John 3:1-17 Commentary Study
1Now 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.”
Observations
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling high council. Why did Nicodemus seek out Jesus during the nigh? It is quite possible that Nicodemus would have been ostracized by his peers for giving any assent to Jesus’ teachings or miracles. However, no reason is given in scripture. Nicodemus might very well have tried to meet with Jesus during the day, but could have been hampered by the many crowds that followed Jesus.
Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin, a type of high council or supreme court of the Jews. One of the roles of the Sanhedrin was to investigate possible false prophets. So it is plausible that Nicodemus was sent on mission to investigate Jesus.
Most Pharisees hated Jesus because He undermined their authority, laws, and religious views. But Nicodemus is different. He shows great respect toward Jesus by calling Him Rabbi. He also honors Jesus when he compliments Him, saying He is a great teacher sent from God. Nicodemus doesn’t understand that Jesus is divine, but he recognizes that Jesus’ power is from God.
Immediately following Nicodemus’ compliment to Jesus, Jesus responds by telling Nicodemus that he must be born again to enter the kingdom. This seems like a strange response to a compliment. However, since Jesus knows each of us intimately, we can surmise that Jesus knew the reasons why Nicodemus was seeking out Jesus, and the questions swirling in Nicodemus’ mind and heart.
The Pharisees dedicated their lives to strict adherence to hundreds of codes and rules of the Scribes. The Jews mistakenly assumed that through their adherence to the law and their connection to Abraham they were secured a place in God’s kingdom. Jesus is introducing an entirely new and revolutionary concept to the Jews.
Entrance into God’s kingdom has nothing to do with works or with one’s ethnicity or ancestry. It has everything to do with admitting sin, What does “born again” mean? It means admitting sin, turning to God for forgiveness, and accepting and trusting God’s grace and forgiveness through faith alone. What does it mean to believe in or trust in Jesus? It means believing that Jesus is who He said He is, that His death on the cross cancels (pays for) our sin and that are saved by grace alone, God’s gift to mankind.
Application
Our entire earthly kingdom is structured around earning and working towards advancement. In school, we work hard in hopes of earning top grades. In college, we work hard to earn a degree. In employment, we work long hours to hopefully secure a higher, better paying position. In relationships, we earn the respect of friends and family. We are constantly being evaluated by an institution or by our peers. Earning is embedded in our cultures and ideologies. But when it comes to God’s heavenly kingdom, Jesus says the standard has nothing to do with performance or nationality. We cannot earn a place in God’s kingdom. We must be born again. We must be washed by water and the Spirit. It has nothing to do with works. We must repent, believe in Jesus and be born again. Faith is the door into God’s kingdom.
On the one hand, this is good news. But in practice, it can be very hard to drop a performance based mentality. Ask yourself the following:
Do you ever fear that God will not forgive you? That you’ve sinned too many times in one area of your life? That you should be stronger and better at resisting various sin?
Are you overly critical of yourself when you have not regularly spent time in God’s word? in prayer? Do you consider it’s a “good day” when you have checked off all of your spiritual disciplines (spent time in the word, prayed, memorized scripture)? Do you condemn yourself when you have not spend time in your spiritual disciplines?
Do you view worship as a way to become more righteous or acceptable to God? Do you feel less worthy when you have not attended worship?
Do you rarely confess/repent of sin because you have no “serious” sin?
A works mentality is a type of bondage that prevents you from experiencing the freedom and joy that Jesus’ offers. When Jesus says “rest in Him”, we can quit trying to earn his love and acceptance through our works and instead rest in Him-in what He has done on the cross. We cannot earn His love or our salvation. Jesus freely offers it to us. This is the good news. To combat a works mentality, meditate on the Word of God, seek Him in prayer, saturate yourself in scripture, remind yourself what Christ did on the cross, preach the gospel to yourself daily. Fight against the tide of the culture. We are in a spiritual battle.
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.”
Nicodemus takes Jesus’ response literally. He believes Jesus is talking about physical birth, but Jesus is talking about spiritual birth. The exact meaning of this phrase, “water and Spirit” has been debated. There are several explanations of this phrase. Jesus could have been referring to “water” as the physical natural birth, and by “Spirit” as the Holy Spirit, or spiritual birth. A second meaning is directly related to how scripture describes the work of (being born of) the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that the Holy Spirit cleanses us, gives us a new heart, and purifies our hearts. So to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit, means you are born of the Spirit, or “born again”. A third explanation is that by “water” Jesus meant baptism. But this meaning would make baptism a requirement of salvation which conflicts with other scriptures .which state that salvation is by faith alone. The second explanation seems more plausible since other scriptures would support this interpretation.
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
There are several scriptures in the OT which foreshadow a change of heart that is necessary. Nicodemus is not being reprimanded for a lack of this knowledge, but more of a lack of perception about what Jesus has just communicated and what Old Testament scripture describes. Below are scriptures that speak to this idea that God must do a work within your heart. This is not a new concept. Nicodemus knew the scriptures.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
1 Samuel 10:9 9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that only He, Jesus, has ascended to and descended from Heaven, and that He must be lifted up (crucified) in order for mankind to receive eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
This truly is the Good News. Anyone that believes in Jesus will receive eternal life. You can either choose to pay for your own sin, which brings eternal separation and death or you can accept Jesus’ payment of your sin, and live eternally with God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There is only one reality when we die. Who do you say that Jesus is?
God tells us in His Word that we live one life, die and then we are judged. God the Father sent His Son to die for us, thereby paying the debt we owe for our sin. God has made a way. Jesus has done everything we need in order to be saved. The only thing we do is accept His plan, come into agreement with Him, or reject the plan – reject Him. Those are the only two choices.
For more information on what it means to be born again, please visit GotQuestions.org here.