This
chapter of scripture introduces one of the best known passages in all
of the word of God, because it presents to us Jesus’ first teaching on
salvation, and I suppose that’s the reason most of us are so familiar with
it. In fact, John 3.16 is probably the only scripture verse that many of us
can recite by heart…perhaps having learned it in the Sunday school classes of
our youth! In fact, again, the term “born again” is still one of the most
commonly used by Christians throughout the world today, to describe the
change that took place with their salvation. But although the act of
“being saved” (or redeemed) occurs so easily and so simply, it still staggers the mind
when one tries, just like Nicodemus in this passage, to fathom the
complexity of it. What we need to realize here is that Jesus was
speaking in spiritual terms…that is, language that the natural man can
neither understand, nor relate-to on any level. So proceed wth caution!
Some of
us may remember one of my favourite “urban legends” about when years
ago, Chevrolet introduced the Chevy Nova to their line-up, which had
become a big hit in North America. However when they tried it out in
Mexico, it was a bust…”no va” in Spanish, literally means “doesn’t
go”! Talk about language barriers! Well, the same applies to the
language and the reflections and the communications and the
deliberations of God by His Spirit. That’s the problem that Nicodemus
had, and it’s the same problem that many of us still have today…even
sometimes having studied the Book for a lifetime…that of understanding
the heavenly language. I guess we can forgive Nick his mis-understanding.
So let’s consider some “musts” from this passage. First of all…
1. “Ye MUST be born again”, 3.7
Now
we’re told in vs. 1 that Nicodemus was at the top of the religious
foodchain…”a leader of the Jews”...a religious character and a product of
the religion of his people, and likely a very respected teacher. But he
was fearful, and he was lacking in spiritual discernment, and he was
dead in his trespasses and sins. But do you know what? Regardless of what else he perceived his needs to be, Nick very well knew that he needed to have a little
talk with Jesus…and not on behalf of Israel either, but for his own
satisfaction.
You see, at this time, Jesus’ ministry was in the early stages,
although He had already caused quite a stir around about Judea,
stealing the attention of the throngs from John the Baptist, out in the
wilderness, as well as turning the water into wine at the wedding in
Cana, and then making His mark at the temple during Passover
festivities! There’s no question that Nicodemus knew Who Jesus claimed
to be, but he needed to hear more, straight from the Master Himself. So his intention was was likely to give Jesus lipservice, just as many
people today would make the same vain attempt to understand Jesus by
means of the flesh; to state the obvious about Jesus, in the form of
rational, logical deduction. You see, Nick knew the ways of God, but he
did not know his way to God, even though, being an educated man, he could rhyme the way of logic
and the law and the prophets off by heart. So he approached Jesus the
same way many of us do today…he came to Jesus with his religion in the
way. Whether it be bells and incense, or the
performing of miracles, or other manifestations of a deeper experience,
Jesus has an altogether different experience in mind… "Ye must be born
again"!
You know, there are lots of “musts” in our
lives…you must take your shoes off before you come in; you must pick up a loaf of bread; or you must eat your peas! But there is no greater “must”
than the one that Jesus spoke here to Nicodemus…"Nick, you must open your heart to the Truth that is Me, and have your life turned right-side-up!" You see, just as it’s stated in ch. 2.24-25, Jesus
knew Nicodemus’ heart. His understanding had only taken him as far as God’s
doorstep, and just like so many others of his people, he never bothered
to open the door. His system of beliefs stopped him far short, up till now, of trusting Jesus as “the Lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the
world”, ch. 1.29.
Now we’re going to see throughout our
study of this gospel, that one of its characteristics is the way Jesus
responds to a question with a real puzzler of His own. Good teachers
still use that method today, to open the door to greater truth. In his
case, Nicodemus’ understanding of the coming Kingdom was based on
the idea of a Warrior/King, born by means of a normal human birth, from the lineage of David, who
would win the Jews back their rightful heritage…the kingdom of the
children of Israel. But Jesus put a different spin on the prophecies.
For Him, the only true kingdom was the Kingdom of God, having nothing to
do with Jews ruling Jews instead of Romans ruling Jews. For Jesus, the
Kingdom is a place of spiritual reality, where God is sovereign in a
person’s most private places…the heart, the mind and the soul. And that
can only come from being “born again”, at which time you awaken to the awareness that Jesus, indeed, is King!
Notice as we go along, that John's Gospel account is the primary book of the Gospels that seems to focus upon the “verily, verily’s” of
Jesus…that is, “truly, truly!” or, "Amen! Amen!" So we need to pay close attention to
them, beginning with this chapter. Jesus’ teaching is, that every descendant of Adam needs to be
“born again” in order to experience real life, that lasts forever!
So…"Pay attention Nick, because these unbelievable sayings are the
absolute truth!” And you better believe it.
You know, many
people today are very similar to that man, in their own thinking. We have a
need to rationalize before we will receive and believe; to mull it over, to push and to pull; and thus, more
often than not, we miss the evidence and we draw the wrong conclusions
and we take the wrong road…the road of good works or the road of
humanistic religion or the New Age road, or the age-old road; any other
road other than the narrow road which is the path of life; sadly, often the road that leads to destruction. And like
Nicodemus, we respond with unbelief, or with logic or with confusion.
But thank you Jesus…He’s not called “the Word” for nothing, because He
always has an answer for the questions that we have…even though
sometimes, they may raise more questions!
Now take a
close look at vs. 5; Jesus even has the theologians arguing over this
one! I’m going to confess right now that I’ve heard many explainations
over the years concerning the meaning of this verse, but I’ve never been
satisfied with many of them, and not likely, ever will be. So far as I can see, all throughout the
scriptures the use of the word “water” implies more than the liquid that
we drink and cook and wash with. But at the same time, quenching our
thirst and washing, certainly are involved! Remember, Jesus is speaking
in spiritual terms here, but a careful study of the word of God does
shed more light. Take for example, Is. 12.3, 44.3; Jn. 4.10-14;
7.37-38; Eph. 5.26; 1 Pe. 3.20-21; 1 Jn. 5.8; and Rev. 21, 22.
It’s
the watering places of God…His word, His church and His Spirit, which awaken him to God's call, bringing about conviction, contrition, repentance and redemption in the heart of the
unbeliever, that awakens him to belief in Jesus. Then, and only then, will he have experienced the
reality of the new birth, and the indwelling Spirit of God. “Ye must…“;
the new birth is not just important in the life of a man, it’s critical
to the eternal life of a man, and results in his instant habitation in the
Kingdom, with Christ as his King!
This is the only place in the Gospel of
John that the full phrase, “kingdom of God” is used, and we have to turn to
Romans 14.17 to determine the intent of Jesus’ reference here…"for the kingdom of God
is…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”! Remember, up to
this point in Nick's studies, all this had escaped his attention.
Nicodemus had not learned, in all of his learning, that heaven is a
place prepared for a prepared people. That is…no longer dead in their
trespasses and sins…no longer “dead men walking”, as men slated for
execution are called, and such as Nicodemus was. He knew that…"the heart
is deceitful above all things, and desparately wicked”, so Nicodemus might have recommended that you “get religion”, or as we would say, “turn over
a new leaf”, but that advice is not only unscriptural, it is
anti-scriptural!
When we were born the first time we
were born with Adam’s sinful nature, but when we are born again we
receive God’s righteous nature, such as Adam had when he was first
created! As Jesus had said, as recorded in vs. 6, there is a very
distinct difference between flesh and spirit. The new birth involves a
literal re-creation, as we read in 1 Corinthians 5.17…”Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, and
behold, all things are become new”. Nick was thrown for a loop by
God-speak, but Jesus taught it as matter-of-fact! We read in v. 8,
after all, that the wind blows here and it blows there, completely
beyond our comprehension; it can’t be regulated or second-guessed or
even resisted, and Jesus wants you to know that that’s exactly the way
it is with Holy Spirit. He’s irresistible and invisible and
invigorating, and He’s indespensible for the birthing process of receiving and believing! First He moves us, and then
He gives us new life, and belief in the things we once denied, as well as a power to live that life for
our Lord.
You know, I have felt the power of the wind to move what seemed unmoveable...moved to receive and believe, and I am evidence of its power,
but I don’t have a clue as to how it all happened, other than it was Holy Spirit's doing…that knowledge belongs
in the realm of the deepest crevices of the mind of God!
Next…2. "Even so MUST the Son of Man be lifted up”!
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