You Must Be Born Again

While many are rightfully curious about Jesus, we cannot ignore his more pressing claims.

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.” —John 3:1-8. 

Like many we serve with Ministry to State, Nicodemus is a man in the position of governing authority. He is a ruler in Israel. He’s a man of standing, respect, and authority. And like many who are willing to receive our ministry, Nicodemus is interested in Jesus in some way. He sees that Jesus “come(s) from God…God is with him.” (John 3:2). But he doesn’t want to show his interest openly.   

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night because he does not want others to know. When Nicodemus decides he can’t show his interest in Jesus publicly, what does that tell us about Jesus and the consequences of identifying with him? Nevertheless, Nicodemus wants to meet Jesus, and to know what he’s about. 

What can we notice about the way Jesus deals with Nicodemus? First, Jesus is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). It’s not that he doesn’t respect people. But that your title, your standing, your reputation, does not influence the way he deals with you. As a matter of fact, those could be the very obstacles that get in the way of a person seeing himself rightly and Jesus rightly. 

Secondly, it’s not enough to be interested in Jesus, because Jesus makes claims about himself that leave little room for neutrality. He claims to be our Savior, the Son of God, and the Ruler of the whole universe. While many people are rightfully curious and compelled by Jesus, we cannot ignore these more pressing claims. Like Nicodemus, we may at first approach Jesus privately and out of curiosity, but Jesus demands more.

So, how does Jesus respond to Nicodemus’s approaching him?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). 

It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Nicodemus, you are a ruler in Israel. You're a moral man, a man of accomplishment, a man of standing, a man of respect, a man of authority, a pious man. Nicodemus, unless you are born again, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. You won’t even see it. It won’t make any sense to you. It’ll just be religious talk, unless you are born again.”

Nicodemus is perplexed: “What do you mean, ‘born again’? How can someone go back into his mother’s womb?” (John 3:4). 

Jesus presses his point in response, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” (John 3:6), emphasizing to Nicodemus that which he seeks cannot be attained by his own strength or power or virtue, but only by God.  

“You must be born again.” (John 3:7).

When Jesus says, you must be born again to Nicodemus, it’s actually “you” plural. Everyone needs to be a whole new you. Everyone must have a whole new start, a brand new life. Everyone needs to be changed from the heart, at the core of our beings.

Though it's a temptation shared by all, it can especially be the case for those who are “rulers” to want to simply add Jesus on to their existing life to make it better, to make themselves better. They’re doing pretty well, but they just need some God, some religion, some spirituality to round out their lives. 

We see this with another “ruler” in the gospels, who looks to Jesus for that one missing ingredient to his already good life. (Luke 18:18). Jesus calls him to sell all he has, give to the poor, and to follow him. In other words, “You must be born again.”

This rich ruler had come to Jesus for what he could get on his own terms, and not what Jesus was graciously giving him and inviting him to, which he most needed. So, he walked away “very sad, for he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18:23).  

Why must we be born again? Our blindness to God’s Kingdom also blinds us to the depths and depravity of our sin that poisons and deadens our hearts down to their root. In Jesus' hanging on the cross to bear and even become our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), our eyes are opened to behold the deadly darkness of sin, and our deliverance from it in dying with Christ and rising to new life in him. Romans 6:4.

In the new birth, through believing in him by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5, 8), our Lord removes our dead, cold hearts of stone to give us a heart of flesh, sensitive and responsive to him. (Ezekiel 36:26-27).  

You must be born again.