Key Verse: “Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3-5 CSB)
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who clearly didn’t understand what you were trying to say? No matter how hard you tried, the other person couldn’t seem to grasp what you were attempting to communicate.
Jesus had a similar experience in His encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus had come to Jesus in the cover of night to discuss with Him how one could see or enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus recognized something different about Jesus. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,” he said to Him, “for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him” (v.2).
Jesus replied by telling Nicodemus that the only way to truly see the kingdom of God was for someone to be born again. Nicodemus wasn’t tracking with Jesus though. He didn’t grasp what Jesus was trying to communicate. “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Jesus, “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” (v.4). I can only imagine the look on Jesus’ face as Nicodemus said this. Clearing they were not on the same page. Nicodemus thought Jesus was referring to physical birth, whereas Jesus was talking about a spiritual rebirth.
Why the confusion? Nicodemus was described as “a man from the Pharisees” and “a ruler of the Jews” (v.1). As such, he checked a lot of the right boxes from a human standpoint. At that time, salvation was seen by many as an issue of one’s heritage and one’s obedience. It was about being part of the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and being zealous for the Law that had been handed down by God to the people through Moses.
As a Jew, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, there were likely very few people who could match the religious credentials of Nicodemus. Surely he would be someone who would enter the kingdom of God. But according to Jesus, the kingdom of God is not about these things. It’s only those who are born of the Spirit who can enter the kingdom of God (v.5).
Many years earlier, God had spoken to His people through the prophet Ezekiel, saying, “I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). This is what Jesus was speaking about to Nicodemus. Those who get to experience the kingdom of God are those who have been born again spiritually, have been given a new heart and received the Holy Spirit within them.
Has this happened to you? Have you been born again by the Spirit? We must be careful not to try to approach God from a performance or religious mentality like Nicodemus did. The kingdom of God is not about checking all of the right boxes in order to earn God’s favour. Rather it’s about turning to Jesus through faith, receiving a new heart and life through the Spirit, and allowing Jesus to rule and reign in every way in our lives.
Ask God to continue to transform your heart today. Seek first His kingdom in your life above all else by submitting to the rule and reign of Jesus. Invite the Spirit to teach and empower you to live out the new life that you have received through Him.
Prayer: Jesus, it is only those who have been born again who can see your kingdom. Thank you for the new life I have received through faith in you. Thank you for placing your Spirit within me. Continue to transform my heart to be more like you. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
