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Introduction

The gospel of John was written so that we could read of the signs Jesus did and believe that he is the Christ. It’s why John wrote the whole book:

John 20:30–31 ESV

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

And we want to believe because

John 3:16 ESV

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This is what’s happening with Jesus’ disciples. Jesus turns the water into wine,

John 2:11 ESV

¹¹ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

And not just his disciples, but many people!

John 2:23–25 ESV

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Now this is strange.

• The disciples believe because of the signs- and they get to hang out with Jesus
• But when these people believe because of the signs- Jesus doesn’t want anything to do with them!

Whatever faith these people have isn’t being reciprocated. Their belief and Jesus’ entrusting are the same Greek word. They believe in Jesus but he doesn’t believe in them! God gave his only son so that whomever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life – but it looks like not all belief is equal.

So what’s different between the disciples faith, and the faith of the many?

What the difference between your faith?

Jesus knows all people and is able to see what’s in man. To help us see the same things Jesus did, here comes a man named Nicodemus.

Nicodemus

John 3:1–2 ESV

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.”

So Jesus knows what’s in a man, and here’s a man for us to examine.

Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He was in eager anticipation of when God would come and right all wrongs, overthrow the Roman oppressor, and usher in the new creation that would no longer be in rebellion against God.

And while it appears that Nicodemus alone is speaking to Jesus, he works as a representative character. He’s an example of people who believe in Jesus but don’t have Jesus believing in him.

• He’s seen the signs and has some faith that recognizes Jesus is from God
• Throughout the conversation Nicodemus doesn’t say I, he says we
• Likewise, Jesus doesn’t you, sir, Nicodemus. He says he’s talking to y’all – using the plural

So whatever it is the Nicodemus lacks is what the crowds did, and may very well be what we lack in our belief.

Born Again

John 3:3 ESV

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

There’s the missing ingredient! That’s the difference between the faith of a disciple, and the faith of the crowds that Jesus doesn’t believe in.

But Nicodemus is confused.

John 3:4 ESV

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?”

So Jesus goes on to explain what being born again means:

John 3:5–10 ESV

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?

So Jesus describes this second birth in three ways:

1. Being born again
2. Being born of water and Spirit
3. Being born of Spirit, not of flesh

Which still isn’t the most clear. But as we investigate these phrases we should keep verse 10 in mind.

John 3:10 ESV

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

Jesus rebukes Nicodemus as a teacher of Israel for not knowing these things. Whatever Jesus means by these statements, they have their roots in the Old Testament.

Born From Above

John 3:3 ESV

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Let’s start off with the phrase born again. the word “again” is ambiguous – maybe on purpose. It can mean again but could just as easily mean to be born from above. Whatever this new birth is, it’s heavenly in origin.

With how much he emphasizes the Spirit, Jesus might want us to be thinking of  the Holy Spirit coming from above in the form of a dove to rest on Jesus. Now he’s saying that needs to happen to all of us.

Born of Water and Spirit

Then he goes on to say:

John 3:5 ESV

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.

Being born of water and spirit is a single experience – not two. There’s a grammatical argument there but also we see that water is a consistent image of the Spirit and its effects.

For example there are strong connections between water and spirit at the very beginning of the bible.

Genesis 1:2 ESV

² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Here is the Spirit of God before anything good has been made. And notice how the water is already there. It’s like we’re on Day-0 of creation. And from this water the Spirit of God speaks, separating the waters, gathering the waters, filling the waters. And out comes God’s good creation!

We see something very similar happening again after the flood. God judges the world for its corruption by flooding it – sending it back to that formless void of only water. And as the waters begin to recede it sort of sounds like the six days of creation all over again.

Genesis 8:1 ESV

¹ But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Wind and spirit are the same word in Hebrew and Greek. So here’s something that sounds a lot like the beginning. What follows sounds similar to those first six days of creation.

• The ark rests on dry land atop a mountain
• The Dove Noah sends out brings an olive branch back to show plant life is back
• Then the Dove goes out from the ark and doesn’t come back – the skies are inhabited once again
• And then finally, like on day 6 of creation, animals and mankind live on the earth once more

God has taken the old corrupt world and recreated it! It’s why I think the Holy Spirit was like a dove when resting on Jesus – it’s a sign that judgment is over and that God is making things new again!

With People

And he can do the same thing with people!

God says he’ll pour out his spirit on Saul, the first Israelite king

1 Samuel 10:6 ESV

⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

And not just Saul but all of his people!

Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESV

²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. ²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Notice again the water/spirit connection and what it does to people:

• It cleanses and removes corruption – just like the flood
• It removes the idols that compete with God for our devotion
• It gives us new heart made of flesh as opposed to the stony and stubborn heart that resists God
• It makes home for God’s Spirit in us so that we are empowered to follow his commands.

Connect

This is what’s missing from Nicodemus, it’s what’s missing from the others who believe.

They saw the sings and loved the wow factor. Yes, these signs must mean that this Jesus guy is from God! But then they missed that these signs were an invitation to a transformed life.

Consider the famous painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. It’s a pretty picture but judging by what van Gogh wrote about it – it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a pretty picture that we like to oh and awe at, and that’s it.

Then there’s Guernica by Pablo Picasso. It was painted after the Nazi’s bombed the Spanish town of Guernica and features a gored horse, screaming women, a dead baby, a dismembered soldier, and flames. This painting has a message behind it: War is bad. Bombing towns is evil and causes suffering. It hopes to prevent violence by showing it. But it’s possible that some people will just look at it and think it’s an odd painting, and completely miss that it was supposed to change their views and behaviors.

Some people look at the signs of Jesus and read all through the bible, and are convinced that “Yeah, this is from God.” But they completely miss that these signs and words are meant to do more than inform – they’re supposed to transform. It’s unfortunate that we have this born again Christian movement that defines being born again as believing in Jesus. All those people at the end of chapter 2 believed Jesus and it didn’t do anything for them!

It’s no accident that John tells us that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night in verse 2.

John 1:5 NASB95

⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Nicodemus and so many are in the dark about Jesus:

• Literally, because they can’t understand what Jesus is saying
• Spiritually, because whatever faith they have is insufficient

So we have to ask: Are we missing the point?

You believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has eternal life at hand to offer. But do you believe that you need to be born again and become something new to enter into that life? Or are you cool with hearing the stories, singing the songs, saying amen, and going back to your old crummy and decaying way of life for the rest of the week?

• We don’t love any better but continue to hate our enemies
• We don’t serve anymore because washing feet is gross
• We don’t sacrifice because it’s really inconvenient
• We don’t give our lives for God or others because we really like the one we have right now.

And as a result we don’t get that fantastic wine Jesus provides. We try to keep this life and in the end we lose it all.

If we want to experience the abundance of the new life Jesus has to offer we need take a good look at where our current life is heading.

How Do We Get The Spirit?

John 3:14–17 ESV

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

For Jesus to provide that new and eternal life that’s empowered by the Spirit, Jesus says he must be lifted up – just like Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness.

He’s bringing up a story from Numbers 21.5-7

Numbers 21:5–7 ESV

⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
⁷ And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Israel is fed up with following Moses around in the wilderness. We liked Egypt better! They even think about going back to their old lives of slavery and death a few times because they can’t stand it any more!

So God sends a bunch of snakes to go in and start biting people. This causes concern among the camp so Moses prays that God would be merciful.

Numbers 21:8–9 ESV

⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

You had to look at the punishment to be saved from the punishment. God is making them confront the effects of their sin and show them where all of their faithless complaining will lead them.

So it is with Jesus on the cross. If we want to enjoy the new life of the Spirit, we have to look at where our current life is heading – death. The only people who want a new life are the ones who’ve lost hope in their own.

Problem is, it’s not a fun thing to look at.

John 3:18–20 ESV

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

How do you feel being told that everything you loved, everything you valued, everything that you thought gave you meaning, is all going to end up rotting in the grave?

So instead of coming to the light and seeing how much more life could be, too many will huddle in the dark so they can be blissfully ignorant of the death that awaits them

The signs of Jesus don’t only show the greatness of the life he’s offering – but the deficiency of our own. This why Jesus doesn’t need to come in and condemn the world – we’re doomed to die already.

Invitation

It’s a common fantasy to be born again and start life all over with everything we know. We could make the right choices, avoid all the mistakes we made the first time, and have a better life.

Jesus is offering us that fresh start that leads to eternal life – one far better than we could live on our own.

Don’t just believe in Jesus. Start over with him. Embrace the new life he offers and be made into something new.