Jesus and Nicodemus
To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.
To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.
Introduction
Take some time to discuss how everyone’s holiday season went!
- What were some highlights?
- What were some goals you wanted to accomplish?
- How was your time spent with your family or friends?
- How was your time spent with Jesus?
This week we will be talking about transformation through Jesus. Keep this in mind as you begin your meeting in prayer for God’s blessing over this time with your group.
Connect
- What usually gives you confidence in your life?
- How do you feel when a decision you make turns out well? How does this help you in the future?
- What is an event that changed your life radically for the better?
- What made it so impactful?
- How easy do you think it would be to go back to the way life was before? Why would this be difficult (or easy) for you to do?
Opening Thought
Change can feel overwhelming at times, especially when we’re unsure of how things will turn out. But change can also lead to incredible growth and transformation. Jesus invites us to trust Him and step into a new life with Him at the center—a life filled with hope and purpose.
This leads us to our main idea for this week:
Main idea for the week
We can experience new life by deciding to follow Jesus.
The Story so Far
Despite 400 years of not hearing from God, there is finally a sign to the Jewish people that he is still there: Jesus, the promised person the Jewish people have been waiting for, which they know from the prophets as the Messiah, has finally appeared and was born in Bethlehem until his family moved to Egypt, then back to Nazareth. After growing up in the trade of his father Jesus started his ministry around 30 years old and began teaching people openly, while taking on disciples.
Here’s where we are this week
Today’s story is the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, who was a well respected member of the Pharisees, a Jewish sect which tried to keep themselves ritually pure and separate from gentiles and irreligious Jews to be dedicated to the strict observance of the full Jewish law, as well as Jewish Oral Tradition. Hearing of Jesus’ teachings and wanting to learn from him, Nicodemus approached him at night.
Unpack
Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward discuss each of the connected questions before moving to the next set of verses:
Read
John 3:1-8
Unpack
- Why do you think Nicodemus approached Jesus at night? Why would he care what other people have to say?
- Why do you think he still felt compelled to ask Jesus about his teachings?
- How have you felt the desire to know God conflict with the fear of what people think? Why do you think this is such a common struggle for followers of Jesus today?
- How have you tried to address this balancing act? What has been the result so far?
- Verse 8 within this section shows Jesus explaining how the Holy Spirit is similar to the wind in that you can’t see it, you can only see its effect on the world around it.
- How are we supposed to interact with something like this?
- Do any experiences come to mind when you’ve seen the Holy Spirit’s work around you? Share with the group.
- Why is it important to remember that not being able to see something or know how it works is not a reason to reject that it works?
- How are we supposed to interact with something like this?
Read
John 3:9-21
Unpack
- Why do you think it was so difficult for Nicodemus and the pharisees to believe who Jesus was, even when he was showing himself to be the long-awaited savior of the world the Jews had been praying for?
- Why do you think people have a habit of getting in their own way when it comes to believing and trusting the good things of God?
- Is there an area in your life right now where you’re finding it hard to trust God?
- Why do you think people have a habit of getting in their own way when it comes to believing and trusting the good things of God?
- How does the assurance that Jesus came not to condemn but to save the world provide comfort and hope?
Verse 14 from this section references Numbers 21 from the Bible, a story that describes God sending snakes to the Israelites as a punishment for their sins. When the people acknowledged their sin, God told Moses, their leader, to hold up a bronze snake on a pole and whoever looked at it would be healed and protected from the snakes.
- What would Nicodemus have understood this comparison between Jesus and the bronze snake to mean? What do you think Jesus was trying to teach Nicodemus here?
- How often do you find yourself looking to Jesus to heal you from the consequences of your actions?
- What does it mean to come to the light, and how can this be applied in your daily life?
- How can you cultivate a heart that loves light more than darkness?
- How can you help others understand the concept of being “born again” in the context of present-day living?
Apply
Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group and write down what each person’s action steps for the week will be. Next week, talk about how it went!
- How often do you intentionally show that you have been “born again” and now live a new life with Jesus? How do you do this in your daily life?
- What steps can you take daily to make sure Jesus is reflected in your heart and in your actions?
- What is one step you will take this week to start trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?
- Share with your group: What are you going to trust him with?
- How will you approach Jesus this week in quiet moments to speak and listen to him just as Nicodemus did?
- Alternatively, what steps can you take this week to share your life with God openly, not just in private moments?
- How will you try to walk in the light (Jesus) this week more than the darkness (the things that pull you away from him)?
Closing
Read the first section to your group, then read the verse out loud to the group, and finally, move to the Prayer and Verses section:
When we trust Jesus with our lives, we can have confidence that he is going to take care of us. As you go through this week, take steps to boldly trust him as you try to live in the new life of light that he invites you into.
Prayer and Verses
Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group.
Thematic Reflection Verse for the Week
*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week.
Romans 15:13
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us.
Daily Devotional Verses
Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below.
Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well.
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read?
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read?
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned.
Day 1: Romans 8:28
Day 2: Hebrews 11:1
Day 3: Psalm 46:10
Day 4: Psalm 62:8
Day 5: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Day 6: John 1:12