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John 3 · Grade 5

For God So Loved the World

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Read and Think

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the ruling council, and a respected teacher of Israel. He came to Jesus at night and called Him a teacher come from God. Jesus went straight to his deepest need. Unless one is born anew, he can't see God's Kingdom. Nicodemus thought of physical birth, but Jesus meant a spiritual birth. We need a new heart, washed clean and made alive by the Spirit, as the prophet Ezekiel had promised.

Jesus compared the Spirit to the wind. It blows where it wants. We see its effects, though we cannot control it. Then Jesus explained how this new life comes. In Numbers 21, God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent, and those who looked at it lived. Even so, the Son of Man must be lifted up on the cross, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The best-known verse in the Bible follows. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. God's love is the reason for the gift, the world is the object, and eternal life is the result. God sent His Son to save, not to condemn. Yet light exposes darkness, and some people love darkness because their deeds are evil. Meanwhile, John the Baptist's disciples worried that people were leaving John for Jesus. John answered with joy, He must increase, but I must decrease.

Show What You Know

  1. What was Nicodemus's deepest need?

  2. What did the prophet Ezekiel promise that connects to this new birth?

  3. How is the bronze serpent a picture of Jesus?

  4. In John 3:16, what is God's reason, the object of His love, and the result?

  5. Why do some people stay away from the light?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

GodwindSpiritlifeNicodemus
  1. was a Pharisee, a member of the ruling council, and a respected teacher of Israel.
  2. He came to Jesus at night and called Him a teacher come from .
  3. We need a new heart, washed clean and made alive by the , as the prophet Ezekiel had promised.
  4. Jesus compared the Spirit to the .
  5. Then Jesus explained how this new comes.

Think About It

  1. Nicodemus came at night with questions. What questions would you like to ask Jesus?

  2. John the Baptist was joyful to become less important. Why is it freeing to let Jesus be the center?

Memory Verse

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for this Bible story. Help me to . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How would you explain God's gift to a friend?
  • How could you help someone who is searching for God?
  • How can you choose what is good and true?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.