NOTES for Joh 3:3-4

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

⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Among the Pharisees there were different people, and they related to Jesus in different ways. Among the spiritual leaders of the movement there were some who showed sincere interest in Him and in His words. Nicodemus was one of these people. He comes to Jesus with words of support and approval, calling Him a "true teacher." It is hard to say what meaning Nicodemus put into these words. It is entirely possible that he did not consider Jesus the Messiah. But Jesus Himself, as we see, is not going to discuss the question of His messiahship with Nicodemus.

In response to Nicodemus's assurances that he and those of like mind see in Jesus a true teacher, Jesus immediately speaks to him about a second birth. About birth from above. From water and God's breath. Usually people say: this is about baptism. Yes, it is clearly about baptism. But why, then, is Nicodemus so astonished? Those purifying washings that came to be called baptism were already long and well known to the Jews.

If this mysterious Teacher had merely proposed one more purifying washing, there would have been nothing unusual in that. But He speaks about a second birth, and Nicodemus does not understand Him. Though he should have: "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do you not know even this?" Jesus speaks of the second birth as something that could and should have been known to Nicodemus, if only he were a true teacher of Israel. And clearly the issue is not simply purifying washings. Still, Nicodemus speaks about the benefit of new birth as something self-evident but unattainable. He does not ask "Why?"; he says "How?" How can one be born a second time?

Why is clear: it is the most radical way to be freed from impurity. To begin life again. From a clean slate. And never again be defiled. But how? Jesus says: from water and God's breath. This sounds strange, because in those days it was commonly thought that God either purifies a person or sanctifies him. First He purifies, then He sanctifies. First purification, washing, and a sacrifice for sin, and then a sacrifice of peace. And perhaps then God's breath will descend upon a person. But purification and God's breath at once? Yet Jesus is speaking of the life of the Kingdom.

Of how accessible it is here and now, and in this sense His words are "about earthly things." About the breath of the Kingdom that purifies. And every time renews a person, as if bringing him to birth again: for in the Kingdom every day is new. And, of course, water: for until the full transformation of human nature there is no escaping sin. This is "about earthly things." And this is incomprehensible. As for "heavenly things," they are not yet even being discussed. They lie ahead. When the Kingdom is revealed in our fallen world to the end, fully transforming it. And there will no longer be any need for purifications. But that lies ahead. For now there are right steps. For now, "earthly things."

Other notes

For Joh 3:1-21

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

²The 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.

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

⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

It is no wonder that Jesus' words shocked Nicodemus so much. In his view, a place in the Kingdom of the coming Messiah was guaranteed to him by the very fact of being born to Jewish parents and belonging to the chosen people. But the Lord tells him, and us, that what is born of the flesh (that is, of people, even Jewish people) is flesh, and that in order to enter the Kingdom of the Spirit one must be born of water (receive baptism) and the Spirit (receive that gift of the Spirit which, according to the word of the Lord, everyone who believes in Him receives - John 7:38).

Of course, it is easy for you and me to smile at an authoritative Jewish teacher who does not understand such simple things, since we know what the Lord Jesus is speaking about. Yes, thanks be to God, unlike Nicodemus, we understand when the Teacher speaks "of earthly things"; but does that mean we will understand when He begins to speak "of heavenly things"? If He calls birth from the Spirit "earthly," what then is "heavenly"? Perhaps we should not exalt ourselves so much over Nicodemus; beside the Lord Jesus we always remain slow-witted disciples...

For Joh 3:1-15