A Leader Who Had a Hard Time Listening

1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^a ”

4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^b gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^c must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^d

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^e 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^f 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3)

Thoughts: There is much debate about this passage and Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was a leader in the Sanhedrin.  He was well educated, respected, and wealthy.  Nicodemus tried to stand up for Jesus at his arrest, and boldly took Jesus' body for burial along with Joseph of Arimathea helping to treat the body with care.  So Nicodemus became a listener to Jesus.
      Nicodemus came at night to Jesus as it is recorded in this passage.  He may have been curious, or trying to trap Jesus, or he could have been genuinely beginning an inquiry.  I think the latter.   He came at night without an entourage or soldiers.  He came saying that Jesus was a great teacher and seemed to believe in the miracles of Jesus.  The miracles piqued interest and laid credence to the uniqueness of Jesus.  Jesus' words in verse 11 point out that Nicodemus at this time was not a believer or fully accepting the testimony of Jesus. 

Jesus' words to the learned man were important.  They were not another lesson in ethics- like the Sermon on the Mount.  It was not a discussion on the fine points of the Law or Philosophy or politics.  Nicodemus' problem was not intellect but belief.  To believe the testimony of Jesus is to be born again.  This is not a literal second physical birth, but a spiritual re-birth.  It is when everything in life becomes new- including how we look at the Law, Philosophy, politics, and education.  I am convinced that the Law, Philosophy, politics and education are all important, but they are limited in what they can do for both human behavior, and in the face of death and our own failures (sin).  Nicodemus needed the power of the one lifted up on the cross to forgive him, and he needed to believe in him in order to have the life beyond the Law, Philosophy, politics, and education.  Today, the crisis we face is a crisis of belief and trust in God.  When people are transformed, the world becomes transformed- and yes, for the better.  Being born again means that we stop going our way- and we are born into a new way of life- the way of eternal life.  

Prayer: Lord, transform me into the person I need to be.  Let me live as your new creation- leaving the old behind.  Give me ears to hear and a heart to respond and be born again.