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Welcome back and thank you for checking in with me today!
Last Week’s Work
MY PERSONAL TREASURE
As I read through my list of huh?s and wow!s from last week, I was drawn to the question on being “born again,” of “water and the Spirit,” and my wow! about the consequences of not being born again (being unable to see or get into the “kingdom of heaven”). I believe I’ve been born again, and I know I’ve talked about the kingdom of heaven before, but I don’t know that I’ve spent a lot of time digging into either concept. If so, it seems the Spirit is calling me to relearn those lessons!
So, in this study, I intend to focus on John 3:3 and specifically on the phrases, “born again” and “kingdom of God.”
WHO (CHARACTERS)
This is a conversation between Nicodemus, “a man of the Pharisees,” and “a ruler of the Jews” (v1) whom Jesus called “the teacher of Israel” (v9), and Jesus, “a teacher come from God” (v1). I think it’s interesting that Nicodemus called Jesus “a teacher” (one of many?); and Jesus called Nicodemus “the teacher” (the only?). Jesus mentions a character, the “Son of Man,” in vv13-14, and the Son of God in vv16-18. In the context of vv14-16 (specifically, “eternal life”), it seems they are the same person. I’m pretty sure Jesus is referring to himself there, but I’d like to confirm that somehow.
WHERE (LOCATIONS)
The first location I saw is “his mother’s womb,” mentioned by Nicodemus in v4 as he processed Jesus’s statement about being born again.
Next, Jesus contrasts “earthly” things and “heavenly” things in v12, though I’m really not sure if he’s referring to earth and heaven as places, or representing some other nature (maybe, physical and spiritual?).
In v13, Jesus talks about ascending into “heaven” and descending from it, so I think there he’s referring to a location.
In v14, “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.” I think this refers to an incident recorded in the Old Testament (Numbers 21) when serpents attacked the Israelites after they left Egypt. Those who were bitten died unless they looked at the image of a serpent Moses elevated for all to see.
In vv16-17, Jesus uses “the world” once to refer to the place where “God did not send his Son into… (v17),” but three times where it seems he’s referring to the people of the world:
- “God so loved the [people of the] world… (v16)”
- “God did not send His son… to condemn the [people of the] world… (v17)”
- “But… in order that the [people of the] world might be saved… (v17)
Finally, “the world” also appears as a place in v19, “… the light has come into the world…”
WHEN (TIMEFRAMES)
The only timeframe I noticed was in v2: “by night.” This is when Nicodemus came to Jesus. Makes me think Nicodemus didn’t want anyone else to know he was talking to Jesus…
Doesn’t it feel like we’ve uncovered more questions than answers this week? I can’t wait till the Spirit shows me how this all fits together in my life right now. He’s so faithful to do that—I’m looking forward to being amazed again!
Dig-In Challenges
Here’s my plan for this week:
- PRAY the prayer I wrote last week before I study.
- MINE: Look for repeated concepts in this passage, including synonyms and pronouns referring to those concepts.
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, and/or warnings) in the passage. This time, I’m also going to notice another category: questions.
- MINE: Note any lists (3 or more similar items) mentioned in Joshua 2.
Remember, you can download this printable summary of the DISO process for more specific instructions. I hope you’ll check in with me next week!