LISTEN TO JESUS: BORN AGAIN?

LISTEN TO JESUS

BORN AGAIN?

Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3

John chapter 3 is both apologetic and evangelistic. In it, John proclaims and defends the deity of Christ, that He is the Son of God. He also clearly presents the way of salvation through God’s gift of His only begotten Son. The story of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus continues the theme at the end of chapter two that Jesus can see into the hearts of men.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Susan: The Pharisees were Jewish “Puritans” . . .

Susie: . . . who meticulously observed the letter of the Mosaic law along with a host of traditions they had added to it. 

Susan: However, they often missed the heart, the spiritual intention, of the Law. Jesus called them out on this:

Matthew 23:23 (NIV) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Susie: According to the MacArthur Bible Commentary the Pharisees were comprised of mostly middle-class businessmen rather than priests and Levites. I had always pictured them as rich men.

Susan: The common people revered them because their outward appearance seemed to indicate they were devout. 

Susie: However, Jesus at one point described them as “whitewashed tombs.” OUCH!

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Susie: Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee but a “ruler of the Jews” which means he was a member of the Sanhedrin. 

Susan: The Sanhedrin was comprised of the High Priest, the chief priests, the elders, and some scribes for a total of seventy-one people. 

Susie: Nicodemus must have been an elder—head of a family—since he was neither a priest nor a Scribe. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jews in Palestine . . .

Susan: . . . but the Sanhedrin had to defer to the Roman authority in matters of capital punishment which we will see later as Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Procurator. 

Susie: Nicodemus was a member of this prestigious group. 

John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Susan: Nicodemus approached Jesus under the umbrella of darkness because he did not want any of the other Pharisees to know of his inquiry of Jesus. Nicodemus must have been talking about Jesus to other Pharisees whether they were willing to admit it or not because he says, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God.”

Susie: He acknowledges that the power to perform the miracles Jesus had done must have come from God. Yet, at this time, he still could not bring himself to admit that Jesus could be God’s Son. Most of the Pharisees did not even give Jesus a chance. 

Susan: But Nicodemus wanted to look into His eyes, talk with Him face to face, and see exactly what He was about. You know the honesty or deceit of a man by looking into His eyes, the window of the soul.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Susie: Jesus’s statement about being born again was shocking. Nicodemus would have been confident he would see the kingdom of God because of his righteousness in adhering to the Law and his Jewish lineage. Jesus was saying this heritage and personal righteousness was not enough. The other reason it is hard for Nicodemus to digest is that he is taking it literally! 

Susan: Because Nicodemus did take it literally rather than understanding it as a metaphor, it made his brain go tilt, tilt, tilt!

Susie: Jesus repeated “verily” or “truly” two times for emphasis. He was stressing the point that one must be born again to gain eternal life and enter Heaven. Since man cannot literally be born a second time, what did He mean? Stay tuned for next week’s post to find out!

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Nicodemus was an elder, a Pharisee, and a teacher; but he sought Jesus for answers. We must humble ourselves before Jesus, the only One who has all of life’s answers

·     Nicodemus, even before he became a follower of Jesus as the Messiah, acknowledged that Jesus must have power from God to do miracles. A person can believe Jesus had miraculous power without trusting Him for salvation and bowing before Him as King. Do you just know about Jesus, or do you KNOW Him?

·     As we continue in this study, ask yourself if you have been born again. If not, speak to your pastor, Sunday school teacher, good Christian friend, or contact us via our website for more information. We would love to introduce you to our Savior.