Mark in bringing the word to us today had to break this down. Everyone wants to receive answers, to feel God near them. But we don’t know how.
Nicodemus comes curiously, at night in secret. He should have known the answer, but he didn’t.
Nicodemus comes at night in fear, fear of being wrong, fear of being identified.
But night time is often where we all have questions.
Nicodemus came from light into darkness.
Jesus turns no one away.
Mark shared his own experience. In his first time in church he sat through the service in a spirit of disbelief. But when he got home he was challenged by God for treating his word and house with contempt…. And now he’s up here preaching.
Nicodemus starts with flattery. Nico wants information, Jesus offers transformation and miracles.
You don’t need new rules a new system a new spiritual upgrade.
You need a new life. A caterpillar does not become a butterfly through hard work but through transformation.
Jesus uses the unseen wind as an example. We can’t see it but we know it is there.
The passage gives 4 promises:
God loved
God gave
We believe
We live
Eternal life is not just the future, it begins now. A gift needs to be received.
Nicodemus appears two more times, defending Jesus and helping bury Jesus.
Transformation takes time. Nicodemus needed new birth.
Walk in the spirit, shine in the darkness, share the Gospel
You don’t need to share everything. You just need to look at the one who was lifted up. Put Jesus first, step from shadows into light.