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Notes from John 2:13 - John 3:20

The setup Although there’s a chapter break separating them, I think that the story covered in John 2:13-3:20 reads as one piece.  Jesus had just busted up the temple courts and made a big splash in Jerusalem around passover, claiming to be able to rebuild the temple in three days, etc.   I think that the cleansing of the temple is actually a preface to the story of Nicodemus.  It sets up the circumstances of his visit, as does the statement that Jesus knew what was inside a man (John 2:25).   That’s the opening statement to Nicodemus’ story.  Jesus knew what was in his heart, and spoke to that, rather than to the surface of how he approached Jesus. Nicodemus: seeker or pharisee? John 3:1-2 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 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 has