Blog Detail

There is no neutral ground. (Mark the best answer)  (Pg.#1)

In this life you have no other option, you will find yourself serving one of two masters.

— Of course, I am talking about either serving God or Satan… SEE the words of Jesus in Luke 16:13  No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

— Here Jesus is talking with the Pharisees over a dispute about the handling of finances, thus the use of ‘money’ as the other master. However, greed and avarice are just two of the many traps Satan uses to capture us and bring us into service to him.

To take a look at a good person from the Bible who tried to “sit on the fence”, so to speak, I want to look into the story of Nicodemus, the Pharisee.

— We encounter his name in various parts of the New Testament. (Using the ESV of the Bible here.)

The first time is in John 3:1-4…  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  (2)  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”  (3)  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (4)  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

— Q1. Which of the following describes Nicodemus to you?

a) A truth seeker.     b) A Pharisee guarding his reputation.     c) Both a &b

This encounter ends with Jesus warning Nicodemus of his need to change his ways in order to be saved…

SEE the council Jesus gives Nicodemus in John 3:16-19…  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  (17)  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  (18)  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  (19)  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

— Q2. What is a crucial eternal truth that Jesus is telling Nicodemus here in John #3?

a) Eternal life depends on the good you do.     (b) We’re all toast! Because we’ve all sinned.

c) Eternal life depends on your accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Moving on to John 7:40-52, we find an interesting account of the choices people make between serving one master or the other…

John 7:40-43… When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.”  (41)  Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?  (42)  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”  (43)  So there was a division among the people over him.  (44)  Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

— Q3. As I ask this, I assume you know the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth…

What fact is this crowd is unaware of?

a) That Jesus was born in Bethlehem (David’s city).     b) After moving, Jesus grew up in Nazareth.

c) Both a & b

John 7:45-49… The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?”  (46)  The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”  (47)  The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?  (48)  Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?  (49)  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

— Q4. Far from being open-minded and seeking truth, this body of religious law-keepers has already made a decision on who Jesus is… What do their words tell us about that decision?

They believe… a) Jesus is the Messiah.     b) Jesus was sent from God.     c) Jesus is a deceiver.

(Quiz continues on Pg.#2)

There is no neutral ground quiz  (Pg.#2)

John 7:50-52… Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them,  (51)  “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”  (52)  They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

— Q5. Now we are seeing a division forming in the ranks of the Pharisees…

What do the words of Nicodemus recorded here tell us of his opinions?

Nicodemus is trying to…  a) please the other Pharisees.     b) give Jesus a fair hearing.

— Q6. How do the other Pharisees react?

They…  a) turn and verbally attack Nicodemus.     b) agree to try to remain impartial.

— Q7. What do we see in these words of Nicodemus?

He…  a) is playing politics.     b) is trying to remain neutral.     c) is picking a fight with the others.

— Q8. While trying to hold off judgment Nicodemus discovers a factor in the decisions of the other Pharisees… What does Nicodemus discover about the other Pharisees?

They…  a) are seeking God’s truth.     b) are trying to remain neutral.     c) are in opposition to Jesus.

It is interesting to ponder how this revelation about the antagonism of his fellow Pharisees toward the miracle-working Jesus affects Nicodemus…

We have evidence that Nicodemus found the rebirth that Jesus told him about because of how he ministers to the followers of Jesus later in John 19:38-40…

John 19:38… After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

— Q9. This verse is not about Nicodemus, but it does show us a fact that all Jewish people had to deal with at that time… What is that fact?

a) The Jewish leaders were opposed to Jesus.     b) It was risky to show support for Jesus.     c) Both a & b

John 19:39-40… Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.  (40)  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

— Q10. What can we assume as we read of the actions of Nicodemus here?

He…  a) was risking his reputation.     b) felt a great admiration for Jesus.     c) Both a & b

The lesson we can draw from the life of Nicodemus is that try as you will to sit on the fence, forces will cause you to come down on one side or the other… I am confident that Nicodemus made the right decision, and I look forward to meeting him in eternity.

How about you? …Are you still trying to sit on the fence?

— If you are, you remain vulnerable to Satan’s deceptions and attacks.

Choose life… Choose to make Jesus your Lord and Savior. He died so you could be free from guilt and sin.

If you look around you in the news these days, you know the time is getting short… Choose Jesus today.

(If you want to communicate further just use the comments form provided. I’d be happy to hear from you. KK)

(Click here for a PDF copy of Pg.#1)

(Click here for a PDF copy of Pg.#2)