Day 7: Born from Above (John 3:1–3:15)
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3 (NASB)
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He is a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, a teacher of Israel — a man at the top of the religious establishment. He comes with a respectful opening: 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God.' Jesus does not return the pleasantry. He drives immediately to the point: 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' The Greek word anōthen can mean both 'again' and 'from above.' Nicodemus hears 'again' and finds it absurd. Jesus means 'from above.' The new birth is not a human achievement — it is a divine act.
The conversation moves to the Spirit, who is like the wind: you hear its sound, you see its effects, but you cannot control or predict it. The new birth is not a religious program you can enroll in. It is the sovereign work of the Spirit of God. Nicodemus, who knows the Old Testament thoroughly, should have recognized echoes of Ezekiel 36–37: dry bones coming to life, the Spirit poured out from above. Jesus is gently but firmly indicting the entire religious system Nicodemus represents: it cannot produce the life it promises.
Jesus points Nicodemus toward the cross through the imagery of the bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness (Numbers 21). When the serpent-bitten Israelites looked at the lifted serpent, they lived. Jesus says, 'So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.' The cross — the apparent defeat — is the means of salvation. This is John's first explicit pointer toward the crucifixion, and it is wrapped in the language of belief and eternal life.
For Reflection
- Nicodemus was the most religious man in the room and still needed to be 'born from above.' What does that say about the limits of religious achievement?
- The Spirit is like wind — you can see the effects but cannot control it. Where in your life have you seen the Spirit move in ways you didn't expect?
- Jesus compares Himself to the lifted serpent: the thing that looks like defeat is actually salvation. How does this reframe the cross for you?
