january 18, 2026
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“Compelled Toward the Curious: Jesus' Heart for Those Who Are Searching” (John 3:1-15)
John 3:1-15
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 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.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “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!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Jesus told this parable to those "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous." There are 2 ways to The end of John 2 describes those who followed believed in Jesus because they saw Him perform miracles. Verse 24 says he wouldn't entrust Himself to them. Their faith seemed quite shallow. Nicodemus, on the other hand, was different. The crowd came to Jesus for what He did; Nicodemus came to Jesus to discover who He was.
Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) and described in verse 10 as "the teacher of Israel." He was a spiritual heavyweight, yet he still brought his questions to Jesus.
Nicodemus reminds us that not all religious leaders are the same. Many of the Pharisees were self-righteous and looked down on others, but not all of them were that way.
Jesus welcomes honest seekers.
Jesus is drawn to those seeking answers, just as His compassion compelled Him to move toward the leper crying out for restoration and the tax collector crying out for mercy.
Search the Scriptures for answers first. When you need help, ask spiritual leaders you trust.
We can't ignore Christ; we need to decide what we believe about Him.
Jesus provides honest answers.
He doesn't speak to Nicodemus in parables; He gives clear and honest answers. He tells him that he must be born again, which means He must have a spiritual birth just like he had a physical birth.
Jesus doesn't let Nicodemus off the hook when he doesn't understand, but He does explain things to him in terms he can grasp.
Jesus points us to Himself.
The bronze snake that was lifted up in the wilderness foreshadows Jesus being lifted up on the cross when He died for our sins.
The answers Nicodemus found eventually led him to follow Jesus.
The answers to our questions are found in Christ alone. Turn to Him for answers!
A Prayer to Trust in Jesus:
“God, I confess that I’m sinful and I need you. I believe Jesus died to pay for my sins and rose again. Right now I turn away from my sin and I put my trust in You. My heart is yours from this day forward. Thank you for saving me. Amen.”
