The Last Scribe

John 3 · 36 verses · Nicodemus by night

John 3 as a game: Nicodemus by night, the new birth and John 3:16

Meet the ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night and asked how a man can be born when he is old. Read the verse more people know by heart than any other, and hear John the Baptist say why his joy is full.

Play free Try the quiz questions

No download. Plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Revelation 1 and the Baptism of Jesus are free to try first.

What you will see

One chapter, from a night question to a full joy

You arrive as a Scribe, sent to witness the chapter and write it down. John 3 is one map you can walk end to end, and two people of the chapter stand on it: Nicodemus, “a man of the Pharisees”, and John the Baptist. Each speaks only from their own verses. Nicodemus tells you what he asked that night and what Jesus answered: “Ye must be born again.”

Three things wait to be found and read. The bronze serpent memorial sets the verse beside you: as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, “even so must the Son of man be lifted up”. The scroll of God’s love holds verses 16 and 17, that God sent His Son “that the world through him might be saved”. The last tells of light and darkness, and of the one who “doeth truth” and comes to the light. The quest takes you through them in the chapter’s order, from the serpent to Nicodemus, the scroll, the light, and then to John the Baptist, who says plainly, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Every verse the game quotes is the King James Version. When you have seen it all, step into the quiz zone and sixteen questions ask what you saw.

John 3 in the game: the map of the chapter with its people standing where the passage puts them
The game itself, not a mock-up: John 3.

The chapter, in order

The quest, You Must Be Born Again, has six steps, and they follow the chapter in order. Nothing is added to the text; the steps are a way of making sure you miss none of it.

  1. Examine the bronze serpent memorial.
  2. Speak with Nicodemus about the new birth.
  3. Read the scroll of God’s love.
  4. Examine the light and darkness.
  5. Speak with John the Baptist about humility.
  6. Complete the John 3 quiz.

Who you meet

Two people and voices stand in the chapter. Each speaks only from their own place in the chapter.

  • Nicodemus — the Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came “by night” and asks you the question he asked: how can a man be born when he is old.
  • John the Baptist — the forerunner who says “I am not the Christ” and calls himself the friend of the bridegroom.

What you find

Walk up to any of these and the game reads you the verses it comes from, in the King James Version.

  • Bronze Serpent Memorial — Moses and the serpent in the wilderness (3:14–15). (John 3:14–15)
  • Scroll of God’s Love — John 3:16 and 17, in full. (John 3:16–17)
  • Light and Darkness — why “men loved darkness rather than light” (3:19). (John 3:19–21)

The verse at the centre of the chapter

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16–17, King James Version

Every verse the game quotes is the KJV. Where a character speaks in their own words, the dialogue is written from the chapter and checked against our doctrinal rules before release. The about page says plainly how we read the Bible.

Try five of the sixteen

John 3 quiz questions, with answers

Five real questions from the John 3 quiz, in the game's own words. In the game the options are shuffled every time, and you need 70% to pass.

1. When did Nicodemus come to Jesus (John 3:2)?

  1. At midday
  2. At dawn
  3. During the Sabbath service
  4. By night
Show the answer

D. By night This man came to Jesus by night.

John 3:2

2. To what did Jesus compare the Spirit’s work (John 3:8)?

  1. A river flowing to the sea
  2. Rain falling on dry ground
  3. The wind that blows where it wishes
  4. A fire that purifies
Show the answer

C. The wind that blows where it wishes The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.

John 3:8

3. According to John 3:16, why did God give His only begotten Son?

  1. Because mankind deserved salvation
  2. Because the angels requested it
  3. Because God so loved the world
  4. Because Israel repented
Show the answer

C. Because God so loved the world For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

John 3:16

4. Where was John the Baptist baptizing in John 3:23?

  1. The Sea of Galilee
  2. The Pool of Siloam
  3. The Jordan near Jericho
  4. Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there
Show the answer

D. Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there.

John 3:23

5. What famous declaration did John the Baptist make about Jesus in John 3:30?

  1. He is the Lamb of God
  2. He must increase, but I must decrease
  3. He is the Prophet foretold by Moses
  4. He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit
Show the answer

B. He must increase, but I must decrease He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 3:30

Right answers pay 10 XP each and a perfect score pays 50 more. In a room, everyone answers the same quiz and sees how the others did. More on how the quiz works.

Chapter facts

36
verses, every one covered by something you see, hear or read
16
quiz questions, each tied to a verse
2
people and voices to speak with
3
things to find and read
1–6
players in a room; solo play is fine too
KJV
every verse quoted from the King James Version

How to play it

  1. Open the game in your browser and make an account. A child under 13 gives a parent's email instead of their own, and the parent confirms before the child can play with anyone else; see the page for parents.
  2. Play the short intro story in the Archivery, the library where the Scribe finds the Book. It is free and takes a few minutes.
  3. Open the world map and choose John 3. To play with others, start a room and share its code, which looks like SCRIBE-7K4P2Q; up to six people can join from their own devices.
  4. Walk the map, speak with everyone, read everything, then step into the quiz zone.

Free, and with a subscription

John 3 is part of the subscription ($9.99 a month or $79.99 a year). Chapters open in Bible order along a road through the books, era by era, so John 3 opens when you reach John on that road; nobody skips ahead. See pricing.

Free forever, for every player: the intro story, Revelation 1, the story scene The Baptism of Jesus, and four open lands to walk with other players: the City of the Last Days, the Garden of Eden, Judea in the days of Jesus, and Patmos and the Seven Churches. Revelation 1 is a good first chapter to try before you subscribe.

More to play

Come to the light.

John 3 takes about twenty minutes alone, a little longer with friends in a room.

Start with the free chapters