John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 3, Day 1

Prayer

As you spend time with Jesus, allow your mind and body to settle until you feel fully present. Ask Him to help you learn more about Him today.

Bible Reading: John 3:1-8

Read these verses three times slowly.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Reflection & Questions

We begin a new week, with a new one-on-one conversation with Jesus. This time it’s with Nichodemus, a powerful man within the Jewish community. He wants to talk more with this new rabbi on the scene for he is different. As he tells Jesus, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God.”

This is a remarkable confession. Right away, there’s a deep respect that should be given to Jesus because of this. Nichodemus gives him that, but not much more. As John writes his gospel, he may well have been thinking of his readers, too. Maybe they are thinking the same thing about Jesus. It isn’t uncommon for people to think, “Yes, Jesus is a good teacher. But is he God? I’m not sure about that.” John wants us all to keep reading and discover who Jesus really is.

Jesus’ answer seems to come out of left-field (“No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”), but Jesus knows Nichodemus’ heart. He is seeking Jesus out because he wants to know more. To know more is going to require new sight. There are deep blindspots we have as humans. We have limited sight. There is so much we can’t see! How prideful we are at times, thinking we know so much, when in reality we haven’t scratched the surface of this universe and the reality of existence. The only way to widen our sight is to be born again. Nichodemus makes a classic mistake in taking Jesus’ words literally. As we saw last week, Jesus’ words are meant to be meditated on, not reacted to. Jesus clarifies and explains that to have spiritual life requires a spiritual birth. And only the Spirit can do that.

It is no mistake that John includes this conversation here. He wants us to lean in. He wants his readers to ask, “How are we born of the Spirit?” John doesn’t lay it all out here – he wants us to be seeking and continue to read. He wants us, like Nichodemus, to truly seek.

1. How has your spiritual sight grown as you have followed Jesus? What used to be hard to “see” but now you can “see” more clearly?
2. Pray for your ONE that they would be born again and receive spiritual sight.

Prayer

Pray in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?