This is the Verdict
In the third chapter of his book, the Apostle John gives an account of Nicodemus, a Pharisee and religious leader, visiting Jesus. The meeting happened at night so that no one would be aware of the Pharisee seeking out the Messiah. A bit of theological espionage going on here.
I have always attributed an evidentiary purpose to the story of Nicodemus' meeting with Jesus, surmising the author wished us to know how the religious elite understood the validity of Jesus and His ministry. Nicodemus himself testifies to Jesus' validity when he states, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God." (vs. 2) But in my most recent reading, I revised this attribution.
The verdict is that light, Jesus Christ, was sent into the world by God, but humans loved darkness rather than light.
John included the account to establish the truth set forth in the well-quoted and adjacent scripture of John 3:16-21. Another error I had was thinking these verses were red letter, included in Jesus’ dialog with Nicodemus. I was wrong. Verses 16 through 21 are actually the Apostle's words. Who knew?
It's crucial to consider that the first century readers of John's gospel would likely have just as much difficulty understanding the principle of being "born again" as Nicodemus had when he heard Jesus say it. "How can someone be born when they are old?" was the Pharisee's question after hearing the Savior ‘s comment. Just as Nicodemus was puzzled, John's contemporaries must have scratched their heads. But John was intent on helping the readers understand. Thus, he included the account of the visit in his gospel and explained how salvation was available.
As Jesus says to Nicodemus, "You must be born of water and of the Spirit." (vs. 5) Birth of water refers to the natural, fleshly birth that each human goes through. The birth of the Spirit refers to something entirely different. John wanted the reader to understand the need for this birth and the salvation available through the spiritual birth. So John goes on to write, in his own God-inspired words, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (vs. 16) You must be born of the spirit, as Jesus instructs Nicodemus. So God gave His Son, as John points out.
But John did not end there. "This is the verdict" (vs. 19), the Apostle wrote. In other words, pay attention: Jesus, the Light, has come into the world. God did what He promised to do - the Messiah has come. But we humans love darkness, not the light. We avoid Jesus - the Light - because our deeds are evil. The light reveals the evil, not to condemn the evil-doer, as stated in verse 17. God loves the evil-doer - referenced as "the world" by John. The light condemns the evil so that the evil-doer may be set free. But the evil-doer has to come to the Light so that he may be born again.
John uses the account of Nicodemus visiting Jesus as an introduction to the gospel's most central and most extraordinary truth. There is salvation - even for sinners like us! God provided a way through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. We must be born again in spirit. The one and only way this can happen is through Jesus. He is the light that condemns evil, redeems the evil-doer, and pays the perfect price necessary to remove the penalty of sin. If you are in sin, come to the Light.