Nicodemus
A night visit and John 3:16
This story briefly mentions an Old Testament account of snakebites, as a picture Jesus uses to explain himself. It also mentions his burial.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He is in Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
- Nicodemus: A Pharisee and a leader of the Jewish people. He is a respected teacher who comes to Jesus with questions.
Setting
- Jerusalem, the city of the temple. John does not say where they met.
When
- At night, about 2,000 years ago, near the start of Jesus's work.
Before the Story
Jesus was in Jerusalem for Passover. Many people saw the signs he did there and believed in him (2:23). A sign is a miracle that points to who Jesus is.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a Jewish group devoted to carefully keeping God's law. Nicodemus was also one of the leaders of his people.
Long ago, God healed people through a bronze snake. In the wilderness, snakes bit the Israelites. God told Moses to put a bronze snake on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived (Numbers 21:8-9).
Here's what you know that Nicodemus doesn't: At the very start, John tells us that God gives people a new birth. They become God's children, "born of God" (1:13).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A visitor at night | 3:1-2 | Nicodemus comes to Jesus |
| 2. Born again? | 3:3-4 | Jesus speaks of a new birth. Nicodemus asks how |
| 3. Water and the Spirit | 3:5-8 | Jesus talks about the Spirit and the wind |
| 4. "How can this be?" | 3:9-13 | Nicodemus is still puzzled |
| 5. Lifted up | 3:14-15 | Jesus remembers the bronze snake |
| 6. God so loved the world | 3:16-17 | Why God sent his Son |
| 7. Light and darkness | 3:18-21 | Light comes into the world |
| 8. Nicodemus comes back | 7:50-51, 19:38-40 | Later, Nicodemus appears again |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 8A Visitor at Night
It was night in Jerusalem. A man came to see Jesus. His name was Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee and a leader of the Jewish people.
The Bible doesn't say why Nicodemus came at night. But remember, John uses light and darkness as a picture all through his book (1:5). Some readers think Nicodemus wanted a quiet talk. Others think he did not want to be seen.
Nicodemus called Jesus "Rabbi." That means "teacher." He said, "We know you are a teacher from God. No one could do these signs unless God was with him."
Nicodemus spoke with respect. He knew about the signs, and he came to Jesus to talk.
Scene 2 of 8Born Again?
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (3:3).
"Truly, truly" was Jesus's way of saying, "Listen. This is important." The kingdom of God means God's rule, the way God runs things.
The Greek word for "again" can also mean "from above." Jesus may have meant both. It is a new birth, and it comes from God.
Nicodemus understood the words in the plain, literal way. "How can a man be born when he is old?" he asked. "Can he enter his mother's womb a second time to be born?" (3:4). The womb is where a baby grows before birth.
That was a fair question. People are only born once.
Scene 3 of 8Water and the Spirit
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit" (3:5).
Jesus explained that a human birth gives human life. The Spirit gives a new kind of life. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, God's own Spirit.
Jesus told Nicodemus not to be amazed at this. Then Jesus talked about the wind.
"The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going" (3:8).
This is a comparison. You cannot see the wind or control it. But you can hear it and see what it does. The Spirit works like that. People do not make themselves born of the Spirit. God does it.
Scene 4 of 8"How Can This Be?"
Nicodemus was still puzzled. "How can this be?" he asked (3:9).
"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and you do not understand these things?" (3:10). Nicodemus was a teacher of the Scriptures. One likely reason for Jesus's question: the prophets had promised that God would give his people a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Jesus said that he spoke about what he knew and had seen. But people did not accept it. Jesus said they did not believe him about earthly things. So it would be even harder for them to believe him about heavenly things.
Then Jesus said that no one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven. That one is the Son of Man. "Son of Man" is a name Jesus used for himself.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 5 of 8Lifted Up
Then Jesus spoke of an old story from the time of Moses. You read about it before the story began. Long ago, snakes bit the Israelites in the wilderness. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People who looked at it lived.
Jesus said, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up" (3:14).
Why? "That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life" (3:15).
Here's what you know that Nicodemus doesn't know yet: Jesus would be lifted up on a cross. Later in John's Gospel, Jesus speaks again about being lifted up. John explains that this pointed to the way Jesus would die (12:32-33).
Scene 6 of 8God So Loved the World
Then come the most famous words in this story.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (3:16).
To perish means to die and be lost. Eternal life is life with God that never ends. It starts now and lasts forever.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (3:17). To condemn is to judge someone guilty and punish them. God sent Jesus to rescue, not to punish.
Scene 7 of 8Light and Darkness
The words go on. They say that people who believe in God's Son are not condemned. People who do not believe are condemned already.
"The Light has come into the world" (3:19). This is a comparison. Jesus is the Light.
But people loved the darkness more than the Light, because their deeds were evil. People who do evil hate the Light. They stay away from it, because they are afraid their deeds will be seen.
The words also say that people who live by the truth come into the Light. Then everyone can see that God was at work in what they did.
Nicodemus had come at night. And he had come to Jesus, the Light.
Scene 8 of 8Nicodemus Comes Back
John does not tell us how Nicodemus answered that night. But Nicodemus shows up again.
Later, some leaders wanted to arrest Jesus. Nicodemus spoke up. "Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?" (7:51). He meant that the law says a person must be heard before being judged.
After Jesus died on the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus's body. Nicodemus came too. He brought myrrh and aloes, spices for burial, about 75 pounds of them. Together they wrapped Jesus's body in linen cloths with the spices. This was the Jewish way to bury someone. John reminds us that this is the man who came to Jesus at night.
Jesus had been lifted up on the cross. On the night Nicodemus came to him, Jesus had said this would happen.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God" (3:2) | Nicodemus took Jesus seriously. He came with respect and real questions. |
| "Born again" (3:3) | The Greek word can mean "again" or "from above." Both are true. It is a new start, and it comes from God. |
| "Born of water and the Spirit" (3:5) | One likely background: God's promise through Ezekiel to give clean water and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Lutherans connect these words to Baptism, where God gives new birth through water and the Spirit. Some Christians read them differently. Some think "water" means ordinary human birth. Others think it points to John the Baptist's baptism. |
| "The wind blows where it wishes" (3:8) | This is a comparison. In Greek, one word can mean both "wind" and "spirit." The Spirit is free and real, like the wind. |
| "So the Son of Man must be lifted up" (3:14) | This points to the cross. The Israelites looked at the snake and lived. People look to Jesus on the cross and live. |
| "His one and only Son" (3:16) | Jesus is God's Son in a way no one else is. God gave what was most precious to him. |
| "Not... to condemn the world, but to save the world" (3:17) | God's goal in sending Jesus is rescue. |
Back Then
Nicodemus was a leader. Many scholars think "a leader of the Jews" means he was part of the Sanhedrin. That was the high council of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
The bronze snake was a real object. Moses made it in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9). Hundreds of years later, people began to burn incense to it. So King Hezekiah broke it into pieces (2 Kings 18:4). God had used it to heal, but it was never meant to be worshiped (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Myrrh and aloes were spices for burial. Myrrh is a gum that flows from a tree found in Africa and Arabia. It was used in preparing bodies for burial (Easton's Bible Dictionary). About 75 pounds was a very large amount (19:39).
The first Bibles had no quotation marks. Greek was written without them. So we don't know exactly where Jesus's words end and John's own comments begin. Some Bibles close the quote after verse 15. Others, like the BSB, close it after verse 21. Either way, careful readers agree that John 3:16 tells the truth about God.
Literal Reader Alert
Did Nicodemus really think people could be born twice from their mothers? The Bible doesn't say what he thought. He asked about the plain meaning of the words. That was a very natural question. Jesus was using a comparison. He meant a new life that God gives, not a second baby birth. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Was Jesus making fun of Nicodemus? No. Jesus called him "Israel's teacher" (3:10). He expected a teacher of the Scriptures to know God's promises about the Spirit. Jesus kept talking with him. He did not send him away.
Is it bad to come to Jesus at night, or with questions? No. Nicodemus came with questions, and Jesus answered him. Later, Nicodemus asked for a fair hearing for Jesus and honored him at his burial.
Does "condemned already" mean God is waiting to punish people? Verse 18 is serious. But verse 17 comes first. God did not send Jesus to condemn. John uses darkness as a comparison for being far from God. People were already in that darkness before Jesus came (3:19). Jesus came to rescue them from it. If you worry that your faith is not enough, remember: faith is a gift. The Spirit gives it, like the wind that blows where it wishes (3:8).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nicodemus | Curious | He knew about Jesus's signs and believed God was with him (3:2) |
| Nicodemus | Confused | Jesus talked about being born again (3:4, 3:9) |
| Jesus | Patient | He kept explaining, even when Nicodemus did not understand (3:5-15) |
| Nicodemus | Brave | He asked the other leaders to give Jesus a fair hearing (7:50-51) |
| Nicodemus | Caring | He brought spices for Jesus's burial (19:39) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
If you could visit Jesus at night, what would you bring? Tap one.
Lots of questions
Nicodemus did too. Jesus did not send him away. Questions are welcome.
I'm confused
So was Nicodemus. He asked, "How can this be?" Jesus kept talking with him.
Something I hide
Jesus is the Light. He came to save, not to condemn. You can bring it to him. You can also tell a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
Thanks for his love
God so loved the world. That includes you.
You Might Have Heard
"To be born again, you have to make a choice and do it yourself."
What's true: Faith matters. Jesus said that everyone who believes in him has eternal life (3:15).
What the story is mainly about: Nobody gives birth to themselves. Jesus said the new birth comes from God's Spirit, like the wind that blows where it wishes (3:8). Faith is a gift. The Holy Spirit brings us to trust in Jesus.
Where Jesus is: Lifted up on the cross, like the bronze snake. God gave his Son so that we could live (3:14-16).
Good News
Nicodemus came at night with questions. Jesus did not turn him away. Jesus told Nicodemus the best news there is.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (3:17).
In Baptism, God gives this new birth by water and the Spirit. You don't make it happen. God does.
God loves the world so much that he gave his Son. That love is for you.
Big Idea
God so loved the world that he gave his Son, and by the Spirit he gives us a new birth.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism, Luther asks how water can do such great things in Baptism. He answers that the water itself does not do it. God's word with the water, and faith that trusts that word, make it a washing of new birth in the Holy Spirit. Luther points to Titus 3:5, which calls Baptism "the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
Luther also explains the Third Article of the Creed. He teaches that we cannot come to Jesus by our own understanding or strength. The Holy Spirit calls us through the gospel. This fits what Jesus told Nicodemus: the Spirit gives the new birth.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads John 3:1-17 on the Second Sunday in Lent in Year A, and on Trinity Sunday in Year B. It reads John 3:14-21 on the Fourth Sunday in Lent in Year B. It also reads John 3:13-17 on Holy Cross Day, September 14.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
How did that feel?