“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” John 3:16
A respected Pharisee came to Jesus by night with questions. Jesus taught him about being born of water and of the Spirit, and about the love that sent the Son into the world.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night. He said he knew Jesus was “a teacher come from God.” Jesus told him that unless a person is born again, born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus didn’t understand how a grown man could be born again.
Jesus compared the Spirit to the wind: you can’t see it, but you can hear and feel it. He said that just as Moses lifted up a serpent on a pole in the wilderness so the people could look and live, He would be lifted up so all who believe could have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: the Son sent by a loving Father
Nicodemus: a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews
Moses: whose bronze serpent pointed to Christ
Where and when
Jerusalem, at night, early in Jesus’s ministry, around Passover time.
Watch for the Savior
Watch how patiently Jesus answers questions, and why the Father sent Him.
Eight stops from a night visit to the light. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the visit, the wind, the serpent on the pole, and a later garden. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
John 3:1“a Meaning: a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin.”
John 3:2“Meaning: teacher, master.”
John 3:7“Meaning: don’t be amazed.”
John 3:8“where it Meaning: wants, pleases.”
John 3:10“a Meaning: a teacher of Israel.”
John 3:20“lest his deeds should be Meaning: exposed, corrected.”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. The moon, the baby, the water, the dove, the wind, the pole, the heart, the gift and the door. John 3:1–21
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Where are you?
Questions, seeking quietly, starting over, or loved. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Into the light
Walk with Nicodemus from a quiet night visit toward the light. At the end, you choose what Jesus taught.
“He that doeth truth cometh to the light.” John 3:21
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Their world, their words
A little background on Nicodemus helps the conversation come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Church resource · Student manual
Who was he?
“As a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus occupied a position of political, social, and religious influence and power.”5
A leader with a lot to lose.
Scripture · John 7
He spoke up
Later he asked the leaders, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”2
His faith was growing.
Scripture · John 19
He came again
After the Crucifixion, Nicodemus “brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.”2
Openly this time.
Scripture · Numbers 21
The serpent
“Every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.”3
The same Greek word means both, which is why Jesus compared the Spirit to the wind.1
What the text does not say
Jesus doesn’t scold Nicodemus for coming at night or for asking hard questions. He answers him, patiently, and then tells him the most hopeful truth in scripture: God sent His Son “not … to condemn the world” but to save it.1
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Look to Him
He welcomes honest questions, offers a new birth, and was lifted up because God so loved the world.
“Steady, sustained, and complete immersion is required for the desired change to occur.”
“The knowledge to be obtained through the gift of the Holy Ghost … is just as sure and certain to us as the wind that blows, even though we cannot see it.”
President Marion G. Romney, quoted in the student manual5
Alma (Book of Mormon)
Look and live
“A type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.” Alma 33:19
Nicodemus: Born of Water and the Spirit, ready to print $3.99
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
Nicodemus: Born of Water and the Spirit is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for February 1–7, 2027 (John 2–4).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in John 3:1–21; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
