In John 3:1-6, Jesus meets a man named Nicodemus. The encounter is brief, but powerful, and a number of lessons can be learned by examining our Lord’s words. “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” This statement appears to confuse Nicodemus, to the point that he wonders why Jesus wants him to be physically born again (3:4). We should not be quick to judge the man, however, or assume that he is a dullard. Perhaps the idea of a “fresh start” is rather appealing to him, as it is to most people – would it not be nice, considering all of the mistakes we have made, all the failures and regrets that have dogged us, to just start life all over again? Nicodemus wonders how one can find such a rebirth except through literally entering into his mother’s womb again.

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit’” (3:5-8). Of course, Jesus is careful to explain that it is not literal rebirth that He is talking about, but total spiritual transformation. One must be born of “water and the Spirit” to become a citizen of His kingdom.

“How can these things be so?” (3:9) – Again, it is tempting for us to look at Nicodemus and see him as a bit slow to understand a point that seems obvious to us. But he was fighting an uphill battle with his preconceptions – a battle that we might actually be fighting, too, without realizing it. He saw things very “cut and dry”, that is, his expectations were in line with the typical thinking of his time. He and his peers were not waiting for the church, but the kingdom. They expected God’s earthly rule to be established in a visible, definable worldly kingdom, as per the promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7:12ff. It is enough to say that many Jews in the first century were unsatisfied with their current lot (dominated by Rome, ruled by the Herods, troubled by dissensions and disagreement) and anxiously awaited the fulfillment of prophecies regarding the coming kingdom. Do we also sometimes read the Bible and make assumptions based on our physical circumstances or historical preconceptions? Perhaps our explanation for this very text is an example of this, as we assume Jesus is talking primarily about baptism in the phrase “You must be born again.”

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?’” (3:10). Here is a point that should not be overlooked. Jesus expected Nicodemus to know what He was talking about. It seems to have either disappointed or shocked the Lord that an expert in the scriptures failed to grasp the point of their conversation. But here is where we, too, may be missing the point. Do we just automatically assume that Jesus is teaching baptism here? I know that I have, in the past, used this text to illustrate the role that baptism plays in the process of spiritual rebirth. But Nicodemus would not have known this – could not have known it. Jesus’ baptism was not instituted yet, and John’s baptism had nothing to do with being born again and entering the kingdom (Acts 19:1-7). So it would be unfair for Jesus to expect the man to “get” that He is talking about being born again through New Testament baptism if that is His point. Now, I will certainly say that baptism is an integral part of rebirth, now that Christ has died and come back from the dead. For those who have not obeyed the Gospel, there is no other way into the body of Christ but through baptism (1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:3). And for those who have obeyed, baptism was the very moment that our sins were washed away and we were saved (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16). But I would contend that baptism, specifically, is not the point Jesus is trying to explain to Nicodemus.

“Born Again/From Above”

There is a great lesson to be learned from the way that Jesus uses the words “born again” in John 3:3. In the Greek, the term can (and usually does) mean “born from above” (see its use in John 19:11 and John 19:23). In fact, according to some scholars, it often means both. This is an important point because the idea being conveyed is not merely a rebirth, but a rebirth that comes from God, by His power. How would Nicodemus have viewed his birth into the nation of Israel? He would have seen it as a fleshly birthright, something that was carnal and definable. His citizenship was by the flesh, sealed, most especially, in his circumcision. These were physical acts that identified him with a physical people. This is probably why his automatic response to being born again was revulsion. How disturbing (not to mention totally impractical) would it be to enter, again, into a mother’s womb as an adult and go through the birthing process? But Jesus is trying to show him that rebirth must come “from above.” It has to be a spiritual rebirth, as in, a total change on the inside that is dictated and defined by divine will. Furthermore, rebirth from above is required (“Truly, truly”) to enter the coming kingdom – the very thing that Nicodemus was awaiting most anxiously – which means that it cannot come by one’s natural birth or circumcision.

What Should Nicodemus Have Known?

This still leaves us wondering what Jesus expected Nicodemus to know. Again, it is very easy for us to look at this conversation with all the perspective of Christians in the kingdom, who know how the story turns out. But Nicodemus does not share this with us, so whatever is meant by “born again of water and spirit” must be found in the Old Testament, not the New. Let us carefully consider what is written in Ezekiel 36:16ff, noting the way water, spirit, and breath/wind are used, all key words in the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus.

  • This is written to the people of Israel during their captivity. They were being punished for all of their defilements and sins (36:17-18). As a result of their dispersion among the nations, the name of the Lord was being profaned (36:20). Essentially, the pagan nations witnessed the lowly Hebrews in the midst of their punishment and were unimpressed. These were hardly the best representatives of the Lord, so God’s reputation was being tarnished.
  • For the sake of His own name, not because any of them deserved relief from captivity, God acted on the Hebrews’ behalf (36:21-24). This is a powerful, humbling point, since we also found ourselves in the same position before we were transformed by the power of God’s mercy. We were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), “slaves to sin” (Romans 6:17). until God acted on our behalf.
  • 36:24 is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham to make a great nation out of his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:18, 17:1-8). The “land promise” is best understood, not as literal lines on a map, but as security. The borders of Israel at its height gave it security from its enemies, a security that was quickly lost when they strayed from God’s moral path. In this sense, we get to enjoy the fulfillment of the “land promise” because we have the greatest security in God.
  • This is where we start to see what Nicodemus should have known all along as an expert in the scriptures. Read Ezekiel 36:25-29 and observe the language being used. God offers cleansing to the reader through what? Sprinkling of water. This is not the language of baptism, but of ceremonial cleansing in the temple, and it is not to be taken literally. The water itself, whether it is New Testament baptism or temple sprinkling, is not the substance but the symbol. We know this of NT baptism (1 Peter 3:21). We also see that this is fulfilled in the death of Christ. Hebrews 9:11 uses the same “cleansing by sprinkling” language, but of Christ’s blood.
  • God goes on to say that a new heart and new spirit would be put within His people, by His own Spirit. This indwelling will cause His people to walk carefully in His ways and commandments, a point we should not take lightly. Sometimes I have heard Christians dismiss the importance of total, precise obedience, as if “being careful” does not matter to God. And yet, our rebirth should be the ultimate motivation to obey carefully. God took matters into His own hands and crushed the heart of stone within me. He softened me, and tenderly replaced the stone with a living heart full of His Spirit. He cleansed me when I did not deserve it, and I am now His representative in the world, the bearer of His Holy name. Should I not be careful to obey Him in everything?
  • God is not afraid to remind His people of their shame (Ezekiel 36:30-32). Rebirth, then, also involves a bit of healthy old-self-loathing. This does not mean going through life constantly reliving and reminding ourselves of our sins. It does not mean staying guilty (2 Corinthians 7:10). But it does mean hating what you used to be. It means being so overjoyed at the rebirth that our old life, by comparison, is absolutely loathsome and disgusting to us.
  • As if that is not enough, God takes the prophet to a valley full of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1). By His power, He has Ezekiel prophesy to the bones, saying, “‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come back to life’” (Ezekiel 37:4ff). The language of “breath” and “spirit” is used again in 37:9 and 37:13-14. Remember that in both Hebrew and Greek, these are the same words. God’s “breath” is His “Spirit.” He gives breath to all, just as He gives us both a personal spirit and an indwelling of His Almighty Spirit. The more you read in this chapter, the more you realize this is absolutely Messianic in nature. Like a valley of dry bones, we are totally bereft of spiritual life before we are reborn by God’s power. It is only because of what He does to us that we can breathe again and live anew (Ephesians 2:1-10).

This gives us a better idea now of what Jesus expected Nicodemus to know in their conversation. The man was not seeing rebirth as he should have. It was not by the flesh, but the spirit. It was not an earthly inheritance, but a spiritual one. Like Nicodemus, then, we all must learn to start defining our lives by a total change that is dictated from above, and embrace all the ways that God defines who we are and how we should live. Baptism, for sure, is an essential part of this in the Gospel. But Jesus was trying to establish a fundamental concept with Nicodemus: if one is to be pleasing to God and be a part of His kingdom (in both the Old and New covenants), he must be born from above and allow God to reign supreme in the heart.