Week 14

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16. Arguably the most well known scripture in the Bible.

I was preparing a lesson for my P-6/P-7 kids over John 3:1-21, the story of Nicodemus. I've read this story before and I've known John 3:16 by heart since I was a small child, but I never put together that Jesus spoke these famous words to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus. One guy. One very confused guy. Who came to Jesus in secret. In the middle of the night. In the dark. What?

Doesn't it seem that the most important words in the Bible, the most famous, the sum of the Gospel, should have been spoken to someone really important? Or perhaps a multitude of people? Shouldn't it be recorded when Jesus was standing on some hilltop, speaking to thousands?

Nope. Jesus chose to sum it all up to one man. In secret. In the dark. Why were they in the dark? Because Nicodemus was afraid.

Jesus tells him about what it means to be born again, gives revelation of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I started to think: if Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of such important things, one man in the strangest of settings, is He possibly revealing things to you, in your fear, in the darkness, that are of great importance? Things that could rock your world, things that need to be shared, things that the world needs to know?

Em