You Must Be Born Again | Sermon 10/23/2022

John 3:1-10

In the wake of the temple cleansing a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus approached Jesus by night. He has come as possibly a genuine inquirer or a challenging skeptic and representative of the Jews. Or he may be a bit of both. He acknowledges that Jesus is a Rabbi and a teacher from God as no one has done the signs Jesus has done during His time in Jerusalem. What is an acknowledgement or formal nicety will later become a profession of faith.

Likely knowing Nicodemus’ thoughts, Jesus answers him with His authoritatively revelatory formula, “truly, truly”. What is about to be said is truth. Whatever the Jews have thought was necessary to see and enter the kingdom of God falls utterly short. One must be born again. This word “again’, (ἄνωθεν) has a duel meaning: “again” and “from above.” What is clear is this is a new birth that no man can initiate. Jesus then restates verse 3 in verse 5 by parallel: to be “born again” is to be “born of water and spirit.” This should draw the reader’s mind back to all the passages about the Spirit being “poured out” in the New Covenant; that we will be sprinkled with clean water and given a new heart. Dry bones have received living water and come alive. One must be regenerated and cleansed by the Holy Spirit through Christ’s atonement and the Father’s election to enter the kingdom of God. There is no side door by which one can come.

The natural, the flesh will only ever produce that of its kind. To become born again, to become a child of God, to enter to the kingdom of God the Spirit must transform a person. The Spirit begets that of the spirit. Just as the wind does whatever whenever, the workings of the Spirit are mysterious. Something supernatural has occurred to the natural. And so Jesus questions Nicodemus on his high credentialed teacher status. What the read finds is Jesus is the true Teacher, the true Ruler of the Jews, and not just Jews but all.