John 3:1-9 NASBS
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.” [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.” [4] Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” [5] Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [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.” [9] Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Nicodemus pays a visit to Jesus –
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, and he was considered one of the most important Pharisees of his day. The phrase used to describe him conveys the assurance that he was a very well-known and highly influential figure in the community.
During the Passover holiday, Jesus thrashed all of the selling booths, yelling that His Father’s home was to be called a house of prayer, but that the religious leaders were changing it into a business. Nicodemus had come to meet Jesus shortly before this.
At the time, Jesus was publicly referring to himself as the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. When his authority was called into question, he said that he would demolish the temple and rebuild it in three days, citing who had given him the authority to do such things and what evidence he could produce to confirm his authority in the process.
Several people teased him and made fun of him.
But people were observing him. John 2:23 NASBS say that:
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
Nicodemus went to see Jesus as a result of these signs.
According to him, no one could perform these miracles unless God was present to assist them. To his Pharisee colleagues, who believed that Jesus was under the power of the prince of devils, Nicodemus looked to think the polar opposite of what they did. His signs and wonders have left a trail of evidence in their wake. It appears that Nicodemus believes in Jesus because he recognizes the signs and sees God’s hand at work in his life.
In order to avoid being severely reprimanded and possibly deserted, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night to see him. It’s also possible that Nicodemus would have more time to converse quietly with Jesus if they met at night.
With a humble heart, he addresses Jesus as Rabbi, which was a title of high distinction among the Pharisees and meant “a teacher sent by God,” according to the New Testament. Rabbi, you have been sent by God, and God is with you, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge this! In other words, that was what Nicodemus was saying.
When John Wesley speaks of God’s grace, it is noteworthy that he distinguishes between three types of grace: prevenient grace, which is God’s active presence in people’s lives before they even realize God is at work in their lives; justifying grace, which allows all sins to be forgiven; and sanctifying grace, which allows people to grow in their ability to live as Jesus did in his life.
We can observe prevenient grace at work in Nicodemus’s life at this particular point. He has no choice but to flee to the Messiah, despite the fact that it is the middle of the night. While he is in close proximity to the Messiah, his heart is afire with desire for what he has sought his entire life, but has only experienced fully when he was close to the Messiah.
He was well-versed in the ways of the Lord. Perhaps more than anybody else in the room, yet his heart seemed to be struggling against nothingness. Augustin once said: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
I believe that this man’s desperation began to manifest itself when he witnessed the miracles that he had only heard about and been educated about. When he heard Jesus’ words, his appetite was piqued even more.
The combination of Jesus’ being filled with the Holy Spirit and the fact that prevenient grace had reached Nicodemus caused him to take a completely different attitude than the other Pharisees. He didn’t hesitate to acknowledge the Saviour’s power or to express his desire to learn more about him.
But there was more to it than that. Jesus is unambiguous in his approach. He tells Nicodemus that if he isn’t born again, he will not enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was perplexed as to how.
What’s to be born again? What’s to be born of water and Spirit?
It literally means “born from above” when you hear the term “born again.” Nicodemus was in desperate need. He required a change of heart—a spiritual transformation—in order to move on.
A new birth, also known as being born again, is an act of God through which eternal life is bestowed to the individual who believes in it.
Here are some passages that add to the meaning and understanding of what it means to be born again:
2 Corinthians 5:17 NASBS
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Titus 3:5 NASBS
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
1 Peter 1:3 NASBS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 John 2:29 NASBS
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
1 John 3:9 NASBS
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1 John 4:7 NASBS
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 5:1-4 NASBS
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. [2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. [4] For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
John 1:12-13 NASBS
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, [13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
To be born again, according to these verses, means to be a new person who has left the old ways of life behind and is now experiencing new life in Christ. To be born again means to be saved by God ’s Grace, and God is the source of our salvation.
It is when our desire is to be like him, to love like him, and to walk like him that we are born again. This change occurs as a result of our hearts being transformed. The truth is that we have been given a new heart.
We are born again when we place our faith in Him and acknowledge that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for our sins, and that he rose again to life after death. We were dead in our sins and iniquities, but we have been raised to life through Christ.
Moreover, Nicodemus may have been taken aback by the connotation of this statement. Nicodemus possessed an excessive amount of knowledge, was an excessively talented individual, and possessed an excessive amount of possessions.
Was he going to strip himself from all his self-sufficiency and independence, or rather dependence on his own methods. Would he start over?
For Nicodemus, being a follower of Jesus meant that he would have to abandon all he held dear. His eminence in the eyes of others, his prestige, and his position.
He would also have to give up on the way he related to God and learn it all again. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God belonged to the poor in Spirit. To those who saw themselves as lacking truth and in desperate need for a savior.
The recognition that we are sinners, that we are unworthy, and that we require Jesus Christ’s saving grace are all prerequisites for being born again. Humility is required in order to accomplish this.
God-honoring humility depletes our life of self-sufficiency and independence. It is an understatement to suggest that we are in desperate need of Him and lack the necessary resources within. It is never excessive to shout, Jesus, have mercy on me. It is necessary to acknowledge our inadequacy before Him. This humility results in spiritual development; it bestows upon us the keys to the kingdom of God.
We should have the same attitude than Jesus Christ,
Philippians 2:5-10 TPT
And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation. [6] He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize. [7] Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! [8] He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death-a criminal’s death by crucifixion! [9] Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! [10] The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name-in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm.
Humility is dependence + obedience.
In order to be born again, Nicodemus had to give up on his human prestige and glory. Empty himself, become low, become a servant, become vulnerable in obedience.
He was only beginning to grasp the concept that true authority comes from genuine humility at the time. That power comes from being of service to others. It is only in this way that we can understand what it means to rely on and believe in God to see salvation come true.
Nicodemus had taken the first step on the path that would lead him to Jesus, a path that would be followed by Paul years later. As he described the journey to salvation, Paul mentioned how he considered everything he had as worthless in order to obtain Jesus, to experience the power of His resurrection and suffering, and ultimately, all for the sake of knowing Jesus.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9 NASBS
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is a gift from God, to which we must answer by laying down our lives in order to follow Him.
Is it possible that Nicodemus followed Jesus? That isn’t really clear.
But as a result of this discourse, we understand that we must be born again, and that in order to do so, we must place our lives in the hands of our creator, embracing Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, repenting, and committing our lives to Jesus unreservedly.
Romans 10:9-11 NASBS
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; [10] for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. [11] For the Scripture says, “Whoever BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
Do you believe? Have you bring born again? He is calling you to come close to Him. If today you hear Him calling don’t resist it.
Give yourself to Jesus and He will take care of the rest!
Leave a comment