Hello and welcome
again to "Books of the Book."
00:00:20.60\00:00:22.81
My name is Deyvy
Rodriguez and I am so pleased
00:00:22.84\00:00:25.29
that you are able to take this
time to study the Bible with us.
00:00:25.32\00:00:29.23
And we are
studying the Gospel of John.
00:00:29.26\00:00:31.91
And in this
program we are studying--
00:00:31.94\00:00:33.68
we are focusing on
Nicodemus that is chapter 3.
00:00:33.71\00:00:38.21
And we are with Dr. Jon Paulien,
00:00:38.24\00:00:40.25
he is the Dean of Religion
at Loma Linda University.
00:00:40.28\00:00:45.30
And welcome again, Dr. Paulien.
00:00:45.33\00:00:48.86
It's good to be with
you again. Good to have you.
00:00:48.89\00:00:51.37
We are talking
today about Nicodemus.
00:00:51.40\00:00:54.10
We have all read the
story of Nicodemus in the Bible.
00:00:54.13\00:00:56.97
And the Bible says, and
we'll read it in a minute.
00:00:57.00\00:01:00.44
He comes to Jesus and he
has some questions and doubts.
00:01:00.47\00:01:04.57
And these answers
that Jesus gives to him
00:01:04.60\00:01:07.67
are just take-- have
taken him by surprise,
00:01:07.70\00:01:11.17
because apparently he
does not know this things
00:01:11.20\00:01:14.34
and he is a teacher.
00:01:14.37\00:01:16.02
So, where shall we start? Okay.
00:01:16.05\00:01:19.87
I think we can
start with the idea
00:01:19.90\00:01:22.05
that the stories
in the Gospel of John.
00:01:22.08\00:01:24.88
Well, they are real
stories actually occurred.
00:01:24.91\00:01:28.36
John selects and uses them
00:01:28.39\00:01:31.84
with a deeper
spiritual purpose in mind.
00:01:31.87\00:01:34.61
And this becomes evident
right in the first two verses
00:01:34.64\00:01:38.83
which so if our viewers want
to take a look it's 3:1 and 2.
00:01:38.86\00:01:45.54
And we're gonna look
at those in just a minute.
00:01:45.57\00:01:48.61
But these verses tie us
00:01:48.64\00:01:50.26
in with the previous
verses in the program.
00:01:50.29\00:01:53.28
In the last program I talked
about dual directional passages,
00:01:53.31\00:01:56.88
2:23-25 is such a
dual directional passage.
00:01:56.91\00:02:02.99
It builds on the
cleansing of the temple story,
00:02:03.02\00:02:06.16
but it also bridges over
to the story of Nicodemus.
00:02:06.19\00:02:09.84
So Nicodemus in a real
sense is coming to Jesus,
00:02:09.87\00:02:13.27
because of the
cleansing of the temple,
00:02:13.30\00:02:15.88
because of the miracles
that Jesus did at that time.
00:02:15.91\00:02:19.87
And in the end
of chapter 2 it says
00:02:19.90\00:02:23.38
people believed in Jesus,
because of the miracles He did,
00:02:23.41\00:02:27.94
but Jesus didn't
entrust Himself to them.
00:02:27.97\00:02:30.79
He recognized that their faith
was not really a true faith.
00:02:30.82\00:02:34.40
He was grounded in spectacular
stuff and miracles, etcetera.
00:02:34.43\00:02:38.94
And it was not grounded in
a true spiritual commitment.
00:02:38.97\00:02:41.57
So Nicodemus thinks Jesus will
be flattered with his visit.
00:02:41.60\00:02:47.22
But Jesus reads
right through him,
00:02:47.25\00:02:49.15
He knows what's
inside human beings.
00:02:49.18\00:02:51.48
He illustrates that
knowing when Nicodemus comes
00:02:51.51\00:02:55.30
and Jesus keeps hitting him with
stuff is--how did you know that?
00:02:55.33\00:02:59.66
So, let's take a look
at the first two verses
00:02:59.69\00:03:01.64
I want to point
out a few things.
00:03:01.67\00:03:03.40
"There was a
man of the Pharisees
00:03:03.43\00:03:05.06
named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews.
00:03:05.09\00:03:07.71
This man came to Jesus
by night and said to him,
00:03:07.74\00:03:10.76
'Rabbi, we know that you
are a teacher come from God,
00:03:10.79\00:03:14.54
for no one can do these things
00:03:14.57\00:03:16.55
or these signs that you
do unless God is with him.'"
00:03:16.58\00:03:20.90
Let me point out a few things.
00:03:20.93\00:03:22.47
First of all, something you
would not see in translation.
00:03:22.50\00:03:25.59
My translation says "Now there
was a man of the Pharisees--"
00:03:25.62\00:03:28.74
what did yours
say? "There was a man--"
00:03:28.77\00:03:30.61
"There was a man
of the Pharisees--"
00:03:30.64\00:03:32.01
or it doesn't even have, there.
00:03:32.04\00:03:33.41
Doesn't have the noun.
00:03:33.44\00:03:34.81
But there's a little
word in there, in the Greek,
00:03:34.84\00:03:36.58
it's just a two letter word, de,
00:03:36.61\00:03:39.03
and that word is a conjunction
often translated but.
00:03:39.06\00:03:45.52
But whenever that occurs
00:03:45.55\00:03:48.33
it's never a new
story, it's a connector.
00:03:48.36\00:03:52.21
So the first word grammatically
in this story is a connector.
00:03:52.24\00:03:58.73
So we are not
starting a new story in 3:1,
00:03:58.76\00:04:02.73
we are connected
to the previous story.
00:04:02.76\00:04:05.87
So right in the Greek language
that's put right in there
00:04:05.90\00:04:09.84
to show that
there's a connection.
00:04:09.87\00:04:11.60
The last word of
chapter 2 is man, Anthropos.
00:04:11.63\00:04:17.25
The first keyword here
is a man of the Pharisees.
00:04:17.28\00:04:21.21
See, that's not an accident.
There's a connection there.
00:04:21.24\00:04:25.26
Jesus have been
dealing with the rulers
00:04:25.29\00:04:27.24
of the Jews in the temple.
00:04:27.27\00:04:28.81
Now one of them, a
man of the Pharisees
00:04:28.84\00:04:32.24
comes to Jesus by night.
00:04:32.27\00:04:35.74
One thing to keep
in mind, you know,
00:04:35.77\00:04:38.19
we have a negative
view of Pharisees today
00:04:38.22\00:04:40.38
because of the way many
of them responded to Jesus.
00:04:40.41\00:04:43.09
The reality these were
the best people of their time.
00:04:43.12\00:04:46.43
These were serious about God.
00:04:46.46\00:04:49.10
They tried to organize
their lives around God.
00:04:49.13\00:04:52.17
They studied the scriptures.
They spent lots of time praying.
00:04:52.20\00:04:55.50
You would want to have
a Pharisee as a neighbor.
00:04:55.53\00:04:58.35
Because really their
people are very--very moral
00:04:58.38\00:05:01.71
and ethical and
serious about their faith.
00:05:01.74\00:05:05.52
But unfortunately even
moral, serious people in faith
00:05:05.55\00:05:12.16
sometimes allow
themselves to get off track
00:05:12.19\00:05:15.61
and that's what seems
to have happened here.
00:05:15.64\00:05:19.08
I've mentioned that in John,
00:05:19.11\00:05:21.23
the stories
becomes acted parables
00:05:21.26\00:05:23.61
that becomes clear in
this night stuff here.
00:05:23.64\00:05:26.76
He came by night.
00:05:26.79\00:05:30.47
In English that's a very simple
phrase that normally would mean
00:05:30.50\00:05:35.10
simply he came during
the dark hours of the day.
00:05:35.13\00:05:38.32
But in Greek,
time can be expressed
00:05:38.35\00:05:40.86
in three different ways.
00:05:40.89\00:05:42.99
One of those ways, and
they are all different forms.
00:05:43.02\00:05:45.79
So you can see
in the text exactly
00:05:45.82\00:05:48.38
which form is being used.
00:05:48.41\00:05:49.79
One of them would
be a point in time.
00:05:49.82\00:05:51.75
He came at this point in
time in the middle of the night.
00:05:51.78\00:05:56.96
Second way is duration.
00:05:56.99\00:05:59.11
You know the
night is 12 hours long,
00:05:59.14\00:06:01.06
in the middle of
there somewhere he came.
00:06:01.09\00:06:03.49
All right, it
doesn't say exactly when,
00:06:03.52\00:06:04.90
but somewhere in that, in the
duration of the night he came.
00:06:04.93\00:06:07.93
The third one is more
of a qualitative usage.
00:06:07.96\00:06:11.99
It points to something different
than simple chronological time.
00:06:12.02\00:06:16.14
He came by night
means he came in darkness.
00:06:16.17\00:06:20.68
And the darkness
wasn't just physical darkness,
00:06:20.71\00:06:23.07
it was a darkness of soul.
00:06:23.10\00:06:25.36
In other words, John
takes a literal event
00:06:25.39\00:06:28.83
and by using this
particular form in the Greek,
00:06:28.86\00:06:32.74
he triggers the reader to see,
00:06:32.77\00:06:34.46
oh-oh, this coming by night
is more than just an accident.
00:06:34.49\00:06:38.62
It says something
about Nicodemus and who he is
00:06:38.65\00:06:41.72
and what his problems are.
00:06:41.75\00:06:43.23
So Nicodemus is clearly an
example of inadequate faith.
00:06:43.26\00:06:48.73
He believes in Jesus
'cause he saw miracles,
00:06:48.76\00:06:51.25
he doesn't believe in Jesus
because he wants to conform
00:06:51.28\00:06:53.79
his life to the
character of God.
00:06:53.82\00:06:56.27
He hasn't come
to be transformed,
00:06:56.30\00:06:58.17
he has come to be
a part of a movement
00:06:58.20\00:07:00.70
that's gonna be popular.
00:07:00.73\00:07:02.10
So Nicodemus is a
spiritual teacher,
00:07:02.13\00:07:04.72
yet he is in spiritual darkness.
00:07:04.75\00:07:07.64
He's coming to
Jesus as a rock star.
00:07:07.67\00:07:10.14
He's not coming to Jesus
to have his soul transformed.
00:07:10.17\00:07:12.57
Well, that's, that's hard
to imagine that, you know,
00:07:12.60\00:07:15.09
a teacher who teaches
spiritual things, you know,
00:07:15.12\00:07:18.44
the things of God and yet that
teacher be or live in darkness,
00:07:18.47\00:07:24.34
but in this case
Nicodemus is that example.
00:07:24.37\00:07:28.08
And this is not saying that
Nicodemus is a perverse person.
00:07:28.11\00:07:32.69
And there are lot of
people who honestly feel
00:07:32.72\00:07:34.73
they're following God to
the best of their understanding
00:07:34.76\00:07:37.12
but somehow, somewhere
little choices they've made
00:07:37.15\00:07:39.64
in their lives steer them
a little bit off the track.
00:07:39.67\00:07:42.76
And then when a big
decision has to be made,
00:07:42.79\00:07:45.10
they may not be in
a place to make it.
00:07:45.13\00:07:47.27
We will get to that actually
at the end of this session.
00:07:47.30\00:07:51.33
Verses 18 to 21 talk
about that spiritual dynamic.
00:07:51.36\00:07:55.41
Why was Nicodemus in darkness?
00:07:55.44\00:07:57.53
And how do you get
out of that darkness?
00:07:57.56\00:07:59.26
So John actually fixes it here.
00:07:59.29\00:08:02.30
But he's telling
the story of a man
00:08:02.33\00:08:04.96
who was kind of
supporting Jesus,
00:08:04.99\00:08:07.59
but supporting Jesus
as a popular teacher,
00:08:07.62\00:08:11.02
as somebody who might
conquer the Romans, whatever.
00:08:11.05\00:08:14.92
He's not wanting to
be transformed himself.
00:08:14.95\00:08:18.51
Now, who is this Nicodemus?
He's not just a teacher.
00:08:18.54\00:08:23.79
If you go to verse
10, my translation says,
00:08:23.82\00:08:27.79
"'You are Israel's
teacher,' said Jesus."
00:08:27.82\00:08:31.95
That sounds like a bit more than
just one of Israel's teachers.
00:08:31.98\00:08:35.53
Because in the Greek he says
he uses the definite article,
00:08:35.56\00:08:39.22
you are the teacher of Israel.
00:08:39.25\00:08:43.52
He was either the
predominant teacher of Israel
00:08:43.55\00:08:46.61
or he may even
have been seminary dean.
00:08:46.64\00:08:49.57
He may have held
my position, you know,
00:08:49.60\00:08:51.43
at Loma Linda in the
University of Jerusalem
00:08:51.46\00:08:55.15
a position of the one
head of all the other teachers.
00:08:55.18\00:08:58.29
So he was the
most prominent figure
00:08:58.32\00:09:00.09
and we even know about
Nicodemus from the Talmud.
00:09:00.12\00:09:03.20
100 and more
years later on Nicodemus
00:09:03.23\00:09:06.03
is mentioned as a
significant figure at this time.
00:09:06.06\00:09:09.06
So he was a very popular
figure, a very revered teacher
00:09:09.09\00:09:14.62
and yet when he comes to
Jesus there's something missing.
00:09:14.65\00:09:18.03
And the remedy that Jesus
offers him is in verses 5 to 8.
00:09:18.06\00:09:22.07
And before we read that
because verse 25 which you said,
00:09:22.10\00:09:27.16
even though it's a new chapter,
it's not a beginning of a story
00:09:27.19\00:09:30.15
but rather because verse 25 says
00:09:30.18\00:09:32.27
that Jesus knew
what was in man's heart.
00:09:32.30\00:09:34.51
And so Jesus knows
what is in Nicodemus' heart,
00:09:34.54\00:09:37.39
Nicodemus' heart and his need.
00:09:37.42\00:09:40.09
Yeah. Is that correct?
00:09:40.12\00:09:41.49
So Nicodemus
came hiding something.
00:09:41.52\00:09:44.12
He was sort of exploring
00:09:44.15\00:09:45.74
whether he wants to get
in relationship with Jesus.
00:09:45.77\00:09:48.54
And Jesus goes right to
the core of his inner being
00:09:48.57\00:09:52.28
which is scary, when it happens.
00:09:52.31\00:09:54.32
So we are reading
verses? Five to eight.
00:09:54.35\00:09:57.50
"Jesus answered, 'Most
assuredly, I say to you,
00:09:57.53\00:10:00.23
unless one is born
of water and the Spirit,
00:10:00.26\00:10:02.88
he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
00:10:02.91\00:10:05.56
That which is born
of the flesh is flesh,
00:10:05.59\00:10:07.61
and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit.
00:10:07.64\00:10:10.59
Do not marvel that I said to
you, "You must be born again."
00:10:10.62\00:10:14.31
The wind blows where it wishes,
and you hear the sound of it,
00:10:14.34\00:10:17.66
but cannot tell where it
comes from and where it goes.
00:10:17.69\00:10:20.55
So is everyone who
is born of the Spirit.'"
00:10:20.58\00:10:23.74
By the way that's my
favorite text I think, John 3:8.
00:10:23.77\00:10:27.95
It's the text most
people sort of pass over.
00:10:27.98\00:10:31.30
But it's interesting.
00:10:31.33\00:10:32.70
I always thought
that, that text was about
00:10:32.73\00:10:34.98
the Holy Spirit but it's not.
00:10:35.01\00:10:37.99
It says the wind
blows wherever it wishes to,
00:10:38.02\00:10:40.44
no one knows where its'
coming from or where it's going,
00:10:40.47\00:10:43.66
so is everyone, everyone
who is born of the Spirit.
00:10:43.69\00:10:49.33
In other words when
the Spirit enters your life
00:10:49.36\00:10:52.24
or when you truly
are filled by the Spirit,
00:10:52.27\00:10:54.64
you become a little
unpredictable like the wind.
00:10:54.67\00:10:59.60
And one thing I have learned
is the closer you walk to God
00:10:59.63\00:11:02.96
the more out of step
you may be with people.
00:11:02.99\00:11:05.93
Because every church
is liable to be filled
00:11:05.96\00:11:09.89
with some people at
least like Nicodemus
00:11:09.92\00:11:11.98
who are doing
all the right things,
00:11:12.01\00:11:13.60
saying all the right things
00:11:13.63\00:11:15.04
and yet their heart
is not right with God.
00:11:15.07\00:11:17.40
And the interesting thing is
00:11:17.43\00:11:18.80
that the closer you
walk with the Spirit,
00:11:18.83\00:11:21.88
the more
unpredictable you almost become.
00:11:21.91\00:11:24.56
Spirit doesn't create
cookie cutter Christian,
00:11:24.59\00:11:26.89
it brings out our individuality
00:11:26.92\00:11:28.57
and I think we are
sometimes afraid of that.
00:11:28.60\00:11:30.29
That why I point that out.
00:11:30.32\00:11:31.71
And so if you are led by the
Spirit then you will be taken--
00:11:31.74\00:11:34.83
You will be unique.
00:11:34.86\00:11:36.62
You will be taken anywhere
like the wind will take you.
00:11:36.65\00:11:39.62
A lot of people would like us
all to look alike, talk alike,
00:11:39.65\00:11:43.48
say the same things,
say it just the right way.
00:11:43.51\00:11:47.04
And yet this
perhaps underlines the fact
00:11:47.07\00:11:49.60
there's more than
one right way to think,
00:11:49.63\00:11:51.98
more than one right way
to say the truth sometimes.
00:11:52.01\00:11:54.82
And when it's combined
with our own individuality
00:11:54.85\00:11:58.46
you can have
special power I think.
00:11:58.49\00:12:01.05
Now going back to what Jesus
told Nicodemus in--apparently,
00:12:01.08\00:12:05.92
Nicodemus did not understand
what Jesus was saying, right?
00:12:05.95\00:12:09.20
That's right.
00:12:09.23\00:12:10.60
And shall we
read what he replies.
00:12:10.63\00:12:12.00
Sure. Go ahead.
00:12:12.03\00:12:13.40
And we are in verse 9,
00:12:13.43\00:12:14.96
"Nicodemus
answered and said to Him,
00:12:14.99\00:12:16.52
'How can these things be?'
00:12:16.55\00:12:20.11
And Jesus
answered and said to him,
00:12:20.14\00:12:21.55
'Are you the teacher of Israel,
and do not know these things?'"
00:12:21.58\00:12:25.82
So apparently he lacked
a major spiritual lesson
00:12:25.85\00:12:31.77
that he didn't know about.
00:12:31.80\00:12:33.64
For a lot of people
religion is a matter of the head
00:12:33.67\00:12:37.05
rather than the heart.
00:12:37.08\00:12:38.97
We like to know
the right things.
00:12:39.00\00:12:40.87
We like to teach
the right things.
00:12:40.90\00:12:43.00
But to allow the heart to be
00:12:43.03\00:12:44.55
genuinely
transformed, that's a challenge.
00:12:44.58\00:12:47.20
We can often be
one thing in public
00:12:47.23\00:12:49.54
and another thing back home.
00:12:49.57\00:12:51.41
You see, that's
very, very easy to do.
00:12:51.44\00:12:53.72
Who the person is
when nobody is looking,
00:12:53.75\00:12:56.51
that's what
character is all about.
00:12:56.54\00:12:58.23
And Nicodemus
evidently failed that test.
00:12:58.26\00:13:00.59
He was a great teacher,
he knew all kinds of things
00:13:00.62\00:13:03.60
but his life was not there.
00:13:03.63\00:13:05.82
And this is a real
big challenge to me
00:13:05.85\00:13:07.63
'cause I think I have a
tremendous responsibility
00:13:07.66\00:13:09.80
as someone who
teaches these things,
00:13:09.83\00:13:11.56
has may be studied more deeply
than many people have studied.
00:13:11.59\00:13:15.48
Yet if I don't let
that change my life
00:13:15.51\00:13:18.49
and that's why I
like 3:8 so much.
00:13:18.52\00:13:20.57
Because it encourages me to let
the Holy Spirit change my life.
00:13:20.60\00:13:24.63
I can't be the same as
I was before, you know.
00:13:24.66\00:13:29.19
When the Holy Spirit enters
your life nobody can predict
00:13:29.22\00:13:33.15
where God is gonna take you.
00:13:33.18\00:13:34.55
His purpose may take you places
you never dreamed, you see.
00:13:34.58\00:13:38.58
So I think that this
kind of genuine transformation
00:13:38.61\00:13:43.07
is what this is talking about.
00:13:43.10\00:13:44.97
When we receive Jesus
Christ, the Spirit comes in
00:13:45.00\00:13:47.59
and transforms
us if we allow Him.
00:13:47.62\00:13:50.08
Can we say then that Nicodemus
was filled with knowledge,
00:13:50.11\00:13:53.73
but then he was
lacking the Spirit?
00:13:53.76\00:13:56.62
And that brings us back
to water and the Spirit.
00:13:56.65\00:14:00.31
If what he needed was water
and Spirit, what is the water?
00:14:00.34\00:14:04.04
And we can come to
that after the break.
00:14:04.07\00:14:06.17
Well, stay with us
as we continue to study
00:14:06.20\00:14:08.41
how the Holy
Spirit leads us today.
00:14:08.44\00:14:11.34