John 3:10-17 CSB
"Are you a teacher of Israel and don't know these things?" Jesus replied. [11] "Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. [12] If I have told you about earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? [13] No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended 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] so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. [16] For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will 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.
To Save the World
When I look at my life, I can see times of being bullied, having things that I loved taken from me, betrayals, and the list goes on. Then I look and see where I responded in kind. This is a fallen world, and hurt people hurt people. I find today that it is easier to look back and ask, what in their life made them to lash out against me. As I review my life—and I believe this is for most people—there was just a desire to be loved. I see this look on animals in the shelter, the broken heart of someone betrayed, and the endless desires to satisfy this love with things of this world. The problem is that this world is imperfect, and the momentary feeling will evaporate over time.
Then something miraculously happens to some of us. We find the love of the Father that surpasses all understanding and will never fade like the things of this world. We find a sacrificial, loyal love that will not tear us down, but nourish us as His own children.
Nicodemus was seeking more truth than what he had. He was also afraid of the consequences of the world if he stepped out and confessed that Jesus had the answers. Nicodemus had the initial spark of faith. He was not ready for more knowledge, to know Heavenly truths, because he still did not understand the fundamentals of a faith that saves and a changed heart. It takes an experience of coming to the Father and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
We see later in the book of John that Nicodemus threw off his cloak of secrecy. He boldly came to Pilate with Joseph of Arimathea to ask for Jesus’ body to be placed in a tomb. He no longer hid his faith in fear. This act of love, helping to bury Jesus in a rich man’s tomb, not only fulfilled prophecy, but led to the stone being rolled away on the third day. Death could not hold Jesus.
Jesus was lifted up so that our sins might be forgiven. He was lifted up so that we might have life. Jesus was lifted up not to condemn the world, but so that all who might believe in Him will have eternal life with the Father. This life of love that we all long for. The fulfillment of being with the Father who is the source of love through His Son.
Reflection Questions
- When you look at the “hurt people hurt people” cycle in your own past, how does the Father’s “loyal love” help you find healing?
- Nicodemus eventually moved from “secret seeker” to “bold follower.” Is there an area in your life where you are ready to “throw off the cloak of secrecy” regarding your faith?
- Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. How does that truth change the way you view God when you’ve made a mistake?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You for Your sacrificial and loyal love. We thank You that You did not send Your Son to point a finger at our failures, but to lift us out of them. Help us to stop searching for love in things that fade and instead rest in the eternal life You have provided. May we, like Nicodemus, grow in boldness and live lives that reflect the love of the Savior who was lifted up for us.
Amen.
