SESSION 1 (January 28): John 3:1-15

Nicodemus and the New Birth

Opening Frame (5 minutes)

Read John 3:1-15 aloud slowly

After reading, invite a moment of silence. Then say:

“We’re going to spend this entire session with one conversation—Jesus and Nicodemus. It happens at night. It involves confusion. It ends without full resolution. And that’s okay. Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones where we leave with more questions than we came with, but with a clearer sense of who Jesus is.”

Part 1: Observation—What Do We Actually See? (20 minutes)

Observation Exercise 1: Nicodemus

Verse 1-2: Who Is Nicodemus?

Ask the room to notice every detail John provides:

• “There was a man” (individual, specific)
• “Of the Pharisees” (religious party, known for strict Torah observance)
• “Named Nicodemus” (we know his name—this is not a generic encounter)
• “A ruler of the Jews” (member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council)
• “This man came to Jesus” (he initiates; he seeks)
• “By night” (timing matters—why does John tell us this?)
• “Rabbi” (he addresses Jesus with respect, as a teacher)
• “We know” (he speaks for a group, not just himself)
• “You are a teacher come from God” (he affirms Jesus’ divine connection)
• “For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (evidence-based conclusion from miracles)

Questions for the Room:

• What does John want us to notice about Nicodemus before the conversation even begins?
• Why include “by night”? What might that signal?
• Nicodemus says “we know”—who is “we”? Why does that matter?

Teaching Note:
Resist rushing to application. Let the room sit with the details. Nicodemus is educated, powerful, respected—and he comes searching at night. This is not a simple character. Neither proud nor humble, but somewhere complicated and real.

Observation Exercise 2: The Conversation’s Structure

Map the back-and-forth on a board or screen:

Speaker

What They Say

Pattern

Nicodemus

“Rabbi, we know…” (v.2)

Acknowledgment

Jesus

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again…” (v.3)

Assertion without preamble

Nicodemus

“How can a man be born when he is old?” (v.4)

Literal confusion

Jesus

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit…” (v.5-8)

Expansion + analogy (wind)

Nicodemus

“How can these things be?” (v.9)

Persistent confusion

Jesus

“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand?” (v.10-15)

Challenge + explanation

Questions for the Room:

• What do you notice about how Jesus responds to Nicodemus?
• Does Jesus answer Nicodemus’ “how” questions directly?
• What does Jesus seem more interested in revealing?

Teaching Note:
Jesus does not explain how rebirth works mechanically. He explains that it must happen and why (to see/enter the kingdom). This pattern will matter later when we discuss belief vs. comprehension.

Observation Exercise 3: Key Repeated Words and Phrases

Have participants mark every instance of:

• “Truly, truly” (vv. 3, 5, 11) — What does this repetition signal?
• “Born” / “birth” (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) — Central metaphor
• “See” / “enter” the kingdom (vv. 3, 5) — Two different verbs—why both?
• “Spirit” (vv. 5, 6, 8) — How does Jesus describe the Spirit’s role?
• “Understand” / “know” (vv. 2, 10, 11) — What is the relationship between knowing and understanding here?

Silent Reflection Prompt:
“Take 60 seconds and circle or underline every time you see ‘born,’ ‘Spirit,’ or ‘know/understand.’ What pattern emerges?”