John 3:1-6 “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.” 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 that 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.”
Nicodemus is a Pharisee and to be a Pharisee you must have an excellent knowledge of the Law. The Pharisees only accepted members who pledged themselves to a strict following of the Levitical rules which required a great knowledge of them so that they could strictly followed them. So we can see here that being called a Pharisee that Nicodemus had an extensive knowledge of the Law. He comes to Jesus at night because he wasn’t supposed to have such an intimate conversation with Jesus as Pharisees were not allowed to associate with sinners, which is how they saw Jesus because of his associations with Gentiles and known sinners.
Nicodemus confesses to Jesus that he knows that he must have been sent from God because of the signs he has done. Jesus tells him that he cannot see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. The signs Jesus was performing were a restoration of the Kingdom of God. He was getting rid of illnesses, demonic powers, and death from people; all things that have no place in the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus doesn’t quite get this and asks how he can possibly enter his mother’s womb for a second time. This is one of those thoughts that we think in our heads but do not say out loud because of the absurdity of it but Nicodemus asks it of Jesus anyways. Jesus explains it to him further that he is not talking about a physical rebirth but a birth of the Spirit. For us to be able to see the Kingdom of God we need to have the Spirit. To see and hear God himself we must have the Spirit.
We can read the Word of God, the way He reveals the Kingdom of God to us, in two different ways. Only one of these ways is truly effective. The Nicodemus way (or even can be considered the Pharisee way) is that we can read the Word and see the things we must do to be pure. The Pharisees knew the law inside and out and even added rules that helped them keep further away from breaking those laws. The most effective way of reading the law is with the Spirit who reveals the Kingdom of God through the Word. The Spirit shows us that it does not matter what we do or do not do because we still fail. But that in Jesus we have salvation for he did and did not do all the things that the Law tells so that we do not have to worry about that. The Spirit reveals to us the Kingdom of God; it reveals that it is in our midst because Jesus has
brought it in our midst. The Spirit shows us the face of God not just the rules of God.
The interesting thing I find with this passage is that Jesus is telling Nicodemus how we need to be born of the Spirit to see the Kingdom of God and Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is saying because he has not been born of the Spirit. Jesus tells us what we need to understand and Nicodemus shows us that we truly do need it to understand what God is telling us.
Mike
source: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12087-pharisees
Three Semi-Wisemen 