John 3 - Jesus, and the New Birth

These pulpit notes are provided unedited and will thus contain some grammatical or typographical errors.

Good morning everyone, thank you for joining us this morning. You can open your Bibles to John 3 and Ezekiel 36.

Our last message in the gospel of John found Jesus entering the Temple courtyard in Jerusalem and driving out the merchants and money changers who had turned the Temple into a marketplace. They had taken over the courtyard of the Gentiles which should have been a place for men from all nations to come and pray to the creator God, and turned it into a chaotic scene in which animals were bartered, and exorbitant profits were made off of travelling worshipers. It is this defiling of the temple and the perversion of the purpose for the court of the Gentiles which caused Jesus, in another gospel, to proclaim. "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."

And so, Jesus made a whip and drove out the sellers, and the animals and the money changers and he held the courtyard, not allowing anyone to carry anything through the temple.

Then, temple authorities approached him. These were probably members of the Sanhedrin, the governing council of the Jews. Obviously, they’ve come with some questions for Jesus.

Members of this Jewish governing council belonged to two major parties. The party of the Pharisees and the party of the Sadducees.

Pharisees and Sadducees

The Sadducees were the wealthy, social elites. They were a politically connected, aristocratic class. They were the party of the high priests and held authority over the Temple and its operations. Politically they were aligned with Rome and were willing to further Rome’s interests among the people. Theologically, they denied the resurrection, the existence of angels and other spirits. They adhered to the Law, but rejected the Pharisee’s practice of strict adherence to tradition in addition to the Law. The Sadducees made up the majority of the governing council of the Jews and were greatly disturbed by any movements which might threaten their position of power.

The Pharisees on the other hand, though comprising some wealthy, influential adherents, were less likely to be socially or financially prominent. The Pharisees, though unhappy with Roman rule, had learned to keep the peace (largely in light of Roman aggression towards previous attempts at uprising). Theologically, the Pharisees in contrast to the Sadducees held to the resurrection and the reality of the after life. The Pharisees held to strict observance of the law and equally strict adherence to the tradition of the elders. They were famous for having “erected a fence around the law” by elevating human tradition on par with divine commandment.

Although the Pharisees were the minority, and the less politically connected, and did not operate the Temple, they had much influence in the day-to-day life of the average Jew. Since most scribes were Pharisees, they largely dictated the proper interpretation of the law. Since the synagogues were run by the Pharisees, they brought the law to bear upon the lives of the people.

So, Josephus could say: “the Sadducees [have] the confidence of the wealthy alone but no following among the populace, while the Pharisees have the support of the masses.”

Whether Pharisee or Sadducee, both parties, along with the predominant religious thought in Jesus’ day, would affirm that all Jews, apart from those guilty of apostasy or extraordinary wickedness would be permitted to enter the Kingdom of God at the end of the age.

Well, you can understand how Jesus’ actions in the temple would have affected both the Sadducees and the Pharisees. On the one hand, he ran the merchants out of the Temple thus directly affecting the pockets of the Sadducees. On the other, he claimed authority in determining the proper practice of worship, which was the realm of the Pharisees. He managed rile up both groups.

So, the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

They challenged his authority. They demanded that he show them some sort of sign, a miracle of some sort, in order to prove that he possessed the God-given authority to do what he has done to the Temple.

Jesus responded in a way that these Jews would not understand in the moment. He foretold of his coming resurrection and claimed that he had the authority over the Temple, because he would replace the temple.

Well, it appears from the context, especially John 2:23 that Jesus did go on to perform some miracles while in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, not in direct response to the request of the Jewish leaders, but on behalf of the people (as his manner was).

Many Believed in His Name

Jesus’ show of authority and his many miracles had a significant impact. Look at John 2:23:

John 2:23   ¶ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.

Many believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the one sent from God because they saw the miracles he performed. This, to us, might seem like a wonderful success and that Jesus would do well to remain there with these new believers in Jerusalem, but look at what John says next in verse 24:

John 2:24-25   But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people  25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Jesus did not entrust himself to these people. Why? Because he understood what was in man. He understood that faith dependent upon signs or miracles alone is often a fickle faith. Although many claim that they would believe “if only God would show me a sign,” such faith never matures. It never fully trusts. It remains forever dependent upon signs. It frankly, produces a scenario in which God must continually prove himself in order to warrant our belief.

So, Jesus did not entrust himself to these who believed on the basis of his miracles alone.

Introducing Nicodemus

It’s in this context that the Apostle John introduces us to another figure, a man named Nicodemus. The connection is clear. Nicodemus is one who has come to believe something about Jesus on the basis of his miracles or signs and beyond this, Nicodemus is a Pharisee.

Nicodemus stands out from among the Pharisees in that he is one of the minority of wealthy Pharisees. He is also a chief teacher among the Jews. He is a teacher of the law, and the traditions of the elders, and personally a meticulous keeper of both.

In this exchange with Nicodemus, Jesus is going to show him that every individual, no matter their social standing, religious status, ethnic pedigree or knowledge of the law, must come to a place where they put their trust in Jesus alone for salvation.

In order to receive eternal life, every individual must be born again.

Let’s read the account:

John 3:1-15   ¶ 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.

Nicodemus, this prominent teacher of the Jews came to Jesus by night. Why by night? To keep his meeting secret? Perhaps. Because this is when it was easiest to get close to Jesus? Perhaps. It was also a practice of teachers to utilize the evenings for discussions of theology. So perhaps that is a factor as well.

Look at Nicodemus’ greeting here:

2 …"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." 

Nicodemus greets Jesus respectfully, ascribing to him the title of Rabbi. And notice that Nicodemus speaks in the plural. “We” know that you are a teacher come from God. It may be that Nicodemus is speaking as a representative of some fellow council members, or fellow Pharisees. Some of them, Nicodemus included have come to believe that Jesus is a teacher sent from God. The evidence? His miracles.

The question of authority posed after the temple cleansing seems to be answered in Nicodemus’ mind. The miracles attest to the fact that Jesus is a teacher, sent from God. This is an important confession. According to Jesus’ prayer to the Father in John 17, the confession that He had come from God was part of the confession he sought to elicit from his disciples.

However, as we will see from Jesus’ response to Nicodemus, although he was on the right track towards belief in Jesus, he remained under some serious misconceptions about how one might attain eternal life, and be permitted entrance into God’s Kingdom.

Jesus’ Response to Nicodemus

Look at how Jesus responds to Nicodemus in verse 3:

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

This was a strange response indeed. At this point, Nicodemus hasn’t asked any questions and has not mentioned the Kingdom of God. All he has said is that he and others have concluded that Jesus must be a teacher sent from God because of the miracles they have witnessed. So, why this response?

Jesus knows what lies behind Nicodemus’s question. What Nicodemus has not come out and said is that he and those he represents are speculating that perhaps Jesus is the promised Messiah. He broaches the subject by citing the miracles.

How did Jesus’ miracles signal that he was the promised Messiah? Remember the type of miracles that Jesus performed. His miracles were miracles of mercy. He healed the sick; caused the blind to see; caused the lame to walk; freed the demon possessed; and even raised the dead. These miracles not only signaled his power over creation, but his mercy toward mankind. He was the one who would bring to fruition the promises of God’s kingdom. A kingdom where sickness would be eradicated, tears would be wiped away and death would be no more. His miracles offered a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.

For Nicodemus, if the signs Jesus performs are evidence that he is the Messiah, the Christ, that means the Kingdom of God is beginning to dawn. The reign of God himself is coming to earth. So, it is appropriate for Jesus to respond to Nicodemus’ mention of miracles, with talk of the Kingdom of God.

“I know what you are thinking Nicodemus. You are wondering if I am the promised one, the Messiah. You are speculating whether or not I am the promised Son of David who would sit on the throne of David and reign over the Kingdom of God. I also know that as a Pharisee, a meticulous keeper of the law, you feel you will, without a doubt be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God, well let me tell you Nicodemus, you are missing something essential, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

That Kingdom of God where God will rule and reign over his new creation. That Kingdom where peace, justice, and righteousness will rule supreme. That kingdom where joy will overflow. That Kingdom where sin will be eradicated and death will be defeated. That Kingdom where suffering will finally be over. That Kingdom in which the curse of sin which hangs over all of creation will be rolled back. That everlasting Kingdom which will exclude the evil and which the righteous will inherit. That Kingdom which every faithful Jew was waiting for with hopeful anticipation? That Kingdom which would see the greater Son of David, the Messiah ascend his throne? Yeah, Nicodemus, you can’t see that kingdom. That is, not unless you are born again.

Look at Nicodemus’ response:

John 3:4   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?"

What do we make of Nicodemus’ response? Nicodemus has no idea what Jesus is talking about. He begs for more explanation by responding with bald literalism. What do you mean? A man can’t actually be born twice.

Jesus responds with further explanation.

John 3:5   Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

There are parallels here with verse 3. To “see the kingdom of God” from verse 3, is synonymous with to “enter the kingdom of God” in verse 5, and to be “born again” is synonymous with to be “born of water and the Spirit.”

Jesus continues:

John 3:5-8   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."

There, that clears it up, doesn’t it??

At this point, Nicodemus is still utterly confused. We know this because of verse 9:

John 3:9   Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

Yet, Nicodemus is not an uneducated man. He is intelligent, educated and very familiar with the scripture. In fact, judging by Jesus’ response to him, Nicodemus should have understood what Jesus was talking about.

John 3:10   Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

Nicodemus was an intelligent, educated man, but there existed a blind spot in his theology. He had missed something fundamental. Could this partially be the result of Nicodemus’ commitment to elevating the traditions of the elders to the same level as scripture?

You know what this is like. Sometimes we become so tainted by one school of thought, or one way of interpreting scripture that we fall into the trap of always reading scriptural truth through a pre-existing lens. We can read the same texts over and over and never come to an understanding of what it plainly says, because we’ve been trained to see it in only one way – a way taught us by tradition more than by the plain reading of the text.

Couple his elevation of tradition with a sense of self-righteousness and we see how Nicodemus could completely miss a significant aspect of what would be required to enter the Kingdom of God.

So, Jesus says, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” You should know these things Nicodemus. Why? Because you are the teacher of Israel! In other words, you as the chief teacher of the scriptures, should know what I’m talking about, because it’s in the scripture!

The question for us then is, where in the scriptures is talk of being born of water, and the Spirit and the Spirit connected to the sound and movement of wind? Where do we see these things in connection with life and new beginning? And all of it in connection to the Kingdom of God?

Turn in your Bible’s to Ezekiel 36.

Ezekiel was a priest in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city in 605 BC and later in 597 BC when Nebuchadnezzar defeated Jerusalem and lead 10,000 Jews captive into Babylon. The visions and prophecies of Ezekiel as contained in this book take place 5 years after Ezekiel’s deportation into Babylon.

In chapter 36, the Lord grants Ezekiel a wonderful prophesy looking forward to the day when he would restore his people to their land, and establish his eternal Kingdom on earth.

• In the first 16 verses, the Lord promises to restore the land. To rejuvenate it. To bring peace to it, and to cause it to flourish with life.
  
  
• Then, in verses 17-22, the Lord explains why he will restore his people to their land. He makes it plain that he is not going to restore them to their land because they are worthy of it. On the contrary, he is going to restore them in order to vindicate his own holiness. Their continual wickedness, and their repeated punishments from the Lord caused others to look at them with disdain. Some may have seen in their sorry state an indication that their God was unfaithful, or powerless. The Lord would restore them to their land, and bless them beyond measure and do it in a way where it is abundantly obvious it is all because of his mercy, and not because of their goodness.

Look in Ezekiel 36:23ff:

Ezekiel 36:23-24   And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.  24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.

The Lord will regather his people and place them in their land. He will vindicate his holiness before the nations who have witnessed the Jews profaning his name.

So, what do we have here? A people who deserves to be in exile, who have continually rebelled against their covenant God, who have repeatedly profaned his name among the nations, restored to their land? That doesn’t seem quite right, does it? How does putting a sinful people back in the land which they continually defiled result in the vindication of God’s holiness?

Look at what else the Lord promises here. Look at verses 25-29:

Ezekiel 36:25-28   ¶ 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.  26 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.  27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 

Here the Lord is promising far more than the restoration of people to a renewed land. He is promising a renewed people.

• The Lord will cleanse the sin or iniquity of his people. Look at how the Lord describes this cleansing in verse 25:
  
  
  • Ezekiel 36:25   ¶ 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.
    
    Verse 33 speaks of the cleansing from all their iniquities.
    
    
• The Lord will cleanse his people from their sin. What else will he do? Look at verse 26:
  
  
  • Ezekiel 36:26   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.
    
    He will give his people a new heart, and a new spirit. That stubborn, rebellious, sinful, iniquitous heart will be removed and they will receive a tender, heart, sensitive to the Lord.
    
    
• It continues. Look at verse 27:
  
  
  • Ezekiel 36:27-28   And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
    
    
• So, to summarize the promises here:
  
  
  • The Lord will bring his people into a renewed land. They will be cleansed of all their sin and they will be given new hearts and new spirits. The Lord will put his own Spirit within them and he will actually produce obedience within them. In this way, he will create a brand-new type of people. A people transformed on the inside, by his own Spirit.
    
    
• Now look at verse 35 and see how this state of affairs is described:
  
  
  • Ezekiel 36:35   And they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.'
    
    
• God will re-create the Garden of Eden, but not everyone can enter in. He is not only going to completely remake the land, but he is going to also remake a people, so that they can dwell in that land.
  
  If anyone would enter that land, they would first have to be sprinkled clean as with water, and have God’s Spirit put within them. In other words, “UNLESS ONE IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”

So, is that it? Is Ezekiel 36 the passage which Jesus is alluding to in speaking to Nicodemus? Is that the source of his language about being born again, by water and the Spirit? Partially. But we haven’t yet seen anything like what Jesus said in John 3:8:

John 3:8   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."

Well, turn from Ezekiel 36, over to Ezekiel 37.

Here the Lord, through Ezekiel, continues to foretell the future restoration and renewal of his people. He shows Ezekiel a valley full of dead bones. Piles of bones like an entire army had fallen there. The Lord tells Ezekiel to preach to these bones. His message is in verse 5:

Ezekiel 37:5-6   Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."

When Ezekiel preaches to these bones in his vision, the bones are animated. The sinew appears, and muscle, and ultimately skin. Yet, when the bodies were fully restored, they still had no life in them. So, the Lord says to Ezekiel in verse 9:

Ezekiel 37:9   … "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."

And now we have breath, coming from the four winds and entering into these bodies. This is reminiscent of God breathing life into the nostrils of Adam when he created him. This is a new creation. A new creation fit for a New Eden.

So, now we have wind, just as Jesus spoke about in John 3. But is this wind connected to the Spirit? Yes. As the Lord instructs Ezekiel to tell his people the meaning of this vision he says:

Ezekiel 37:14   And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."

The breath coming from the four winds is the Spirit of God. Like wind, that blows where it wishes, and cannot be controlled, or seen, the Spirit moves where he wishes, and produces life where he chooses. Like the wind, which cannot be seen, but whose effects can be seen, so the Spirit cannot be observed, but the result of his work is always apparent.

The Spirit is coming to bring new life to God’s people. This new life will include a new heart, and a new spirit and the Spirit of God himself dwelling within God’s people. This is the creation of a new people, for a new Eden. No one will enter that land except those who have experienced this new birth.

But now, remember Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus when he mentioned the signs which Jesus was performing? “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God?”

Our next question is, does this text in Ezekiel connect these ideas of water and Spirit and new life to the Kingdom of God? Could Ezekiel, as the teacher of Israel have known from this text that one must experience this cleansing, forgiving, renewing work of the Spirit in order to see the Kingdom of God?

Yes, Look at Ezekiel 37:22. After giving a further promise that the future would see a united Kingdom once again, the Lord says:

Ezekiel 37:22-23   And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.  23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Now we’ve got some language of Kingdom. But how do we know that this is referring to a Messianic Kingdom? That is, how do we know this looks beyond the return of the exiles from Babylon? Look at the rest of this chapter in Ezekiel 37:

Ezekiel 37:24-28   "My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.  25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.  26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.  27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  28 Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore."

This now clearly reveals that this restoration and renewal speaks of a time far beyond the return of the exiles from Babylon. For one thing, the Kingdom was not united, as 10 tribes were lost. For another, the people were not cleansed from their sin, but continued in rebellion and lifeless religion. And for another, there was never another King in the line of David.

What is being foretold here is an eschatological kingdom. A Kingdom which would come in the latter days. This is the Messianic kingdom. This is that Kingdom over which the greater Son of David, the Christ, would rule and reign forever.

This is the eternal kingdom.

And who will enter into it? According to Ezekiel, those who have been cleansed of all of their sin. A cleansing compared to the sprinkling of pure water. Not just those who have been cleansed of all their sin, as by pure water but those who have received a new heart, and a new spirit. Those who have been made entirely new on the inside.

But that sounds like an impossibility, how can anyone have all their sin cleansed, and be made entirely new on the inside? According to Ezekiel, the Spirit of God will come like breath from the four winds and will produce this new life.

Those who enter that Kingdom will be those who have received a brand-new life as a result of the cleansing from sin, and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. These are those who are born of water and the Spirit.

Could Nicodemus Have Known This?

Nicodemus could have known this. Nicodemus had hope in the future messianic Kingdom. He was on the look out for the arrival of the greater Son of David who would one day ascend his throne and usher in an eternal kingdom of peace, justice and righteousness, but he did not grasp the need for a spiritual rebirth.

• Nicodemus’ ignorance may have been the result of elevating human tradition over scripture.
  
  As a Pharisee Nicodemus may have allowed himself to interpret scripture through the lens of his religious tradition instead of his religious tradition through the lens of scripture. Consequently, his many hours spent poring over passages like Ezekiel 36-37 would never result in personal reflection.
  
  You may be like that this morning. Maybe you are so steeped in your religious tradition that you fail to see your need to be born again. Others have explained away the scriptures so that when you read them, they don’t seem to mean what they plainly say. You’ve explained away your own need to be born again by resting in your religious tradition.
  
  
• Further, Nicodemus’ ignorance may have been the result of his own self-righteousness.
  
  As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was careful to obey all of the law. Better than that, as a Pharisee, Nicodemus was not only careful to obey all of the law, but all of the manmade restrictions and commandments which they erected around the law! Rules, rituals, regulations, restrictions. This is how he lived. Nicodemus felt that as a faithful, obedient Jew, he would be welcomed right into the Kingdom of God on the basis of his own good works.
  
  Because Nicodemus was trusting his own good works, and own righteousness, he saw no need for the kind of cleansing, forgiveness, and spiritual re-birth which Ezekiel foretold. Nicodemus would not apply that scripture to himself on a personal level. Maybe the nation as a whole, maybe other sinners, but not him.
  
  Maybe that is you this morning. Maybe you are trusting in your own goodness or good works to earn you a place in the Kingdom of God.
  
  
• Next, Nicodemus’ ignorance may have been the result of his ethnic/national pride.
  
  As a Jew, Nicodemus knew he was part of God’s chosen people. He, along with his fellow Pharisees and the Sadducees were convinced that any Jew (except those guilty of apostasy or grave sin) would inherit the Kingdom of God. He could not see that salvation is individual, and not national; on the basis of individual faith, and not national identity.
  
  
• Whether it be an adherence to tradition, or a trust in your own goodness, or ethnic pride, what you must realize is that no one enters the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.

How Can One be Born Again?

So, as we get ready to conclude, the question is – how can one be born again?

John 3:9-13   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.

Jesus is saying, “Nicodemus, if you have not grasped the basics of the new birth and what must happen here and now for you to enter into the Kingdom, you will never be able to understand if I were to share greater spiritual truth with you. And, I could share far more heavenly insight, because I am the one who has descended from heaven.

Jesus then brings the discussion back down to earth and states explicitly what must happen if Nicodemus, or we, would be born again.

John 3:14-15   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.

Jesus’ reference here is to the account in Numbers 21 where God in an act of mercy toward his people provided a means to escape judgment through faith. He had Moses make a rod with a bronze serpent atop it. Anyone who would look upon the bronze serpent lifted high on the rod, would be saved from judgment.

It’s an odd account, but one which was clearly given to look forward to Christ’s day. Jesus says:

John 3:14-15   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.

Just as those Jews had to look at the serpent raised up high on a rod in faith in order to be saved from judgment, so now anyone who will look upon Jesus with faith, who will be lifted up on a cross, will receive eternal life.

That’s the answer Nicodemus. If you would have the new life which the Spirit brings, which will grant you entrance into the kingdom of God, you must believe that Jesus is the means through which your sin can be cleansed and by whom you can receive eternal life. You must believe that it is through Jesus alone and through his death on the cross that the new birth can come to you.

Now this may seem like an odd question, but…

IS THIS FOR JEWS ONLY?

The promises in Ezekiel seem to reference the Jews only. These seem like promises from God to Israel. What about the rest of the world?

Jesus could have gone to a series of Old Testament texts to teach Nicodemus that salvation and the new birth comes by faith in the Messiah and his substitutionary death, but he chose to go to Numbers 21 and to talk about him being “lifted up” for all to look upon. He did this in the context of a conversation which featured talk of water, and cleansing. He does this after having alluded to Ezekiel where we read about the sprinkling of water as an image of the forgiveness of sin. So, why has he chosen to do this?

Because Nicodemus would have been familiar with another very well-known Old Testament text. Isaiah 52 and 53. This portion of scripture foretells in vivid detail the crucifixion of the Lord’s servant and how his death would serve as a substitutionary atonement for mankind.

The passage starts this way:

Isaiah 52:13-15   ¶ Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.  14 As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind--  15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

The Lord’s servant, the Messiah will be high and lifted up! Exaltation! But in what way will he be lifted up and exalted? He will be disfigured beyond recognition. Exaltation through suffering. And as a result of this being lifted up through suffering? Verse 15 – so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

Nations plural. Not just Jews. But men and women from every nation. They will see and learn of the Messiah’s death. A death which bore the sins of the world. A death which brought cleansing, sprinkling, atonement. Men and women from every nation, every tribe, every language, will come to learn something they had never understood. Personal salvation is possible, through the Lord’s servant who will give himself for the entire world.

That is exactly what John 3 continues to say:

John 3:16   "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

CONCLUSION

And with that, Jesus dealt with everything preventing Nicodemus from understanding how he could enter the Kingdom of God.

• Jesus removed the veil which Nicodemus’ manmade traditions had laid over the scriptures, helping Nicodemus to see that the very texts which foretold the Kingdom, also revealed that it was only those who transformed by the Spirit who could enter in.
  
  
• Jesus also eliminated any sense of self-righteousness which may have prevented Nicodemus from seeing his need to be born again. Eternal life comes to those who believe in the Son, not those who are self-righteous. Cleansing, and forgiveness by the grace of God, upon faith in Jesus is what saves, not human works.
  
  
• Jesus also eliminated any thoughts of national pride or national entitlement which may have led Nicodemus to think that he was going to waltz right into the Kingdom. This salvation is for many nations. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
  
  

It's not good works, it’s not ethnicity, it’s not nationality. What determines entrance into the Kingdom of God is whether or not one believes in Jesus. These promises are no longer extended to Israel as a nation, but to every individual. It’s that God-given faith which results in one being BORN AGAIN.

So, what of Nicodemus?

Well, he doesn’t say anything else in our passage. His last words “How can these things be?”

Wonderfully, what we learn at the end of John’s gospel is that the Spirit, like wind, did come to rest upon Nicodemus. He did come to see Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Son of David. He did come to trust Jesus and his death on the cross as the only means of salvation.

Immediately after Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says:

John 19:31-39   ¶ Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.  32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.  33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.  35 He who saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth--that you also may believe.  36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken."  37 And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced."  38 ¶ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.  39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

And so, Nicodemus who first came to Jesus in the darkness of night as a self-righteous skeptic, emerges into the daylight as a faith-filled disciple of Jesus. This Nicodemus who was once trusting his own good works, and was blinded by his tradition, has experienced new life. In other words, it appears as if Nicodemus has been BORN AGAIN.