John 3:1-15 - Born Again - The Mysteries of God's Word

A respected Bible expert slips into the night to talk with Jesus and discovers that knowledge, influence, and religious effort still leave him empty. We start at the end of John 2 where crowds believe because of signs, then slow down to ask what kind of “belief” Jesus actually recognizes. The text says Jesus knows what is in man, and that truth turns Nicodemus’s visit into more than a late-night Q&A. 

We unpack who the Pharisees are, why Nicodemus likely carries real authority in Jerusalem, and why he still comes quietly. Then Jesus delivers the line that reshapes everything: unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. I explore what “born again” and “born from above” mean, why Nicodemus gets stuck in physical categories, and how Jesus contrasts flesh and Spirit to show the necessity of spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit. 

The conversation moves from new birth to the wind, highlighting that salvation is not controlled by rituals or earned by works, but comes by God’s mercy through Christ. We end with Jesus pointing to Numbers 21 and the bronze serpent as a preview of the Son of Man being lifted up, so that whoever believes may have eternal life. If this helped you think more clearly about John 3, the gospel, and what saving faith really is, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Transcript

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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today we are going to read what has become one of the most popular and well known stories in modern

Welcome And The Big Question

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Christianity. A story about a very religious man named Nicodemus. I'm actually going to pick up at the end of John chapter 2, starting at verse 23. Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people, and needed

Signs That Spark Mixed Belief

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no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. These verses at the end of chapter two are describing for us how many people began to believe on Jesus Christ at the end of that first Passover when they saw the signs that Jesus was doing. From the context and language of those verses, it would seem that some people had come to a genuine faith in Jesus as the Messiah. But yet there were other people whose faith was very emotional, just as in seeing Jesus as a good teacher or as a healer, not their savior, not their Messiah. While some converts were genuine and others were not, Jesus knew some would endure and others would fall away. And following this, here in the Gospel of John, we are introduced to three unique people as Jesus begins to reach out to those who hear more about him. The first is going to be Nicodemus, that we will read about today. And Nicodemus was a very religious man who needed to have more than just an intellectual faith. The second person we will read about later is the Samaritan woman, who needed a moral transformation in her understanding of the Messiah. And finally, we'll read about the nobleman whose son needed healing, and through the healing of his son he places his faith in Jesus. In verse twenty five of chapter two, John tells us something very unique. He gives us a testimony and insight into the divinity of Jesus. He said he knew all people, and he knew what was in man. Only God knows what's in the hearts of other men. Jesus knew what was in the hearts of people. He knew those who genuinely believed on his name and why they were believing, and he fully understood who was truly seeking him, and who was just coming for the show. Now starting at the beginning of John chapter three. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said

Nicodemus Steps Into The Night

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to him, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Let's examine those first two verses. It begins there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. Let's just talk about the Pharisees for a moment. The Pharisees as a group were laymen. They were not priests, and they were about six thousand strong at the time of Christ. The Pharisees would strictly follow the Mosaic law, but they also added a great deal of extra rules and regulations. And while they believed in the written Torah, or the first five books of the Bible, they also added another Torah. And this other Torah was their oral Torah, or the traditions of the elders, as they would call them. The Pharisees were the largest religious political party during the time of Jesus, and their leaders were called rabbis or teachers. Some of these rabbis or teachers amongst the Pharisees were members of the Sanhedrin, and the Sanhedrin itself was the supreme council of the Jews. We might think of it like the supreme court in the United States. It made the final decisions amongst the Jews. So again, in verse one we see that there's a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, and he is a ruler of the Jews. Now from what we've just learned about the Pharisees, we see that Nicodemus is a prominent member of the Pharisees. He is very likely a member of the Sanhedrin, because it tells us he's a ruler of the Jews. There are also some historical indications that show that Nicodemus was one of the wealthiest men in all of Jerusalem, which means he would have reached the highest levels of influence. Nicodemus was considered an expert with regards to the scriptures. Nicodemus was a highly elevated religious Jewish man. Yet as we will see, he was lost. He did not have eternal life. He did not have a saving faith. Nicodemus is a prime example of a hypocrite. But yet there is a little bit of beauty in Nicodemus' hypocrisy, because Nicodemus understands his hypocrisy. He understands he's sinful and he deserves God's wrath. In fact, Nicodemus is deeply troubled, and he will eventually come to have a genuine saving faith in Jesus, risking his own life and reputation for Jesus. But as we read, this is the first time Nicodemus is about to encounter Christ. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and the fact that he came at night shows us at the very least that Nicodemus had a genuine curiosity that could not be quenched. Yet it also shows us that Nicodemus wanted to have a secret meeting with Jesus, because Nicodemus feared what the other leaders would think of him if he associated with Jesus. And Nicodemus respectfully addresses Jesus as a rabbi. Nicodemus says, Teacher, we know that you have come from God. Now Nicodemus, being greatly troubled about his own hypocrisy, thought maybe Jesus being sent from God would have answers to his troubled heart. At this time, Nicodemus does not see Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He doesn't understand that Jesus is the Christ. He sees Jesus as a great teacher or prophet. And the fact that Nicodemus uses the word we when he says, We know that you are a teacher, tells us that there are more leaders than just him that believe that Jesus was sent from God, while there were others that thought quite the opposite. And Nicodemus says, No one can do these signs unless God is with him. Nicodemus, along with other leaders, understood that these powerful signs that Jesus was doing were meant to attest to God's goodness. And picking up in verse three, Jesus answered him,

The Shocking Need For New Birth

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Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Let's pause there for a moment. Jesus' reply to Nicodemus is to answer a question that Nicodemus didn't ask. Jesus knows Nicodemus' heart, and he knows Nicodemus's greatest need. And he tells Nicodemus exactly what he needs to hear. Jesus says truly, truly the phrase truly truly could be translated amen amen, or most assuredly. It stresses Christ's authority as well as an announcement that Jesus is making. And the announcement that Jesus makes is that I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. The Greek word for born again could also be translated born from above. But for some reason, Nicodemus is going to think of this as another physical birth. Nicodemus's greatest need right now is to be born spiritually, to be born again. It means to be transformed, to be taken out of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of light. And Jesus says, Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. When a person is in the kingdom of darkness, their minds are on the things of darkness. Their minds are on the things of their flesh. But when they've been transferred into the kingdom of light, the Spirit has set them free from the chains of darkness. And Nicodemus, this devout Pharisee, only understands God in physical terms. While he does understand that someday the Messiah, the son of David, would establish an earthly kingdom, Nicodemus only understands this kingdom of God in terms of the flesh. In terms of the Jewish nation, Nicodemus doesn't understand the promise of God to establish his eternal kingdom for those born spiritually. While Nicodemus was looking for the regeneration of this world, he did not understand the need to be regenerated personally. What Jesus is saying is revolutionary to his mind, that somehow the kingdom of God doesn't require a national or ethnic heritage, but rather it requires a personal relationship, one of repentance and spiritual birth. So Nicodemus simply answers, can a man enter into his mother's womb a second time? Nicodemus clearly has spiritual blinders on. He is only understanding Jesus in physical and fleshly terms. It's very important to understand that Nicodemus only understands Jesus in terms of the flesh, because Jesus is about to reply contrasting the flesh with the spirit. And Jesus answers Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of

Water Spirit And The Wind

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flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said this to you. You must be born again. Let's pause and look at verses five through seven. Jesus' answer to Nicodemus meets Nicodemus where he is, but challenges him with the truth. Jesus again uses those words truly, truly, emphasizing what he is about to say. And he says, Unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. There have been many thoughts as to what Jesus is speaking of when he says you must be born of the water and the spirit. But I want to say this Jesus is contrasting the two births. The first birth is the natural birth of the flesh, being born of the water, a mother's birth water. This is what Nicodemus is thinking of, being born again from his mother. The second birth is a spiritual birth, being born of the Holy Spirit. The water here cannot mean Christian baptism. Christian baptism would have been meaningless to Nicodemus. Some believe it's referring to the cleansing rituals of the Jews, which Nicodemus would have been familiar with. However, that too cannot be what Jesus is referring to. We see that this entire conversation is about Christ trying to reach Nicodemus where he's at. Even the phrase you can't enter the kingdom of God unless you're born again, is a reference to the Messianic kingdom, where Christ rules over the earth. Nicodemus, being a man very concerned with the things of the flesh, and being concerned about entering into God's earthly kingdom when the Messiah comes to reign, wanted to be certain of how he would enter into the final Messianic kingdom. And Jesus speaks to Nicodemus at this level. He tells Nicodemus that if you're going to come into this Messianic kingdom, you must have a personal relationship through repentance and faith by being born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is trying to take Nicodemus out from his religious rituals, out from his religious thinking, and place his faith in the Messiah, the one sitting right in front of him. Picking up in verse eight, the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Jesus finishes talking about being born again with Nicodemus by using an illustration of the wind. Jesus is showing Nicodemus how the work of the Holy Spirit is outside of man's control. Just as man cannot control the wind, likewise man cannot control the Holy Spirit. There's no religious ritual that man can perform to get the Holy Spirit or give the Holy Spirit. There's no religious right that man can do to gain favor with God, so that the Holy Spirit will be sent upon them, or so that the Holy Spirit will do your bidding. Rather, the Holy Spirit does as he wills, and he does the will of God. Jesus is teaching that it's not according to our works, but it's according to God's mercy that we are saved. The Holy Spirit ministers God's grace and mercy through Christ, the man sitting in front of Nicodemus. Finally, we can't see the wind, but we can hear it move. And likewise, we can't see the Holy Spirit, but we can listen and hear God's word and the message about Jesus. And if we do, we will hear his voice. And Jesus says to Nicodemus, so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Those who are born of the Holy Spirit have not gained salvation through any human effort, but rather they have surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit on their heart. They have heard the message about Christ and believed. It is the Holy Spirit that works through the message about Christ to bring about true conversion. While we cannot see this or control this, we can hear his voice and believe. Picking up in verse nine, Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you don't understand these things? Truly, truly I say to you,

The Teacher Of Israel Confronted

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we speak of what we know, and bear witness of what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. In verse nine we see that Nicodemus is completely befuddled. He is so fixated on the things of the flesh and of this world that in spite of all of Jesus' teaching here, he cannot understand his need for spiritual transformation at this time. And Jesus asks, Are you the teacher of Israel and you don't understand these things? In my studies I found that there is a definite article indicating that Nicodemus is the teacher of Israel. In other words, Nicodemus's exalted standing amongst the Jews would appear to be the highest of teachers. Nicodemus was known as the established authority in all excellence in how he would examine Scripture. But Jesus asks him, Are you the teacher of Israel, but you don't understand these things? Despite Nicodemus' outward religious piety, despite his adherence to the law, despite his great depths of understanding the written scripture, Jesus rebukes Nicodemus because Nicodemus does not recognize his own need for a spiritual cleansing and transformation through the Holy Spirit. There are actually many Old Testament verses about how important it is to be transformed in your spirit. For example, Psalm fifty one ten reads, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Deuteronomy six five reads, You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. There are many others that describe the importance of loving the Lord from your heart, and being transformed by the message about the Messiah. Jesus' message to Nicodemus is a warning for all who would have an outward religious display without having an inward transformation, because such things can harden one's heart. In verse eleven, Jesus gives another truly, truly statement, and he says, We speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. This is an amazing statement because Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he is revealing to Nicodemus things he has personally known and seen. Jesus is giving Nicodemus firsthand information about eternal things. Unbelievers focus on things of the flesh, what they can see in this world. They see only through eyes of flesh, because their eyes are focused on earthly things. Jesus, however, knows the Father. Jesus has seen the Father and been with the Father, and he came to bear witness to the Father. And then Jesus points to Nicodemus and says that Nicodemus's issue is not an ignorance of his intellect, but rather an ignorance of his heart. It's unbelief. When Jesus says, But you do not receive our testimony, he's referring to more than just Nicodemus. He's likely referring to the whole Sanhedrin, or even Israel as a nation. In verse twelve, Jesus contrasts things that are happening here on earth with things that are happening in heaven. And he tells Nicodemus, Nicodemus, if you can't grasp these spiritual things that I've told you here on earth, how could you possibly understand more abstract spiritual things in heaven? Like the Trinity, the incarnation of the Son of God, my second coming and my glorification. But then Jesus goes on to describe some of these things. Jesus tells Nicodemus using a combination of earthly and heavenly terms. He says, No one's ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven. In other words, no human has gone into heaven, no person, no man has ever gone into heaven except the Son of Man. And Nicodemus understands the reference to the Son of Man from Daniel 7 3. And at this point, Nicodemus would know that Jesus is claiming to be that Son of Man who has dwelt with the Father. And then in verse 14, Jesus uses a word picture to tell Nicodemus about his upcoming death, which of course Nicodemus will not understand until later. But Jesus says, as Moses

Lifted Up For Eternal Life

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lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. If you remember back in Numbers 21:9, the reason that God sent venomous snakes to Israel was because they began to speak against God and against his prophet Moses. And when Israel began to cry out to God in their suffering, God in his mercy commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it up on a pole. And the Lord said that anyone who would repent of their rebellion and trust enough to look upon that serpent would be healed. And Jesus says in like manner, sinners who carry the poison of the ark serpent, Satan, who bear physical and eternal death, can repent of their sin. They can look to Jesus who will be lifted up on the cross, and they can be saved. Jesus says, Whoever believes in him may have eternal life. We're gonna break here. We will finish up Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus next week as we dive into John three sixteen and how God so loved the world.

Next Week John 3:16 Preview

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Thank you for joining me for this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. God bless you this week.