Bible Study - John 3.1-17

Bible Study – John 3.1-17

The background to this famous conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is the cleansing of the temple and its aftermath. Begin your study by looking at the following passages in order to understand what the temple meant to the Jews and what Jesus was angry about:-

Psalm 84; Isaiah 2.3-4; Isaiah 56.3-8; John 2.13-25

It might be useful to write your own summary of what these passages have shown you and what was going on at the cleansing of the temple.

Now read John 3.1-17 and consider the following questions. It may help you to know that the greek words translated “born again” or “born from above” in your Bible can in fact mean either. “Born from above” is more strictly accurate, but in everyday usage, the phrase had also come to mean “born again”.

Q1 Do you consider yourself a “born again” Christian? What does this label mean in your experience?

Q2 Why do you think Nicodemus visited Jesus and why did he do so at night?

Q3 How are Nicodemus’s opening words connected with the protest Jesus had made in the temple (verse2)?

Q4 Why do you think Jesus responds in the way he does? In what way is he addressing Nicodemus’s concerns?

Q5 The kingdom of God has both present and future aspects. Which do you think Jesus is referring to in verse 5 where he says no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit?

Q6 How is the spiritual birth or birth “from above” that Jesus refers to related to the initiation rite of baptism?

Q7 Why is it important for followers of Jesus that they have been spiritually born / born from above? Does the manner or timing of their birth matter?

Q8 Why do you think Jesus’s words switch from singular to plural (from “I” to “we”) in verse 11?

Nicodemus cannot understand how this birth from above can take place. Jesus replies by making a comparison with Moses’ lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. Have a look at Numbers 21.4-9 to remind yourself of this incident. Jesus then tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man must be lifted up in a similar way, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (which means the life of the coming age).

Q9 How is Jesus’s death on the cross related to the possibility of people being born from above / spiritually born? How is this related to Jesus’s words about the temple being destroyed and rebuilt (John 2.20-22)?

At last we come to John 3.16-17, the climax of the conversation and a simple yet profound statement of the gospel.

Q10 What do these verses tell us about the purposes and motives of God?

Q11 How does John 3.16-17 help us understand the reasons for Jesus’s temple protest and answer the concerns which brought Nicodemus to Jesus?

Q12 How can we live as God’s people today and co-operate with God’s purposes?