The Gospel of John: John 3.1-10

Read and meditate on John 3.5, 6.
Now Jesus begins to expand on His original, confusing statement. But this is not going to be any clearer to Nicodemus than what He’d already said, because it introduces a dimension of life wholly foreign to the teacher of Israel.

               ⁵Jesus said, “Assuredly,
I say to you, unless a person be
of water and of Spirit born, he can
not enter God’s eternal Kingdom. ⁶Man
of flesh begotten is but flesh; but he
who is begotten by the Spirit will be
of spirit.

- John 3.5, 6

Reflect
1.  In this and His previous response, Jesus begins His remarks with “Assuredly” (in the Greek, “Amen, amen,” a transliteration of a Hebrew word which means something like, “Truthfully, truthfully). Jesus wants Nicodemus to understand that He’s not playing word games here, nor speaking mythically nor poetically. Do you think unbelievers think we Christians believe the Gospel is true? Truthfully, truthfully true? Complete this prayer: Lord, I believe the Gospel is absolutely true, so much so that…

2.  Jesus prefaces His comments about being born again and born by the Spirit with a statement insisting on the truth of what He is saying. He’s not going to fit His remarks into Nicodemus’ thought paradigm, but He does insist they are true. What does this suggest about Nicodemus’ worldview? Lord, how can I help my unbelieving friends to see that…

3.  Here again is mention of the Kingdom of God, this time not merely to see it but to enter it. What does it mean to enter the Kingdom of God? How do you experience this? I know, Lord, there is always more of Your Kingdom to know and to explore, so…

4.  Jesus seems to be referring to natural birth – which comes with the breaking of a woman’s water – to spiritual birth (not everyone agrees with this view, but I’m persuaded of it, because of Jesus’ comparison). He’s saying that something like what happens when we’re born into this world must happen when we enter the Kingdom of God. What is the role of the Spirit in this (Jn. 6.63; Gal. 4.6)? How does this affect the way we see the world? Lord, to be born of the Spirit is spirit, and for me this means…

5.  If people can’t be persuaded of the reality of spiritual birth by logic or reason alone, how can they be persuaded? Put another way, can the Spirit, working with the straightforward teaching of the Gospel, overcome the limitations of a person’s thinking or experience to bring him to the place of new birth? Explain.  Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
“And then that rebirth, which brings about the forgiveness of all past sins, takes place in the Holy Spirit, according to the Lord’s own words, ‘Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ But it is one thing to be born of the Spirit, another to be fed by the Spirit; just as it is one thing to be born of the flesh, which happens when a mother gives birth, and another to be fed from the flesh, which appears when she nurses the baby. We see the child turn to drink with delight from the bosom of her who brought it forth to life. Its life continues to be nourished by the same source which brought it into being.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

We expect that Someone coming from eternity and the unseen realm would probably bring a whole new experience of life and the world with Him, and this is exactly what Jesus did. It may be difficult for our contemporaries to believe this, but it’s still true, and we need to live and proclaim it as such. What will that mean for you today?

Closing Prayer
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.

Psalm 104.30, 31

Psalm 104.24-30 (Creation: Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim)
How many are Your works, O Lord,
Which You have created by Your Word!
The earth and sea with creatures teem –
They look to You to care and feed.
You give to them, they gather all;
You hide Your face, they fail and fall.
You take their breath, they gasp and die;
You send Your Spirit, they revive.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.