Daily Reader's Bible - Flipbook - Page 11
#6002 • THE KING COMES WITH LOVE
THIS IS HOW GOD LOVED THE WORLD
Because of the miraculous signs
Jesus did in Jerusalem at the
Passover celebration, many
began to trust in him. But Jesus
didn’t trust them, because
he knew all about people. No
one needed to tell him about
human nature, for he knew what
was in each person’s heart.
There was a man named
Nicodemus, a Jewish religious
leader who was a Pharisee. After
dark one evening, he came to
speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he
said, “we all know that God
has sent you to teach us. Your
miraculous signs are evidence
that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you
the truth, unless you are
born again, you cannot see
the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?”
exclaimed Nicodemus.
“How can an old man go
back into his mother’s womb
and be born again?”
Jesus replied, “I assure you,
no one can enter the Kingdom of
God without being born of water
and the Spirit. Humans can
reproduce only human life, but
the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised
when I say, ‘You must be born
again.’ The wind blows wherever
it wants. Just as you can hear
the wind but can’t tell where
it comes from or where it is
going, so you can’t explain how
people are born of the Spirit.”
“How are these things
possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Jesus replied, “You are a
respected Jewish teacher, and
yet you don’t understand these
things? I assure you, we tell
you what we know and have
seen, and yet you won’t believe
our testimony. But if you don’t
believe me when I tell you
about earthly things, how can
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you possibly believe if I tell you
about heavenly things? No one
has ever gone to heaven and
returned. But the Son of Man has
come down from heaven. And as
Moses lifted up the bronze snake
on a pole in the wilderness, so
the Son of Man must be lifted
up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
“For this is how God loved
the world: He gave his one and
only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life. God sent
his Son into the world not to
judge the world, but to save
the world through him.
“There is no judgment against
anyone who believes in him. But
anyone who does not believe in
him has already been judged for
not believing in God’s one and
only Son. And the judgment is
based on this fact: God’s light
came into the world, but people
loved the darkness more than
the light, for their actions were
evil. All who do evil hate the light
and refuse to go near it for fear
their sins will be exposed. But
those who do what is right come
to the light so others can see that
they are doing what God wants.”
Then Jesus and his disciples
left Jerusalem and went into
the Judean countryside. Jesus
spent some time with them
there, baptizing people.
At this time John the Baptist
was baptizing at Aenon, near
Salim, because there was plenty
of water there; and people kept
coming to him for baptism. (This
was before John was thrown
into prison.) A debate broke out
between John’s disciples and
a certain Jew over ceremonial
cleansing. So John’s disciples
came to him and said, “Rabbi,
the man you met on the other
side of the Jordan River, the one
[JOHN 2:23–4:38]
you identified as the Messiah,
is also baptizing people. And
everybody is going to him
instead of coming to us.”
John replied, “No one can
receive anything unless God
gives it from heaven. You
yourselves know how plainly I
told you, ‘I am not the Messiah.
I am only here to prepare the
way for him.’ It is the bridegroom
who marries the bride, and the
bridegroom’s friend is simply
glad to stand with him and hear
his vows. Therefore, I am filled
with joy at his success. He must
become greater and greater, and
I must become less and less.
“He has come from above and
is greater than anyone else. We
are of the earth, and we speak of
earthly things, but he has come
from heaven and is greater than
anyone else. He testifies about
what he has seen and heard,
but how few believe what he
tells them! Anyone who accepts
his testimony can affirm that
God is true. For he is sent by
God. He speaks God’s words,
for God gives him the Spirit
without limit. The Father loves
his Son and has put everything
into his hands. And anyone who
believes in God’s Son has eternal
life. Anyone who doesn’t obey
the Son will never experience
eternal life but remains under
God’s angry judgment.”
Jesus knew the Pharisees had
heard that he was baptizing
and making more disciples than
John (though Jesus himself
didn’t baptize them—his
disciples did). So he left Judea
and returned to Galilee.
He had to go through Samaria
on the way. Eventually he came
to the Samaritan village of
Sychar, near the field that Jacob
gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s
well was there; and Jesus, tired
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