Christology 2 – Week 4

Notes  |  Week 4 – 12/7/23

Nicodemus and the New Birth (John 3)

After Jesus rose from the dead, he showed himself to be alive after His suffering (Acts 1:3) through many convincing proofs.  He appeared to His disciples 40 days speaking and teaching them about the meaning and mysteries of the kingdom. The number 40 is related to full-term pregnancy, which last about 40 weeks.  God was birthing something in His disciples and wants to birth something new in us as well.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jewish people, came to Jesus by night…he probably came by night because he didn’t want to become an outcast and all that this would entail if others knew he was seeking information from Jesus. He was, after all, a member of the Sanhedrin (the ultimate authority, Supreme Court).  Jesus understood that Nicodemus was sincere in his questioning. Jesus told him that unless he is born again, he could not see the kingdom of God.  For the Pharisees, studying was the highest form of worship.

Using the human birth process to highlight Israel’s birth (see Powerpoint PDF). 

God also had to get their old Egypt mindset (slave mindset) out of them.  We too must put off the old man and put on the new (Eph. 4:22).

Secrets of the Serpents (John 3)

(John 3:13-14), No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.

The people were to look at the bronze serpent in order to live if they were bitten by a serpent (Num. 21:4-9)

Why would God tell Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole to represent salvation? The Hebrew word for lift up is nasa, meaning to lift up but also to bear, carry, or to forgive.  In this instance, it means to bear or carry sin or guilt.  In the Jewish system of atonement, the goat carried the sins for the people (Lev. 16:22).