Nicodemus was the very first person to hear John 3:16.  How amazing that his name in the Greek language means “Victory People.”  The first part of his name is “nee-kay” which means victory.  The last part of his name is “dee-mahs” which means people.  So, that dark night when Nick at Nite was sitting across the table from Jesus whose name means “salvation,” we could show the gospel in living color.  True victory for the people is Jesus!  The Holy Spirit was at work in the heart of this brilliant man.

Nicodemus heard John 3:16 from the lips of Jesus.  He did come to Jesus by night.  Many people have many suggestions as to why that was the case.  Some say it was because Nick didn’t want his fellow Pharisees to see him there speaking with Jesus.  Some say it was because it was hot during the day and cooler during the night.  Some give other reasons for that “clandestine” meeting.  I believe that Nick had heard so many things that Jesus had said that his “wonder” had clashed with his teacher knowledge and wonder won!!! Actually, I truly believe that Nick was unable to sleep because he was trying to wrestle what he knew intellectually against what Jesus had been saying during confrontations with Nick and his peers.

In many scenes from the gospel of John, Jesus was encountering people.  People think on an earthly, practical level.  Jesus, while walking on Earth, thought on a spiritual level.  He used stories called “parables” to help people see with spiritual eyes.  He used earthly examples to draw people to His Heavenly Father.  The conversation began with Nick asking about the signs and wonders that Jesus had performed among the people.  Jesus countered with the fact that the “kingdom” people must be born again.  Nick immediately visualized crawling back into his own mother’s womb and being born physically. 

Jesus explained that it was a new, different, radical kind of birth…a birth from above.  This birth was only made possible by the Spirit Himself Who enters the heart, will, soul, affecting the total being of a person.  Jesus compared this moment to the wind.  We cannot SEE the wind.  The wind is heard in the trees.  The wind cools.  The wind destroys.  The wind moves things around all over the earth.  The wind is invisible. The wind is uncontrollable.  The Spirit Himself moves into the life of a willing person and changes them internally eternally. 

In this whole confrontational conversation, we do not see an open, obvious response from Nick to the words of Jesus.  We do see later that Nicodemus was greatly affected by these moments alone with Jesus.  In John 7:40-53, we see Nick “defending” Jesus in front of those Pharisees who despised Jesus.  Also, in John 19:39, we see that Nick joined Joseph of Arimathea in removing the body of Jesus from the cross and dealing with all of the things necessary for His burial.  That Friday on Golgotha, Nicodemus left NO doubt in revealing whose side he was on!

Jesus told Nick that He would be “lifted up” as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.  Jesus would be lifted up to live, lifted up to die, lifted up by resurrection from the grave, lifted up to heaven at His ascension.  One day, He will lift us up to reign with Him forever.  We will meet ole Nick and get to have some serious conversations with him about His friendship with Salvation Himself.  I cannot wait. 

For God so loved…

For GOD so loved…

For God SO loved…

For God so LOVED…

For ME.  For you.  For everyone who believes in Him.

God is the One Who does the loving.

Jesus is the One Who became one of us and came to us.

The Holy Spirit Himself was sent by Jesus to dwell WITH us.

He loved SO much. He so loved “in this way” that calls all people unto Himself.

I thank God for Nick at Night.  He made a way for all of us to hear John 3:16.