Daily Devotional Details

Date

“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.” John 3:2

Nicodemus recognizes Jesus as a teacher from God. Teaching takes place in different ways—through modeling, mentoring or instructing—but at the end of the day, a teacher is someone you learn from. And a teacher “from God” is one who has divine authority, and therefore must be obeyed.

The message of many churches is limited to what Nicodemus grasped: “Jesus is a teacher from God. He has come to show us how to live God’s way. We are to walk in the way of Jesus, loving God and our neighbor. We are to go into all the world and teach other people to do the same.”

How did Nicodemus grasp this? It was because God’s people already had his teaching on how to live. They had the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, and they had been blessed with this gift for 1,500 years before Jesus came into the world.

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself,” he was only repeating what had already been revealed in the Old Testament. Nicodemus saw Jesus as simply another teacher, like Moses and the prophets, who had come from God to tell us what to do. There are many good and moral people who see Jesus in precisely this way.

Notice, when Nicodemus describes Jesus as teacher, Jesus does not say, “Nicodemus, you’re wrong!” He adds to what Nicodemus says, but he does not take away. No one can claim Christ as Savior who is not ready to submit to him as teacher. Jesus is not less than the law, but thank God he is more!

Do you see Jesus as simply a teacher who shows you how to do life?