Nicodemus encounters Jesus in John 3 video discussion

The Sunday lectionary gospel reading for Lent 2 in Year A is Nicodemus’ meeting with Jesus in John 3.1–17. Although we are supposed to be reading from Matthew’s gospel, and the RCL used ecumenically has continued to do so, the lectionary in Common Worship offers us a sequence of four encounters between Jesus and individuals from the Fourth Gospel.

Join James and Ian as they discuss this fascinating passage—and get quite excited by it!


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11 thoughts on “Nicodemus encounters Jesus in John 3 video discussion”

  1. I always assumed that Nicodemus came to faith, given he was prepared to presumably appear in public helping to bury his body. Particularly as he had been part of the Jewish Sanhedrin which had condemned Jesus. It’s a very odd thing to do if he only, say, respected him. And as Ratzinger has noted, the excessive amount of balm he brought indicated a royal burial. So it seems he finally realised who Jesus was, the King.

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  2. Interesting and complicated stuff!
    By verse 20 Jesus finally talks of coming to the light. How strange. Why did He not start with brooding over the darkness like the Spirit over the deep?
    At the end of John 2 we are told Jesus knew what was in man. This, I think sets the stage for his encounter with Nicodemus as he waited for him to come out of the shadows.
    As if waiting for a moth. Links to Job 27:17-19
    Was Nicodemus about to lose everything but gain the kingdom?

    But Jesus first talks of being born again. I suppose being born is like coming into the light.
    Jesus did draw him to Himself like a moth to a flame.
    Sorry. I have not put this very well. I just like the way John make the reader go over the text twice. And then reread it backwards.
    Thanks Ian and James!

    BTW, love the bit about born once, die twice / born twice, die once.

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  3. Nicodemus meaning = victory of the people.
    And yet he saw no victory of the people in their putting to death the Victor over death, Jesus, Victor *for* the people.
    In Jesus’s incarnation, the Word made flesh, becoming one of us, his victory over death is truly, truly, His representative victory *of *the people who are believers in Him, his way of the cross of God love.
    I appreciated the mention of the sign of being lifted up, and looking at Jesus being lifted up on the cross, for rescue, over death looking over the shoulder to Moses lifting up the pole/staff as victory over the Garden serpent and curse of death.

    And I also appreciated the frequently avoided John 3:17-18 as being two sides of the same coin.
    v 18 Exegesis of believing in the “name of God’s one and only son” (eg tabernacling) in itself could be hugely expanded, even in the Gospel of John, with reference back to Chapter 1, let alone fast forwarding to the “I am “sayings of Jesus and more.

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  4. I am reluctant to enter into video discussions on biblical topics chiefly because I find written articles and responses provide a forum that is (in theory!) more conducive to sound textual analysis. Yes -in theory! However in this instance , given the 6 comments to date, I have seen little or nothing to whet the appetite!

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  5. I’ve been on the M25. The topic of eternal consequences has been covered before..John here seems to allude to creation – light, dark, wind, water, birth of land, …
    Jesus started his conversation running . I think that is more interesting..

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