Daily Archives: November 16, 2025

JOHN’S GOSPEL…WHY NO JUDGMENT? – 10

Bible Study, ,

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These words, spoken to Nicodemus, spill over into the narrative of chapter 4 in a tender and poignant story.  Let me explain.

We are familiar with the story of Jesus’ encounter with the  Samaritan woman. She was, if anything, a woman of loose morals…a “sinner” in the eyes of religious Jews. The fact that she came for water at midday spoke volumes about her place in society…shunned, an outcast, someone the people in her village preferred to avoid.  

Why would Jesus, of all people, even acknowledge her, let alone talk to her? 

I have recently watched/listened to a number of testimonies of ex-Muslims, some from the highest echelons of Muslim society, who have had a personal encounter with Jesus.  A thread runs through every story. Despite the attitude of hatred, disgust, and contempt cultivated towards Jesus from childhood, every convert encountered, whether in a dream or a near-death experience, a person of infinite love. Never was there a word or an attitude of judgment or condemnation. 

Surely Jesus, the Son of God and Creator of the universe, has the right to be incensed by the words spoken against Him, and the cruel treatment people receive when they learn the truth about Him.  Yet, He loves despite the insults, the rejection, the enmity of mere humans. 

What was it, above all else, that drew this sinful woman to an infinitely holy man? When He disclosed His knowledge about her…

“Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.””

‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…she should have run from Him in shame, but she didn’t. Were His to her words not judgment and condemnation? No! Jesus’ treatment and words conveyed, not judgment but understanding. “I know you!” If we dig deeper, we will recognise that His message  was not “You are a sinful woman,” but “You are a thirsty woman!”

She ran back to the very people who shunned her with an exciting confession…”He knows me.” Not shame but wonder! Of all the things Jesus said to her, this disclosure hit her the hardest. “Can He be the Messiah?” 

In her sinful lifestyle, Jesus recognised a heart yearning for authentic love. Five times she tried and failed. Marriage was not the answer, so why bother. Just shack up. She could walk away if it didn’t work. She kept drinking at the wrong fountain.  

Jesus saw, not her sin but her heart. 

What dos this story say about Jesus’ attitude towards those who run from Him through ignorance or those who have been taught to hate and revile Him? He knows them! His response to the vile things people think and say about Him, and even the evil things they do in rebellion against Him, is not judgment but understanding. 

This doesn’t mean that Jesus excuses sin. Far from it! However, He knows every heart. He forgave those who crucified Him in ignorance.  

The theme of God’s forbearance runs throughout Scripture. 

David celebrated…

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus declared to a Pharisee…

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul wrote to believers…

“…God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 … and preached to unbelievers…

 “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What lies at the heart of God’s patience and mercy towards sinners?  The CROSS! All sin was judged at the cross. The cross casts its shadow over all time. The cross paid for the sin of all people. 

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman the living water flowing freely to all people, regardless of who she was or what she had done, if she was willing to receive it.  

If I were to invent a religion to rival the truth about Jesus, the god of my imagination would have this quality above all else…he would love and understand, not judge and condemn. 

This great truth sets Jesus apart from all others. His is a love that cancels the paralysing fear of punishment. His holiness does not drive us from Him. It draws us to Him because He has dealt with, by His own intervention, the very barrier that excludes us from His holy presence. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬, ‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If there is ever a reason to believe in Jesus, it’s this. 

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

JOHN’S GOSPEL…NICODEMUS – 9

Bible Study, ,

“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nicodemus, who was he? A Pharisee…a highly educated, deeply religious, greatly respected member of the ruling class, appearing by name in John’s narrative, only a few times…an enquirer near the beginning, (chapter 3), a defender in the middle, (chapter 7), and a believer in the end (chapter 19).

Among the few honest Pharisees, Nicodemus stands out as one who had the courage to meet with Jesus, albeit alone and at night, to ask honest questions. At this stage, he was trying to connect the dots about Jesus but confused by the general expectation of the Messiah…a mighty conquering king who would come to deliver Israel from Roman oppression and set up His David-style rule over His people. Jesus was no ordinary man but yet, He didn’t fit the narrative of the anticipated Messiah.

What puzzled Nicodemus was what Jesus was doing versus what the other Pharisees were saying about Him. Why did Nicodemus say, “We know…”, as though the Pharisees were in agreement with him that Jesus was from God…?

“He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

… and yet, they denied what they secretly believed.

Jesus cut short Nicodemus’ explanations…

“Forget about what you and your colleagues think about me. Let’s look at the facts. None of this will make sense to you unless you are supernaturally born into God’s kingdom.”

“How can that happen?” Nicodemus was even more confused!

“Only through the Holy Spirit.” Jesus included the Holy Spirit in the mix…the Holy Spirit into whom Messiah would baptise His people.

The subject of this conversation mystified Nicodemus and surprised Jesus. Why did Nicodemus not understand what He was telling him?

““You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nicodemus, of all people, should have understood the spiritual truths hidden in the Old Covenant. Had he become so “religious” in a legalistic and ritualistic sense that he had lost his spiritual connection with God?

Gently, thoroughly, Jesus began to unpack some of the symbolism of events during Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Seemingly, miracles that God did for His people on their journey, like providing miracle bread and miracle water, and like a look at the bronze serpent on a pole that saved them from the bite of poisonous snakes, became pictures of what Messiah would do.

Was Nicodemus slowly beginning to understand?

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The man whom Nicodemus admired was, after all, not just a man sent from God to do the works of God. He was none other than the Son of God! He came to do the greatest work of God…to save His people from the penalty of sin by being ”lifted up” on the cross.

The door to the kingdom of God was open, not by trying to obey God’s laws but believing what God had done through His Son. “Then, Nicodemus, this spiritual conversation will make sense to you.”

To Nicodemus, this conversation only added to his confusion. His anticipation of Messiah as king needed to undergo a radical change as Jesus added the dimension of the cross to his incomplete understanding of Messiah’s work. The “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah’s prophecy would only come into full view when Jesus was “lifted up” on the cross.

To be continued…