Text: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Does it seem strange to you that Jesus would say, “…unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”? What does Jesus mean by “born again”? Do these words spoken by Jesus and written in red mean anything to you? Are these words important to us or should they be important to us?
Before we answer these questions, let’s peer deeper into the words of our Scripture reading and find out what led to Jesus saying these words.
“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group of religious leaders who were well educated and in fact scholarly. The Pharisees were very strict Jews who did not want to be associated with anyone who was not Jewish.
These Pharisees followed the Old Testament laws, rules and traditions very carefully. As the Scripture tells us, Nicodemus was a ruler and he was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a ruling body that had power and authority in Jerusalem. Jesus called Nicodemus “…the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10). This was an indication he was well trained in Jewish law and Jewish theology.
Our Scripture reading tells us that Nicodemus went to see Jesus at night. Did you ever wonder why he would go to see Jesus at night? Jesus was in the eye of the public all day long, so why wouldn’t he want to consult Jesus during the day.
Perhaps Nicodemus thought Jesus was so busy teaching and preaching during the day that He would not have time to talk to him. Maybe he thought Jesus’ mission was so important that he did not want to interrupt the Teacher or waste the Teacher’s valuable time.
Could it be that Nicodemus did not want his Jewish friends of the council to know he was interested in what Jesus was teaching? Remember the council or Sanhedrin members did not agree with Jesus or believe His words. Nicodemus was a well educated man with a mind for learning everything he possibly could.
Perhaps Nicodemus came to see Jesus because of the signs and great things he saw Jesus do. Many people did believe in Jesus, but they believed because they witnessed or heard of the many miracles he performed. Scripture tells us, “…many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did” (John 2:23).
Since Jesus knew human nature so well, He knew their belief could be superficial. He even knew in His heart that some of these same people who claimed to know him would be the one’s yelling, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (17:9).
Since Jesus knows human nature so well, He knows each of us. When everything is going well in the life of people, shouts of joy and acclamation are heard. People seem to be on the same bandwagon, but when events are going opposite of what people like, they are unhappy, resentful, and hateful. In this case, their shouts are of disapproval and condemnation.
It is interesting to note that Nicodemus did not want to hear Jesus’ words second-hand, so he came to Jesus himself. He could have sent someone to see Jesus, but he wanted to see and talk to Jesus personally.
At this particular time, Nicodemus probably did not think Jesus was the Messiah. However, he wanted to find out for himself. He had heard about Him and the signs He performed, but He needed to see and talk to Him personally.
When Nicodemus was in the presence of Jesus, he said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). The word “Rabbi” indicates or signifies someone great, important, wonderful or awesome.
Jesus was all of these and much more. He was a great teacher and He did come from God. He came to be a teacher, but He also came to rule with an unsurpassable truth. Notice that Nicodemus’ words were for him and other people because he said “we know”.
How did Nicodemus and other people know Jesus was a Rabbi and a great teacher? They knew because “…no one else can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (3:2). The Sanhedrin, as powerful as it was, did not have members who could do such signs. Nicodemus couldn’t perform these miracles and signs. No one but Jesus could perform these signs.
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The words “born again…kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven” were new to Nicodemus and the other people. Nicodemus knew God was in control and He would rule the world, but what about being born again and seeing the kingdom of God?
To be “born again” is a bit confusing for Nicodemus. His question is “How can a man be born again?” (v. 4) He was a very brilliant man, but he was thinking worldly and not spiritually. Just because he did not understand, Nicodemus did not give up. He was willing to learn what Jesus was talking about.
Nicodemus was proud of his first birth and wondered what the benefit might be of a second birth. He didn’t quite understand at this time, but he was willing to listen to what Jesus had to say.
He heard Jesus say, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This was entirely new to Nicodemus. Did he understand what Jesus meant by the water and the Spirit? I don’t think this was clear in his mind.
When you and I find something in Scripture that we do not understand, we must listen to the wee small voice of the Holy Spirit who will reveal the meaning to us. Nicodemus was in the presence of Jesus. Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus what must happen before one can enter the kingdom of God.
In order to be in a close relationship and move into a new life with Almighty God a change in the person must occur. The change is called the “new birth” and it happens when a person repents of their sins and invites Jesus to come and live within their heart in the Person of the Holy Spirit.
During the time Nicodemus was conversing with Jesus, the Holy Spirit had not yet arrived because Jesus was still present in human form. When Jesus was speaking of the Spirit, He was speaking of the Spirit of grace. The working of the Spirit is what enables the “new birth”.
Nicodemus, being an educated man, knew what the prophet Ezekiel said in reference to the restoration of Israel physically and spiritually. Ezekiel said, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (36:25, 26).
This would be a new life for Israel. The old would be washed away and the new would come forth. The new life would have the power to do the will of God. When we are ‘born again” our sins are washed away, our old life becomes a life of the past, and the Holy Spirit enables us to carry forth living the Word of God and doing His will.
Nicodemus listened intently as Jesus spoke to him concerning regeneration, renewal, restoration or rebirth. Jesus said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). We are all born of the flesh. We were brought into this world through the efforts of an earthly mother and an earthly father.
Every person born is born with a sinful nature. This sinful nature is the result of the sin of disobedience of Adam and Eve. Prior to that sin, Adam and Eve were in a very close relationship with the Heavenly Father. Picture them standing side by side. When the act of disobedience came upon the scene Adam and Eve were separated from God.
Our God is a Holy God and does not have a sinful nature. God always was. Sin causes death. In fact, before the original sin, there was no death of any kind. Remember that Adam and Eve were placed in a beautiful garden and given the job of taking care of it. “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8).
When the act of disobedience took place, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened because they were separated from their Maker. God did not disown the couple, but now they would have to work and death came upon the scene. He still loved them as much as when He created them, but now things would be different. Death became a reality, both physically and spiritually. Plants and animals that could have lived forever were now subject to death or dying.
Although all this occurred, God stepped back, regrouped, and structured His backup plan. His backup plan was one of regeneration or new birth that would give his children an opportunity to regain the relationship that once existed prior to the sin of disobedience.
This new plan involved His Son who would pay the penalty for every sin man ever created or would ever create. This new plan involved “being born again”. This is what He was trying to explain to Nicodemus. Nicodemus did not understand that “being born again” meant a rebirth of the Spirit.
You and I understand the concept because we have knowledge of what took place after Jesus talked to Nicodemus. We know about God’s Son and His mission. We know about the Cross, the events leading up to the Crucifixion and the Resurrection that took place after Jesus was laid in the tomb.
We are aware of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We understand they are all One. We know the purpose of the Cross was to bridge the gap between sinful man and Holy God. We understand that in order to enter the kingdom of God or to live with Him in His kingdom or to live in His mansion of many rooms, we must form a right relationship with Him.
To regain this right relationship, we must be “born again.” Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). We cannot bring this about under our own power, but this is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit’” (John 3:7-9).
The wind is being mentioned relative to the Holy Spirit. We cannot control the wind and we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works when, where, and on whomever it wishes. Just as the wind can be very powerful, the Holy Spirit has more power than any of us can imagine. It is all powerful.
The wind can destroy trees, structures and mankind at the most unlikely time. The Holy Spirit can change the life of any person it wishes. The person may be living life outside God’s standards when the Holy Spirit causes the person to turn around 360 degrees and live strictly within God’s standards.
The person now takes on a new life. The old life is cast aside and the new life enters the stage of life. The Holy Spirit has caused regeneration or a spiritual rebirth in the life of that person. The person’s body does not change, but the heart of the person has changed spiritually.
Nicodemus still does not understand, so Jesus says to him, “You are Israel’s teacher and you do not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:10-15).
Jesus said this because He knew the Jewish teachers like Nicodemus knew the Old Testament Scriptures, but for some reason, they did not understand what it said about the coming of the Messiah. Having a great deal of Bible knowledge does not mean a person has been “born again” or “reborn”.
Jesus tried to explain the mission of the Messiah by relating the story of when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and became dissatisfied to the point of bitter complaining. The people spoke against God and against Moses their leader.
God was so unhappy with them that he had to teach them a lesson. “So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:6).
As the fiery serpents began biting the people, they realized what they had done by their complaining and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us” (Numbers 21:7).
Now that the people had repented of their sin, God told Moses to go one step further and “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8).
Think for a moment of the significance of this Scripture. The people were suffering from the bites of the serpent and they were going to die if something was not done to prevent this from happening.
What did the people have to do to live? All they had to do was look up at the fiery serpent on top of the pole and they would live.
Jesus quoted this Scripture to indicate His mission. He would be placed upon the Cross to pay the price for the people who sinned. In other words, we are sinners, but we can live eternally if we just repent of our sin, as did the Israelites, look to the Cross and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.
When we do this, we are “born again’. We have gone from a life of spiritual death to a live of spiritual life. We have gone from spending eternity in Hell to living in Jesus’ mansion, located just over the hilltop, and living with Him for all eternity.
Why did all this come about? Jesus told Nicodemus and tells all of us “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Conclusion:
God loves His children so much that He gave His love, His Son, to be sacrificed for all His children. This is the greatest love that could be given. This is the love that would bring sinful man back into a right relationship with the Father. This is the love that prevents us from spending eternity outside His kingdom.
This is the love we accept by faith. God gave us this love so that we would not spend eternity with Satan and all his followers.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
Nicodemus had difficulty understanding this word of Jesus: “”Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). God’s children should have no difficulty understanding, because His words are so simple and so clear. We have a choice. We can accept Him as our own personal Lord and Savior and live with Him in His kingdom, or we can reject Him and be eternally lost.
Story: “O, Let Him In!”
A picture of the Lord Jesus knocking at the door of a heart was taken one day by a parish visitor to a house where a father and mother lived with their small son. Some impulse made the mother pin the picture up in their little kitchen, and when the small boy came in from school, he was very interested in it.
His mother was too busy with the dinner to answer his questions, but presently Father came in from work. “Who is the Man, Daddy, and why is He knocking at the door?” the little fellow asked again and again.
The father tried to ignore the question, but it was asked again and again with great persistence, and at last he replied that it was the Lord Jesus Christ knocking at a door. “Then why don’t they let Him in?” asked the little boy, wonderingly.
Dinner came just then, and the father managed to change the subject, but again and again during the days which followed the little lad asked the same question: “Why don’t they let Him in?”
The question began ringing in the father’s ears, until at last one day he fell on his knees and cried: “Lord Jesus, it’s the door of my heart at which You are knocking. Please forgive me for keeping You waiting so many years. The door is open – oh, come right in and take possession!”
-----------Gospel Herald
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Amen.
