We will be looking at some of the conversations Jesus had during His time walking this earth, specifically with four individuals. Three of these conversation accounts are found in the Gospel of John while the first can be found in the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. The conversations Jesus had with the rich young ruler, Martha, the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus show a seeming variation on the topic of eternal salvation. All of His exchanges are individualised; the human array that presents itself to Christ in the gospels elicits varying responses from Him. Does this mean God saves each person by varying means? No. It is just that there are different stumbling blocks or journey points of faith in each person so each gets a different message from Him around either their obstacles or their needs. We start with the conversation between Jesus and the rich young ruler :
- THE RICH YOUNG RULER (Mt 19:16-26; Mk 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27)
a) what he asked of Christ
How to inherit eternal life.
b) Jesus’ answer
Jesus told him to RENOUNCE something that was an obstacle to faith. He also OFFERED the young man an incredible privilege – to “come, follow Me”, something others had asked Jesus for but which He did not allow them (Mt 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58). To walk this earth in the company of Christ was an amazing offer.
From the start of their conversation, the young man either addresses Jesus as good (“good teacher”) (Mark and Luke) or opens his question with an enquiry about what is good (“what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”) (Matthew). How does Jesus respond in the first instance? He prompts the man to ponder who Jesus is by questioning the title he gave Him. Mt 19:17 “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” No mere human is good, Jesus is saying, but Jesus is more than a mere human. Theologically speaking, we acknowledge Jesus as fully God and fully man. How can this be? PhD theses have been built around this question, I am sure. I can’t fully understand it but study Bibles and websites do often offer a brief explanation – the question of Christ’s two natures. So Jesus is driving the man to recognise that He whom he is addressing is more than just a good teacher.
Christ did not intend here to disclaim divinity, or to say anything about his own character, but simply to reprove the intention and habit of the young man – a most severe reproof of a foolish habit of compliment and flattery…
Barnes, biblehub.com
In the case of the rich young ruler, he suffered from the self-delusion that he had kept all of the commandments. In fact, Jesus’ questioning of him proved that this was not the case. It revealed that the man’s wealth, with its promise of security, luxury and standing in society, was a god to him and although he appeared genuine and earnest, he was too invested in his wealth to turn to God as Jesus had framed this turning.
Matt 19:21 “If you wish to be complete (perfect), go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
What a swap the young man was offered! Give your wealth away in exchange for treasure in heaven and “come follow Me”. A scribe had once begged Jesus to let him accompany Him but Jesus sent him away saying that He has no home or comforts to speak of, unlike even the animal kingdom has. But here, the young man is being welcomed by Christ into His own company, to follow Him. The rich young ruler turned down the offer. It was going to ask too much of him.
Jesus had loved the young man when he approached Him.
Mark 10:21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
The young man was probably a genuine and earnest seeker and Jesus could see this about him. But by his ultimate response, turning away, he showed that the wealth Jesus knew was his obstacle to true faith, had been turned into an idol – something he valued more than anything else in the world including God. This in itself was a breaking of the first commandment :
Exodus 20:3 (NKJV) 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Was the rich young ruler saved or eternally lost? He turned down the offer to follow Jesus, unlike the disciples. Does this show that God has special followers, ascetics, and then the ordinary flock? How does this fit into what Jesus called others to do? We will consider some of these questions.
- MARTHA (John 11)
a) what she asked of Jesus
Nothing about her eternal destiny. She along with Mary had sent for Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick. Now he was dead and Jesus really drove His answer to Martha to help her in her bereavement and grief.
b) Jesus’ offering to her
A response to her grief and distress at her brother’s death. God HATES death. Satan loves it. Satan deals in it, both in death and destruction. But God hates them both. So:
John 11:23 (NASB) 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Jesus takes the discussion further:
John 11:24-27 (NASB) 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
And there we have it. Jesus’ incredible assurance to Martha that anyone who believes in Him, THE resurrection and THE life, will live even if he/she dies and that everyone who lives and believes in Jesus WILL NEVER DIE. After His declaration of who He is He gives Martha a chance to respond:
“Do you believe this?”
Martha responds that she does believe that Jesus is the promised Christ or Messiah, the Son of God. Being the true Jew that she was, she understood and believed the Old Testament Scriptures, probably through the teaching she received in the temple, and so was ready to recognise, believe in and follow Jesus the Messiah. You may wonder that she could have received anything of value through these teachers whom Jesus had denounced as “white-washed tombs”. But remember that Jesus had told His followers to listen to these teachers but not to follow their example. Here are His words:
Matthew 23:1-5 (NASB) 1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men;
3. THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL (John 4:7-42)
a) what she asked of Jesus
Nothing. It was Jesus who instigated the conversation.
b) what Jesus told her
Jesus and the woman were at Jacob’s well for water. Jesus drives the conversation around the circumstances at hand – the need for water. But He goes beyond physical water to offering her “living water”, referring to the Holy Spirit.
John 4:10 (NASB) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
She misses what Jesus is saying to her and reverts to talk of physical water. Jesus is offering her eternal life. Without her mentioning anything about her personal life, Jesus pinpoints her history of re-marriage – she had had five husbands. By His insight into her past and present, she seems convinced of His specialness, “a prophet”:
John 4:15-19 (NASB) 15 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
She was both carnal and religious, a not unfamiliar coupling, as can be seen also in our own day. By “religious”, I do not mean Christian. I refer more to people like New-Agers who are often religious plus live a typical 21st century, loose lifestyle. She wasn’t a Jew but a Samaritan, a hated group by the Jews at the time of Christ. They would have been considered as Gentiles and anathema by the Jews of Jesus’ day. So in this story we have Jesus reaching out to a Samaritan woman – not only a Samaritan but a woman. Christianity, like Christ, has always given women dignity – the dignity of being spoken to and treated as equals. Here is one huge difference between Christianity, feminism and some other religions: Christianity treats all people, whatever race or gender, as equal. Feminism distorts this and tries to make women superior to men and sets men and women against each other as competing forces. Other religions such as Islam treat women as inferior chattels of men, especially seen in the practice of FGM.
The Samaritan woman, knowing her Scriptures, recognises Jesus as the promised Messiah and goes to her fellow-Samaritans to tell them about her exchange with Him. As her starting point to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, she appears convinced by the authentication in her mind of Him as a prophet, able as He was to see into her life, past and present:
John 4:39-42 (NASB) 39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”
4. NICODEMUS (John 3:1-21)
a) what he asked of Jesus
He tries to suss out who Jesus is.
John 3:1-2 (NASB) 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
b) what Jesus told him
Jesus appears to see the intent of his coming to Him and directs Nicodemus to true spiritual life.
John 3:3 (NASB) 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
What is this conversation about? Why tell Nicodemus about being born again when others were told quite different things, even when they asked Him about how to gain eternal life as the rich young ruler had done? Jesus always answers people’s deepest needs. He addresses their obstacles to faith in Him as the Messiah, the Christ. These Hebrew and Greek words, respectively, mean the same thing.
“Christian theology centers on the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the “Christ” or “Messiah,” synonyms that highlight his status as a divinely appointed savior-king.”
Jesus as Messiah by T. D. Alexander, The Gospel Coalition
In the case of Nicodemus, Judaism as it was practiced had become corrupted, instead veering away from true Judaism. God kept sending Israel prophets over and over again to steer them back to Him and what He was telling them. In the same way, the Jewish rulers, by the time of Christ, were missing the intent of the OT Scriptures and the Law. Instead, they added peripheral things and left important things out, making the religion removed from God. Nonetheless, there remained true Jewish believers (a remnant) who did understand who God is and who walked in true faith. Among these were some characters with whom we are familiar in the New Testament – Mary and Joseph; John the Baptist; Anna who virtually lived in the temple since becoming a widow decades before and many more. Judaism was intended to be centred around God’s glory and God’s intent for His people, to walk in faith with Him and to obey His commands to them. The Ten Commandments still apply to the people of God in the Christian era. Jesus took these commandments and taught the deepest intent and extent of their meaning, especially that God cared about all people and was centred around love, justice, truth and mercy. What was wrong with the Pharisees was their corruption of true Judaism as God had originally handed it down to the prophets, and from there, to His people. So Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he has to start again – be re-born.
John 3:5 (NASB)…unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
There are varied opinions among Christians as to what “water” refers to: “…unless one is born of water and the Spirit”. We know what being born of the Spirit means – God’s gift of salvation through His Spirit with (OT) him/her or in him/her (NT post-Pentecost); a bestowal of God’s grace on the believer for his/her eternal salvation and new relationship with God. The water, I believe, refers to physical birth because in verse 6 we read:
John 3:6 (NASB) 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
and the entire passage is about RE-Birth. We are only re-born if we were first born. The meaning of the next thing Jesus says about re-birth by the Spirit can be quite controversial.
John 3:7-8 (NASB) 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
My understanding of Jesus’ intended meaning is that a new spiritual birth is effected in a person by the Spirit (of God); we cannot physically see this new birth, we can only see its effect, thus the many verses of Scripture that refer to new birth in terms of its effect on a person’s behaviour. I felt affirmed in my interpretation when I later consulted Albert Barnes’ commentary. His conclusion about Jesus’ use of the illustration of the wind is simply non-seeable cause and evidential effect. Barnes adds a cautionary note to not deduce too much about God’s method of bringing about new birth. I take this to mean that we should not automatically deduce that this is an illustration of God being seemingly random in His gift of new birth and salvation to believers. In the original Passover, God passed over the houses of those Israelites who trusted in Him, showing their faith by their action of placing blood on the lintels of their doorways. There was no randomness or mystery in God’s actions during the Passover. The Israelites were all pre-warned of God’s conditions, as was Pharaoh (Exodus 11:4-8). Those who obeyed were passed over by the Lord whereas those who didn’t bother with the blood requirement lost their firstborn child and firstborn of their flocks for their disobedience, choosing to ignore God’s clear command to them. Those who obeyed were spared death in their households and in their flocks. Read the event of the Passover in Exodus 12, particularly verses 23, 26-27 and 29. This obedience was not a work on the part of the OT believers but of faith in God, believing Him enough to obey Him. Obedience is the fruit of belief. Disobedience is the fruit of unbelief. Not that sins are unforgivable. God has made quite clear throughout Scripture that His people do not reach perfection in this life, thus the need for sacrifices throughout OT Israelite history right up to, and climaxing in, Christ’s sacrificial death. See this post regarding our forgiveness for all sin that is repented of.
Further on the new birth, Jesus goes on to explain in John 3 how it is that people are saved or condemned:
John 3:16-21 (NASB) 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Jesus is clearly stating to Nicodemus the basis for judgement upon some but not others. It centres on either a desire for change by coming to the Light or a desire for continued evil, choosing darkness. The former leads to belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Our works do not save us but belief in Jesus does. It is clear that there is a connection between true repentance and faith. Neither repentance nor faith are works. They are both responses to God. It is another question entirely as to whether God prompts all people, or only some, to repentance and faith.
In addressing a ruler of the Jews, Jesus spoke in OT Scripture terms to Nicodemus, relating them to Himself. Thus He cites the reference to Himself in the OT story of Moses and the serpent in the wilderness:
John 3:14-15 (ESV) 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Jesus is directing Nicodemus to His future atoning death and that only belief in Him, recognising His divinity and why He came into this world as a Saviour of humanity, will allow anyone to be saved.
The exchanges Jesus had with various individuals appear quite varied. They are varied in their specifics but they all share the common thread of the call to repentance and putting faith or trust in Jesus for eternal salvation. Jesus told the rich young ruler to rid himself of a major obstacle to faith and to come, follow Him. It would be an act of faith to renounce his wealth and to choose to follow Jesus. Based on how God had called people throughout history, resulting in dramatic change in them (Abraham and Jesus’ disciples are examples) as they walked with God, we can safely assume that following Jesus for the rich young ruler would have eventuated in him learning about the saving, atoning work of Christ over time. Jesus didn’t speak the whole gospel to him at the first opportunity. Whether the ruler’s wealth was just an issue for him or for all who would follow Christ remains an ongoing debate among some Christians. Since Jesus spoke to others about faith in quite different terms, I tend to think that Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler were intended for him personally. They may apply to others since this encounter; there have been some throughout Christian history who have renounced all that they materially possessed because of this teaching but I do not believe that the story appears in the gospels so that everyone will do what Jesus told this particular young man to do. He comforted Martha that she should be assured that faith in Him means that we believers will never die but instead live forever with Him. He offered “living water” (the Holy Spirit and a subsequent new life) to the Samaritan woman at the well so that her life would turn around, as did those to whom she witnessed of her encounter with Jesus. To Nicodemus, He said that he must be born again by the Spirit of God and that this re-birth comes by belief in Himself as the world’s Saviour and as the Son of God.
In summary, Jesus challenged each person who came to Him in search of something. They were all told to forsake a wrong idea or thing in their lives that was in opposition to God’s Kingdom. Jesus called the rich young ruler away from idolising wealth to the point of disregarding those in need, offering him instead the chance to follow Him truly. Martha held an unclear view that death has no power over believers because Jesus IS LIFE and so believers will never die. Jesus called the Samaritan woman at the well away from wanton carnal living, a substitute for what He was now offering her, true life in the Spirit. Jesus called Nicodemus to the truth and the light and away from an untrue version of Judaism.
When I read the gospels as a child I did not understand why Jesus told people after healing them, “Your faith has made you well”. “What faith?”, I thought. The sheer act of coming to Christ for healing was an act of faith. Jesus did the healing; all the healed did was to come to Him. In the same way, coming to Christ in repentance is an act of faith. Jesus said:
“…the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37b
Our World Our Faith 