Lesson 7: John 3:1-14 - Jesus and Nicodemus (part 1)
1 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,
Nicodemus came to see Jesus. Nicodemus was a member of the ruling body and one of the richest men in Jerusalem. Nicodemus told Jesus he and others believed Jesus was a teacher sent from God. Jesus answered with perhaps the most famous declaration of all time. Unless a person is born from above they will not be able to see the Kingdom of God. This puzzled Nicodemus. He rightly thought it was not as literal as reemerging from the womb. Jesus said rebirth must be by both water and the Spirit. It is difficult to claim baptism is necessary for salvation because many passages of Scripture discuss salvation by faith alone (for example Ephesians 2:8-9). The context was John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance. Jesus said if you repent, you can be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Jesus then states what is born by the flesh is flesh but what is born by the Spirit is spirit. So it is no wonder you must be reborn by the Spirit since you are a fleshly person now.
Jesus used wind as an example of the Holy Spirit. We sense the wind’s presence but cannot know where it comes from or where it goes; so is everyone born of the Spirit – the birth can’t be seen. We detect the change in our lives but the Holy Spirit is sovereign and man cannot control Him. Nicodemus was stunned by these revelations and asked how they could be. Jesus called Nicodemus the master teacher of Israel. Jesus expected him to understand these things because HE KNEW the Scriptures described the new birth (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).
God had been preparing the world for thousands of years to understand what Jesus was coming to do.
(Continued in the next lesson.)
*Dig deeper: What do you find in the following Scriptures to explain Jesus’ words?
Numbers 21
Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26
1 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,
Nicodemus came to see Jesus. Nicodemus was a member of the ruling body and one of the richest men in Jerusalem. Nicodemus told Jesus he and others believed Jesus was a teacher sent from God. Jesus answered with perhaps the most famous declaration of all time. Unless a person is born from above they will not be able to see the Kingdom of God. This puzzled Nicodemus. He rightly thought it was not as literal as reemerging from the womb. Jesus said rebirth must be by both water and the Spirit. It is difficult to claim baptism is necessary for salvation because many passages of Scripture discuss salvation by faith alone (for example Ephesians 2:8-9). The context was John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance. Jesus said if you repent, you can be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Jesus then states what is born by the flesh is flesh but what is born by the Spirit is spirit. So it is no wonder you must be reborn by the Spirit since you are a fleshly person now.
Jesus used wind as an example of the Holy Spirit. We sense the wind’s presence but cannot know where it comes from or where it goes; so is everyone born of the Spirit – the birth can’t be seen. We detect the change in our lives but the Holy Spirit is sovereign and man cannot control Him. Nicodemus was stunned by these revelations and asked how they could be. Jesus called Nicodemus the master teacher of Israel. Jesus expected him to understand these things because HE KNEW the Scriptures described the new birth (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).
God had been preparing the world for thousands of years to understand what Jesus was coming to do.
(Continued in the next lesson.)
*Dig deeper: What do you find in the following Scriptures to explain Jesus’ words?
Numbers 21
Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26