John 3:1-8 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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.”
(Verse 3) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
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?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ’You must be born again.’ 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.”
Question:
Why did Jesus respond to Nicodemus this way in John 3:3?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Answer:
Because Nicodemus was judging Jesus after the flesh and didn’t see Him for who He was.
Jesus is saying, I’m not just a teacher who has come from God. I Am the Kingdom of God!
Jesus was letting Nicodemus know that if he was going to see Jesus correctly, he would have to be born again. That's why He said unless you are born again, you cannot see me as the kingdom of God.
Explanation:
When you examine Nicodemus’s comments to Jesus concerning Him being a teacher who came from God, it sounds like Nicodemus understands Jesus very well. But Jesus’ reply lets us know Nicodemus didn’t understand Jesus at all.
He said he knew Jesus was a teacher who came from God because no one could do the signs that He did unless God was with Him. These signs that Jesus performed were on the earth for all to see. Nicodemus was judging Jesus after the flesh. Instead of realizing that Jesus is God, he could only see that God was with Him on the earth by the signs that He did. This is a common failure for most people on earth. To perceive Jesus as a man, and not beyond that, will happen until you’re born again.
While Nicodemus did see the signs that Jesus did on the earth and believed, he still didn’t know that Jesus was the kingdom of God manifested in body form. He was God come to earth in the flesh. Every word that Jesus said and every work He did was a manifestation of the kingdom. That’s why His reply was unless you are born again, you cannot see that I am the kingdom of God.
This scenario proves that more than believing in Jesus as a man is needed to see the kingdom. When Jesus answered him, it seemed as if Jesus was speaking something off-topic. But in reality, Jesus was discerning Nicodemus and answered him accordingly.
He let him know that he was not yet born again and that the only way for him to see and perceive Him correctly was to be born again. This saying makes no sense to those who live with earthly perception, just as it made no sense to Nicodemus, who replied, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” This comment proves Nicodemus was still thinking earthly. The spiritual idea that Jesus was presenting was beyond earthly thinking.
While Jesus was on earth, the biggest problem He faced was this kind of perception. People could not get past only seeing what Jesus could do for them in the flesh. As the conversation went on between Jesus and Nicodemus, it became clear that you need a spiritual understanding to see Jesus for who He is. If you lack spiritual awareness, your judgment will be after the flesh.
Remember, the kingdom of God is within you, so to enter a spiritual place, you must be spiritual. Jesus was more than a man of God; He was God, the Kingdom in the flesh. Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom, or you must be born again to see me as the Kingdom.
What to do
You must be born again. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Receive the true preaching of Jesus into you, let it transform your mind, and give you new eyes to see in the Spirit.
Scriptural References
John 3:1-21; John 3:31-36; John 8:54-59