“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” John 3:1-6.
This was an unusual meeting for Jesus because He was “at home” with common ordinary folk, but Nicodemus was from the elite aristocracy. This was the same man who “came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds” to bury Jesus who had just died on the cross (John 19:39). Only such a man of wealth could have afforded this. Nicodemus was also a Pharisee, and so he believed that the Law, the first 5 books of the bible, was the most sacred thing of all. The Law contained the perfect and complete word of God. The Jews extracted from the Law many rules and regulations to govern every moment of every person’s life. Many of these centered around keeping the sabbath holy— 24 chapters alone on just keeping the sabbath holy! The Mishnah is the codified laws and the Talmud is the explanatory commentary on the Mishnah. Both contain hundreds of pages and took a lifetime to understand such less follow. Nicodemus as a Pharisee dedicated his life to keeping them. “Pharisee” means the Separated One because the Pharisees separated themselves from others in order to keep every detail of the Law, including the Mishnah and the Talmud. The Apostle Paul was also a Pharisee.
Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin, the court of 70 members who functioned as the Supreme Court in Jerusalem with authority over every Jew in the world. Nicodemus also belonged to one of the most distinguished families in all of Jerusalem.
I share this data about Nicodemus with you to show you how absolutely amazing it was that Nicodemus came to see Jesus — and no wonder that he came at night! It was obvious that Nicodemus wanted absolutely undisturbed and completely private time with Jesus. Now when Jesus told him that “one must be born from above” there were multiple possible meanings to the phrase “born from above.” It could mean that (1.) one must be born completely, radically, (2.) or that one must be born again, for a second time, (3.) or it could mean that one must be born from above — from God. It seems that Nicodemus took the second meaning, that one must be born again. But if you look closely at Nicodemus you will see that it is obvious he was missing something in his life to come to see Jesus at all! In other words Nicodemus was saying that Jesus talks about being born from above, being born again, or anew, and yet I know in my own life that is impossible. Nicodemus wasn’t questioning the desirability of being born from above, but the possibility of that ever happening in his life. Nicodemus is looking to change — but he knows he cannot do that on his own. He is far too steeped in his life as a Pharisee, a Sanhedrin member, and from such a very prominent family in Jerusalem.
Now such a rebirth is not foreign to a Jew who was accepted into Judaism by prayer and sacrifice and baptism. Such a person was new-born. In fact the Greek knew about being twice-born, and the entire ancient world knew about rebirth and regeneration. What then, did Jesus mean when He said: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” John 3:3? In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus tells us about the Kingdom of God: It is where God’s will is perfectly done of earth as it is in heaven. To be born again, to be born from above, is to be changed in such a way that it can only be described as rebirth and re-creation. Such a change comes only from Jesus, when we love Jesus and welcome Him completely into our hearts, into our lives. We experience being forgiven for all of our past and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Then we understand that we are children of God.
Dear friends, take time today and think about your rebirth. Pray to God that He may give you a new life every day! Put into your own words your love for Jesus and welcome Him into your heart — completely. Taste and see His forgiveness for all your sins and pray for the empowering Spirit of God in your life.
Oh dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner. I love You and want You to come into my stoney and sinful heart — completely and forever. Take over my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
From the Bible:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” 1 Peter 1:23.
“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”
Acts 2:38.
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” Romans 6:4.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him”
1 John 3:1.
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