September 9, 2002
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Sept. 22
The answer to his question left him puzzled
___John 3
___By Robert Creech
___University Baptist Church-Clearlake, Houston
___The story of Nicodemus is among the most familiar in the Gospel of John. A powerful, respected, pious man comes to Jesus to inquire of spiritual matters and receives an incredibly puzzling response: He must be born again.
___Nicodemus is "a man of the Pharisees" (3:1). The previous verse, at the close of chapter 2, informed us Jesus did not need help understanding people, for "he knew what was in a man" (2:25). Jesus clearly understood this man. He penetrated the heart of Nicodemus' inquiry, dodged the superficial theological questions and engaged the spiritual hunger residing in the Pharisee's soul.
___Nicodemus is devout (3:1a), powerful (3:1b), a believer in God (3:2) and knowledgeable of Scripture (3:10).He has a deep respect for Jesus (3:3). Jesus knew, however, that none of this had satisfied the spiritual appetite gnawing at the man's soul.
___Nicodemus arrives by night to meet with Jesus in Jerusalem. Although questions fill his heart, Nicodemus opens with a statement (3:2). Jesus' reply is enigmatic: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again" (3:3). Nicodemus interprets Jesus' words literally and thus immediately misunderstands him. Nearly everyone who takes Jesus' words literally in this Gospel misses his meaning (4:10-11, 14-15, 32-33; 6:33-34,51-52; 8:21-22; 11:11-13).
___Jesus patiently unpacks his message. "Being born again" is not about physical birth. It is a spiritual reality (3:5-8). What did Jesus mean by being "born again"?
___The phrase "born again" contains one of the many word plays in this Gospel. The word translated "again" ("anothen") has several possible meanings, all of which are applicable here. It could mean "again," as in a second time. Nicodemus understands it this way and questions the possibility of a second birth. Jesus, however, means a new kind of birth--spiritual rather than physical (3:4-5).
___"Anothen" could mean "from the beginning." Luke employs that definition when he claims to offer an accurate investigation of Jesus' life "from the beginning" (Luke 1:3). If that were the meaning in this story, the new birth would describe an experience making possible a fresh start in life.
___A third legitimate meaning is "from above." John uses the word this way in 19:23, where he describes Jesus' robe as woven "from top to bottom." In John 3:31, John the Baptist describes Jesus as "the one who comes from above." Being born "from above" points to the source of the new birth--new life from above, making possible life in the kingdom of God.
___Jesus' words to Nicodemus cut directly across the man's resume. None of his religion, theology, training, reputation or positions of power satisfy his spiritual hunger. Instead, he needs to experience God in a personal way that would offer him new life, life from above, a fresh start. Actually, Jesus' statement in 3:7 is plural: "you (and all like you) must be born again."
___Another of John's favorite themes surfaces at this point. John describes two spiritual realms--light and darkness (1:4-9). From his perspective, people live in one or the other of those two realities. Jesus is the Light that has come into the world, bringing judgment against the darkness (3:19-21).
___The Fourth Gospel sometimes shows people in the process of moving from one of these realms to the other. Nicodemus comes "out of the night" (3:1) to see Jesus. His later appearances in the story show his movement toward faith in Jesus (7:50; 19:39). Judas, on the other hand, moves from the light, away from Jesus, until finally he goes out into the night (6:71; 12:4; 13:2, 26, 29; 14:22; 18:2-5).
___Jesus assists Nicodemus' transition from darkness to light by explaining the new birth. The new birth is a spiritual experience, a work of God. The "wind" ("pneuma") blows where it pleases, but we cannot see it. We can only experience its effects (3:8). The same is true of being born of the "Spirit" ("pneuma"). We can experience it, but we cannot explain it.
___Finally, Jesus turns to an illustration Nicodemus will more readily grasp--a story from Hebrew Scripture. Jesus reminds him of Israel's experience with the bronze serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14; Numbers 21:7-9). Just as looking to that serpent gave life to the people of Israel, so looking to the Christ who will be "lifted up" will bring eternal life (the new birth) to those who trust him.
___At this point in John's narrative, it is not clear who is speaking. Nicodemus has faded from the scene. He exits without a sound. Some translators assume the words in 3:16-21 are those of Jesus. Others understand that the voice of the narrator intrudes at this point to close the episode and offer us authoritative interpretation of how the new birth is experienced.
___Regardless, the paragraph contains some of the most well-known words in the entire New Testament (John 3:16). Ultimately, we experience the new birth Jesus offered Nicodemus by placing faith in the one and only Son of God.
___Questions for discussion
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