This is the judgment...

John 3:1-21 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

The New Birth

3 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 have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered and said to 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? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. ¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; ¹⁵ so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

In today's text we see Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, come to Jesus. He comes at night probably fearing what the other religious leaders would do or say to him for going to Jesus with his questions and acknowledgment. Fear of man often hinders people from finding the truth of God. Nicodemus says:   “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”    By referring to Jesus as Rabbi, Nicodemus is showing respect to Him as a teacher. He acknowledges that the things Jesus is doing are proof that He is from God. Nicodemus said we know, so there was at least a group of the Pharisees who acknowledged that the miracles Jesus did were proof that He was from God. The question is then why did they not accept Him and why did they eventually reject Jesus to the point of having Him crucified? The answer lies, at least in part, in some of the things Jesus says to Nicodemus in today's text.

Jesus, in explaining the mystery of being born again, says:   Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”   Nicodemus is trying to understand a spiritual truth through  physical things. Jesus says that the things of the spirit can not be seen with our physical eyes. We can feel the effects, we can know that it exists, but we can't experience it with our physical senses. Jesus continues saying:  “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.  If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"   The pharisees were experts in the Law. They studied and knew the scriptures. Sometimes though, knowledge can be a detriment to wisdom. The Pharisees were so closed minded about their interpretation of scripture that they were unable to open their minds to spiritual things. Their tremendous knowledge of the word of God blinded them from seeing the Word made flesh. Jesus didn't fit into their understanding and expectation of what who and what the Messiah should be.  

Jesus says:  If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  This statement, in the form of a question sums up the futility of trying to debate unbelievers into an acceptance of the kingdom of God and their need of Jesus Christ as savior.  Paul says in Romans 1:20.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.     If people choose to deny the obvious testimony of creation, the marvels and intricacies seen throughout the earth, how can we expect that they would understand or accept the testimony of spiritual, unseen things? It is only by the Spirit that anyone can see spiritual things.  

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  

Christians, and the church need to be careful that we maintain the truth of this statement in our witness and testimony to the world. The message of Christ is not a message of judgment. It is a message of salvation from judgment. We need to be careful that we don't condemn or judge in our words or actions. James 4:12 says: There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy...      We need to be careful not to put ourselves in the place of the only one who judges.    Our message, the message of Christ needs to be a message of unexplainable love, a love that would cause Jesus to die for the very ones who sought His life. 

Look at Jesus last words from today's text.    This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

The Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light. Throughout human history this judgment of man has remained true. We see it escalating in our own society, culture and government today. It has gotten to the point where it is actually less acceptable to be a moral Bible believing Christian than to be almost anything else. Atheists, agnostics, witches and satanists are receiving more protection from persecution than Christians. Darkness hates the Light, knowing that it is light that reveals the evil of darkness. Jesus did not come to judge. He came as Light. We too are not to judge the darkness but to shine the Light. Living and practicing the truth won't make us popular in these times. The truth we are to live the Light we are to shine is to as Jesus said and did: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.… (Matthew 5:43-44)   

Romans 12:20-21 says:   IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

That's the life we are to live. That's the Light we are to shine, overcoming evil with good, allowing the Light of Christ to dispel and judge the darkness. The world might not love us,  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light and Holy Spirit. Amen