John 3:2 - Nicodemos

Recorded in John 3 is the famous encounter between Jesus and Nicodemos. Immediately upon mentioning his name, most evangelical Christians think of Jesus’ statement, “You must be born again.” I would like to draw attention to Nicodemos’ opening statement:

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." John 3:1-2 (from New International Version*)

In His reply, Jesus does not dispute the veracity of the statement. In fact, this truth is born out in other passages. For instance,

Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him (Jesus). They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?” John 7:32

Jesus and the disciples came upon a blind beggar. The disciples asked,

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus replied,

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:2-5

Later on the “no-longer-blind, no-longer-beggar” is being interrogated by the Pharisees and asked how he received his sight. After some derision by these church leaders and calling of other witnesses,

The man (beggar) answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." John 9:30-33

Even Peter used this criterion in that first sermon on the Day of Pentecost.

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22-23

All of that to pose this question.

If the work of God is attested to by the miraculous – the blind seeing, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised, why do we settle for so little when "the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him?" 2 Chron 16:8-9
NKJV

This is the testimony that even Jesus Himself gave to John the Baptist’s disciples.

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Matthew 11:2-4

Then we must expect these kinds of things to happen if the church is to be the church in this world, today. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself stated that it should and would be.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18

There is a sense of an imperative here. We, as evangelicals, are all about going into the world, about preaching the good news, about baptizing. We expect these to happen. They are mandates from Jesus. We have no problems with these things happening, planning for their eventuality, expecting the Holy Spirit to move up until that whole thing of the driving out demons, speaking in tongues, and raising the dead.

I mean, after all, these things are not PC (politically correct). What would the county coroner and the police and newspapers, let alone the families do or say if we, under the direction of the Holy Spirit just waltzed into a funeral home or morgue or the scene of an accident and raised the dearly departed from the dead!

They just might believe! They just might say things like “Only God can do that!” To which we reply, “Sure enough and allow me to introduce to Him. His name is Jesus”

Or they might react the other way they did in Jesus’ day.

Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'”
John 15:20-25

To the true church, to the true believers, I say, “Arise and walk! Prepare the way of the Lord!”

To the sleeper and the skeptics, to the PC and scoffers, I say, “Behold, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Arise, take up you bed and follow!”

-The voice of one calling in the desert.

* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version of the Bible