1: Icicademus wasn't usually flustered, but he was at a loss for words. Jesus was suggesting an upheaval of the norms he had spent decades preaching. 00:11:03 Speaker 2: I know you are sent from God that much is clear. But how do you know these things? Where does your inside come from? 00:11:14 Speaker 3: No one can look into heaven unless they came from heaven. 00:11:20 Speaker 1: There was a halt as nicodemus eyes went from flustered to frustrated to awe in seconds. The son of Man can speak from heaven. A smile curled at the end of Jesus's face. He nodded, seeing that Nicodemus was beginning to understand. 00:11:41 Speaker 3: The Son of Man can speak from heaven. Yes, and it is the son of Man brings eternal life. 00:11:47 Speaker 2: You are speaking about the Messiah. 00:11:50 Speaker 1: Nicodemus leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. His mind and heart were racing to keep up with Jesus claims. 00:11:58 Speaker 2: It is the Messiah who comes from heaven and the Messiah who brings eternal life. 00:12:04 Speaker 3: Do you remember the bronze serpent Moses lifted up for the people of Israel to be healed. 00:12:09 Speaker 2: Yes, certainly those who were afflicted by the snake's venom simply looked at the serpent raised on the paul and were healed. What does that have to do with the Messiah? 00:12:21 Speaker 3: Just as it was with the serpent, so must it be for the Messiah. He must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 00:12:32 Speaker 1: Nicodemus was no fool. He was one of the most renowned teachers in Israel. He was a member of the Sanhedron and a scholar of the law and prophets. But what Jesus was about to say next, Nicodemus would have never expected. 00:12:49 Speaker 3: It is love that moves the hand of God. Love is the mission of the son of Man. 00:12:57 Speaker 1: Nicodemus eyes began to water. The reality of Jesus' identity was slowly coming into focus. With a tense throat, he asked, what about. 00:13:09 Speaker 2: Judgment, what about condemning the oppression of Rome. 00:13:15 Speaker 1: Jesus shook his head and pressed his palms against the table. Nicodemus felt a shift in the air. His heart fluttered. He was coming to understand that he was on holy ground. Jesus, with the voice of God flowing through him like the rivers of Eden, said. 00:13:38 Speaker 3: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but save them from their sins. Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, But whoever does not believe wustan condemned already because they have rejected the salvation offered to them through the Sun. 00:14:11 Speaker 1: Nicodemus hands began to shake. He felt a mixture of awe and fear. He was coming to realize he was in the presence of the Son of God himself, yet fear still gripped him. The Sanhedrin was opposed to Jesus, and their hatred for him grew by the day. 00:14:36 Speaker 2: I don't know what to say. I must reserve my judgment for the council of the Sunhedron. 00:14:43 Speaker 1: I flustered, Nicodemus rose and knocked over the lantern, extinguishing the light. Everything was dark. Jesus rose from the table and picked up the lantern. He tended to the last bit of ember still emanating from the He blew on it gently, reigniting the flame. He placed the lantern in Nicodemus's hand. The newly stoked flame burned brightly, illuminating jesus intense yet gentle gaze. 00:15:18 Speaker 3: This is judgment, Nicodemus. Light has come into the world, But people love darkness because their deeds are evil. Those who are comfortable in the darkness run from the light. Everyone who does evil hates the light at first, and they will not step into it for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed. 00:15:41 Speaker 1: Jesus walked over to the door and lifted the lock. He cracked it open, revealing the cold and dark alleyway outside. 00:15:51 Speaker 3: But whoever lives by the truth steps into the light, and what they do is in the light. 00:15:58 Speaker 1: Nicodemus stood at the door and looked at Jesus. He knew he might spiral even more if he asked another question. He had to wrestle with these doubts and new truths. He had to compare Jesus' words with the beliefs embedded in his mind for decades. Nicodemus bowed his head and left with his lantern. The light of the lantern would fade with time, but the spark of heaven lit within Nicodemus would burn into eternity. 00:16:40 Speaker 4: Throughout Jesus's ministry, we see a variety of responses to what he was doing. Some gladly welcomed his work in teachings, while others found themselves angry at his claims. But somewhere in between these responses, some simply meant Christ with curiosity. They were unsure what they felt about his message. I think there's a beautiful honesty to that posture, the posture of well, I'm not sure who Jesus is, and I'm not ready to make any claims yet, but I'm willing. 00:17:06 Speaker 2: To find out. 00:17:07 Speaker 4: We often find Jesus exceptionally receptive to these individuals. In fact, Jesus purposefully created opportunities to draw them out of the crowds. Jesus frequently taught using metaphors and parables, earthly stories used to reflect a heavenly idea. The purpose of doing so is to create questions in the minds and hearts of his listeners, with the expectation that those truly curious about knowing more about God will approach him to learn more. Jesus doesn't want people to follow him with a blind and apathetic faith. He wants them to have faith grounded in honest pursuit of truth. He wants us to have a faith that's been tested by thought, questioning, an honest reflection. He wants us to grow in knowledge and understanding of the Lord and he wants us to grow an appreciation for the marvelous realities of God. He wants us to consider the mysteries of the universe, chew on them them and resigned to wonder. And what better way to learn about God than through asking questions. Questions are tools of the human mind. How we use them will determine how useful they are to us. Just like real earthly tools, questions can be used to build up or break down. Oftentimes, the scribes and Pharisees use questions to try and break down Jesus's claims to being the son of God. These types of questions weren't posed with the intention to gain understanding, but to confirm their own preconceived notions about God and push their own agenda. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work. In contrast to these types of questions, there are also good questions we can ask. Question asked with an openness to receiving new information or having our misunderstandings corrected. Questions posed with the purpose of deepening our relationship with God. In Luke two, we even see Jesus as a young boy going to the temple to sit among the teachers and ask questions. You see when we ask questions about God, we have to avoid what's called confirmation biases. We have to be open to our thoughts, feelings, and opinions about God shifting and changing. We have to ask our questions about God with humility, seek God with receptive ears, and listen with a desire to learn and respond with acceptance to the answers that He gives. And once we have those answers, we need to reflect, meditate, and internalize what we learn. We have to take our head knowledge and allow it to plant seeds in our hearts. Too often we open our Bibles seeking to confirm what we've already believed, instead of allowing it to challenge our preconceived notions about life, relationships, sin, and social issues. Ask yourself, real quick, when was the last time you opened the Bible and it truly changed your perspective in heart? Jesus's words are meant to challenge us, not just keep us tethered to all the beliefs and biases we already had. In our story, today we found Nicodemus. He was curious, and he was caught in the tension between receiving and rejecting Jesus. Nicodemus's questions. We're going to determ whether he rejected Jesus or chose to follow him. Nicodemus is a fascinating case study and how our questions can shape and mold our relationships to Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. They were the Jewish ruling council of the time. Pharisees were a lot like lawyers. They were experts in the law, and they settled disputes and interpretations, applications and ceremonial matters. They investigated things that were happening in society and deliberated on whether it honored the law or not. You see, most of the Pharisees had already made their judgments on Jesus. But while his peers passionately sought to condemn Jesus, Nicodemus chose to press in and ask questions. On this quiet night, Nicodemus wanted to make his judgment about Jesus. The name Nicodemus means victory of the people, and up to this point he had lived up to that name with the respect he gained from the people of Israel. But as he partakes in these midnight conversations with Jesus, Nicodemus isn't looking to have victory over Jesus, as the Pharisees typically would in their interactions with him. He was looking for something much more profound. He wanted to know who Jesus truly was, and what he was doing, and why he was willing to risk his reputation to do these things. In short, Nicodemus wanted to know if Jesus was really who he claimed to be. 00:21:19 Speaker 2: It's clear that. 00:21:20 Speaker 4: This time with Jesus was very impactful for Nicodemus. While we might not know how satisfied he was with Jesus's answers to his questions by the night's end, we're given a glimpse into their impact over time, as Nicodemus appeared two more times in the Gospels. The next time we saw Nicodemus was in John seven. In this passage, a group of Pharisees are upset with the temple guards for not having seized Jesus by bringing him in. But we read in John seven that Nicodemus actually advocates on Jesus's behalf. While Nicodemus may have not publicly declared his faith. Right away we see evidence that the seeds Jesus planted and John three are beginning to sprout. Don't see Nicodemus again till John nineteen, after Jesus's death on the cross. It's here when we see Nicodemus in a whole new light. The man who secretly came to ask questions to Jesus now publicly honored him by assisting in his burial. Church history actually hints that Nicodemus, Joseph Averimathea, and the famous historian Josephus were all friends and spoke about Jesus often. See what happens when we ask God our questions and allow his answers to satisfy our souls. To be whole, we must be willing to ask questions, but in addition to that, we must be willing to wrestle with the answers that God gives us. God doesn't despise our questions if they're asked with a genuine desire to know Him more. Maybe some of us, like Nicodemus, are hesitant to come to God with our questions. Maybe you're fearful of what others might think of you when you're searching for answers. Maybe you're worried about sounding dumb, but just like Nicodemus, if we're willing to step into the light of God, our minds will be illuminated eventually. Trust that God God knows what you need to hear. Believe with your heart that He has the answers that you're looking for. Be open to what He's going to say, and be open to transformation. In our next episode, we'll meet a woman who embodies the label outcast. She's been rejected by her peers because of her scandalous reputation. She's the last person a Jewish rabbi would be seen talking to. But lucky for us, Jesus wasn't just any old rabbi. Thanks again for listening. If you haven't yet shared this podcast with a friend, we would love it if you did so. 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