1 Now 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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
There has been much speculation over the years as to the significance of Nicodemus approaching Jesus at night. You’ve probably heard many times that the darkness was a picture of the true state of his heart, but that might be reading a bit too much into the text. The truth is that because of the miracles Jesus was performing, His popularity was beginning to grow, so He would have been constantly surrounded by not only His followers and disciples, but also many curious onlookers during the day, which meant that visiting Him “after hours” probably gave Nicodemus a bit more time and privacy.
Was Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, embarrassed or ashamed to be seen in public with Jesus? Possibly, because Jesus was not very popular with the Pharisees, but whatever the reason for approaching Jesus at night, at least Nicodemus did come to Jesus.
But he had a lot to learn about just who this was that he was visiting. Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus to be a teacher sent by God, since no one could perform such miracles without the direct help of God, but for now, in spite of all his religious education, Nicodemus did not recognise Jesus as God manifest in the flesh. He was like so many throughout history who say that Jesus was a great man, a wonderful teacher, and an outstanding example, but these all fall very short of the truth. Jesus was and is God.
It’s interesting that Nicodemus’ opening statement isn’t even a question, but Jesus gave him an answer anyway. In effect He was saying, “Nicodemus, you have come to me for teaching, but what you really need is to be born again. That is where you must begin. You must be born from above, or you will never see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus wanted to have a theological conversation with Jesus, but Jesus was about to pierce his heart. You’ll remember the closing verses of chapter 2 from last week: “He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25)
It’s also important for us to try and understand the attitude of Nicodemus when he approached Jesus. The gospel accounts are full of highly toxic confrontations between the religious elite and Jesus (we’ll look at a couple of examples in a moment), but as we see this particular conversation unfolding, it is clear that Nicodemus wanted to learn. He couldn’t have known it at the time, but God was drawing Nicodemus to Himself. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
Nicodemus even addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”, which means teacher. This learned, highly educated member of the Jewish ruling council, recognised his subordination to someone who had authority from God. When Nicodemus called Jesus Rabbi, he placed himself in the role of a pupil, and eventually he would be led to eternal life. Nicodemus was influential, he was highly educated, he was interested in spiritual matters, he had a solid grasp of Old Testament Scripture, but he knew something was missing in his life. A theologian approached a carpenter and his life was changed dramatically.
Look at Nicodemus’ opening statement again: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him.” (John 3:2) And what does Jesus do? He answered a question that Nicodemus didn’t even ask. He read Nicodemus’ heart and went straight to the core of his problem - the need for spiritual transformation or regeneration which comes to us exclusively as a gift of grace.
Nicodemus then shows that religious training without spiritual insight is useless. Nicodemus wanted to talk about miraculous signs, but Jesus talked to him about eternal life, by telling him that he needed to be born again or born from above. The mistake the Pharisees made was assuming their heritage and obeying religious rules was their ticket to heaven. Instead, it is spiritual rebirth that Nicodemus needed, and spiritual rebirth is what we need in order to see the kingdom of God.
Unless God changes our hearts His way, from the inside out, any discussion or conversation of the kingdom is a waste of breath. You’ll also note that Nicodemus doesn’t even mention the kingdom, but Jesus does, because that is what really matters. Nicodemus had not mentioned the kingdom, but Jesus knew his true need, and in order to belong to the heavenly kingdom, we must be born into it just we are born into the earthly kingdom.
Nicodemus then asks, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” You could say that this was a figure of speech, in that Nicodemus was saying he was too old to change. Human beings are notoriously resistant to change, but he was probably asking the question quite literally, his point being that second birth was as ridiculous a notion as a grown man re-entering his mother’s womb. The whole concept was absurd to him, but how do we make sense of the spiritual world? The physical world, which we can see and touch, is mysterious enough, but for finite beings to comprehend the spiritual realm is beyond our capability.
We can’t respond to spiritual truth in natural ways. Jesus was speaking about a spiritual birth, but Nicodemus couldn’t understand it, because he had no spiritual capacity to comprehend it.
Without realising it, Nicodemus was merely confirming what the apostle Paul would later write in 1 Corinthians 2:14. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
In verse 6 Jesus says to Him, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” What this means is that even if by some miracle Nicodemus was able to enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born a second time, that would not have solved Nicodemus’ sin problem. That expression “that which is born of the flesh is flesh” means that children born of human parents are born in sin and are hopeless and helpless as far as saving themselves is concerned. On the other hand, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. A spiritual birth takes place when a person trusts in Christ. When a penitent sinner is born again through the Spirit, he or she receives a new nature, and this is what makes us fit for the kingdom of God.
Jesus made it very clear that entrance into the kingdom of God does not come through legalism or outward conformity. Neither is it the birthright of any particular race or culture. It requires an inner change, and this change is something which only God can bring about. Salvation is God’s plan, from start to finish.
Jesus then uses the analogy of the wind when He speaks about how the Spirit moves. In fact, the words wind and spirit in Greek are derived from the same word - pneuma.
Just think about the wind for a moment. We can all see the effects of the wind blowing. We can see trees swaying in the breeze and we can feel it on our faces, but where does it come from? Where does it go? Scientists, for all their ingenuity, are often stumped by the most simple things sometimes. God brings the wind when and where He chooses, and this is a picture of how God brings people to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.
John MacArthur writes, “Jesus’ point was that just as the wind cannot be controlled or understood by human beings but its effects can be witnessed, so also it is with the Holy Spirit. He cannot be controlled or understood, but the proof of His work is apparent. Where the Spirit works, there is undeniable and unmistakable evidence.”
Jesus’ question to Nicodemus in verse 10 would certainly have got Nicodemus’ attention: “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Matthew Henry, in his commentary paraphrases Jesus, “You are a teacher, a tutor, one who sits in Moses’ chair, and yet not only unacquainted with the doctrine of regeneration, but incapable of understanding it?” This was a sharp rebuke to Nicodemus, because the Pharisees only ever taught compliance to the law and religious ritual as the means of salvation.
They knew the law off by heart, but in their ignorance and yes, even their deliberate deception, had they never read passages of Scripture like Ezekiel 18:31? “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” Or Ezekiel 36:25-26. “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 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.”
These verses (and there are many others in the Old Testament) clearly speak of regeneration - the new birth - yet the Pharisees either chose not to teach them, or because they were not saved themselves, they were incapable of teaching true, Biblical salvation because they didn’t understand the concept in the first place.
In Matthew 23 Jesus launched a stinging rebuke towards the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, blind fools, and a brood of vipers because of the bondage they had put the people in by their false teaching. Earlier in Matthew 15 we read, “For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ And He called the people to Him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:6-14)
From the text it would appear that Jesus was a lot more gentle with Nicodemus that night, but the message was clear to him, and it is just as clear to the Church today: We are to proclaim the full counsel of God. We are to proclaim the Gospel message faithfully and Biblically, and if we are not doing so, we are nothing more than the blind leading the blind.
The lost have to hear about their great need, and how, by His grace and out of His great love for us, God has provided for that need. He sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. That is the Gospel message we are to proclaim.
Jesus then used an account from the Old Testament that Nicodemus would have been familiar with before teaching him the Gospel. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)
As Jesus said He must be lifted up, we know He was speaking about the cross, but why did He refer to the brass serpent in Numbers 21?
This illustration from the Old Testament shows us how the cross provides a cure from the poison of sin, deliverance from the death of sin, and removal of the condemnation of sin. Jesus quoted this incident to Nicodemus to teach how the new birth takes place. We have been bitten by the serpent of sin and are condemned to eternal death, and the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole was a type or picture of Jesus. He was sinless and should never have been punished, but He took our place and bore the judgment which we deserved. The pole speaks of the cross of Calvary on which Jesus was lifted up, and we are saved by looking to Him in faith.
And then we come to what is almost certainly the most famous and most-quoted verse in the entire Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Eternal life comes not because of anything we do. Salvation comes as a free gift when we believe what God has said. Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. Nicodemus had superb religious training but very little spiritual insight. He could not grasp Jesus’ statement that a person must be born from above to experience eternal life, so Jesus continues to teach him.
Have a look at verses 16-18. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believeis condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Four times in these three verses we see the word believe. Belief in Jesus Christ for salvation is the central theme of the gospel of John, and here Jesus classifies the entire human race into two groups: Those who believe and are not condemned, and those who do not believe and are condemned already.
There are countless people, including a multitude of non-Christians who can quote the first 6 words of John 3:16. “For God so loved the world.” God is love. Yes, He is, and we see and hear that everywhere. It’s on bumper stickers, T-shirts and tattoos, and we even hear these words sung in secular pop songs.
The fact that God is love offends virtually no-one, but what about the rest of verse 16 and the next two verses? This is what Nicodemus needed to hear, and so it is with the rest of humanity. Contrary to popular belief, we are not saved by the love of God. We are saved by putting our faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ.
This is the truth we should be proclaiming, as offensive as it may be to those who refuse to accept it. The reality is that Jesus didn’t come as a judge the first time. He came as the Saviour, but when He returns, He will come as the judge. John 3:17 and 18 are just as important, if not even more important than verse 16 because they qualify the words that so many people can rattle off by heart. Yes, God does love the world, and that includes every single human being who ever has, is or ever will live, but not all are saved.
Whoever does not believe in Christ is condemned. In fact, if you don’t believe, you are already condemned. That is your default setting as a sinner. And why are you condemned? Because you have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
But there is good news. Vernon McGee writes in his commentary, “There are a great many who feel that the world is on trial today. It is not. The world is lost. You and I live in a lost world, and we’ll not wait until the final judgment to see that we are lost. Our position is something like a man who is in prison being asked whether or not he will accept a pardon. That is the Gospel. It is not telling a man that he is on trial. He is already condemned. He is already in prison waiting for execution. But the Gospel tells him a pardon is offered to him. The point is, will you accept the pardon? How wonderfully clear that is. The Gospel is to save those who are already lost.”
At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When He comes again, He will come in judgment against those who refused His offer of salvation.
How do we answer that often-asked question, “How can a loving God send anyone to hell?” The answer is very simple. At the end of our lives there is only one thing that will matter. We are all divided into two classes: Believers and unbelievers. Our eternal destiny depends on our attitude to Jesus Christ. Those who trust Him as Saviour are not condemned, but those who reject Him are condemned already.
On the Cross of Calvary Jesus completed the work of salvation, and now it is up to each person to decide whether to accept Him or reject Him. For those who choose to reject Him, God, as a God of perfect, holy justice can do nothing else but condemn them.
James Montgomery Boice used an excellent illustration of a dad and his small child throwing a ball to each other. No matter how close they stand to each other, the child’s awkward throw goes all over the place. The problem is not the distance between them, but the child’s aim. Well-meaning people, even those who seek righteousness in their own strength, just like the Pharisees in Nicodemus’ day fail, and that is why we need the cross. This is why we need a Saviour. This is why we need Christ.
We close with verses 19-21. “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
In verse 19 Jesus gives the reason for the world’s rejection of Him: He is the light who exposes whether a person is righteous or not, and the world, because it loves wickedness, not only hates being exposed, but also hates the One who is light itself.
We hear all kinds of excuses for people rejecting Jesus. Some say the Church is full of hypocrites, others claim they cannot believe some of the truth claims of Jesus, and that the Bible can’t be trusted. Whatever the excuse, they are nothing more than attempts to conceal a heart in rebellion against God. The real reason people do not come to Christ is that they don’t want to.
Jesus is the light who came into the world. He was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. He died for the sins of the lost, but they prefer their sins to having Jesus as Saviour, and so they reject Him. Those who love sin hate the light, because the light exposes their sinfulness. When Jesus came into our world, sinners were ashamed in His presence because He revealed their awful condition by His own holiness.
Someone once said the best way to reveal the crookedness of a stick is to put a straight stick next to it. If we are truly honest with God, we will come to the light of Christ, recognise our utter worthlessness and sinfulness, then trust in Christ and be born from above. That is how we are saved. We must be born from above, or we will never see the kingdom of God.