The
phrase “born again” is a common description among evangelical Christians. It
is almost universally used as the description of becoming a Christian. The Scriptures,
however, are not nearly so free with the description. It occurs (NIV) only in
John 3 and 1st Peter 1. Its use in John came about in an unusual
way. Normally, lessons on John 3 are separate from the cleansing of the Temple
in John 2. But in that episode we find the events leading up to Nicodemus’
visit by night.
Cleansing
of the Temple
Joh 2:13-25 NASB
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (14) And He found in the temple those who were
selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. (15)
And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them
all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins
of the money changers and overturned their tables; (16)
and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take
these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." (17) His disciples remembered that it was
written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME." (18) The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do
You show us as your authority for doing these things?" (19) Jesus answered them, "Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (20) The Jews then said, "It took forty-six
years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" (21) But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
(22) So when He was raised from the dead, His
disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the
word which Jesus had spoken. (23) Now when He
was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name,
observing His signs which He was doing. (24)
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all
men, (25) and because He did not need anyone
to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
Background
– The Temple
The
Temple at Jerusalem was unique in this: it was the one geographic spot on
earth where God had placed his Name. As such, it is a picture of access to
God. Various courts were included; the central idea was that as you went
inward, the persons allowed there became more and more selective. The Court of
the Gentiles is outside the Court of Women, and so on until we get to the Holy
of Holies, accessible only by the High Priest, only once a year. It’s a
picture of access to God; no one but the high priest actually had access to God
– and once a year at that.
So
when Christ speaks of tearing it down and rebuilding it, we can see that this
obliquely means the end of Temple worship. The new High Priest arrives; the
old order of things passes away. Access to God comes through those who worship
Him in spirit and in truth. In short, the coming of the Christ means the end
of Temple worship.
There
is a problem in this. The family of the high priests has more or less taken
over the Temple as their own money-making enterprise. You had to use Hebrew
shekels instead of Roman coinage (thus the need for moneychangers). You needed
animal sacrifices which were perfect – how convenient that the sellers of
pre-approved animals are right there to help the traveler. If you profit by
the old regime, you are not enthused about the new one.
How
and why
Reflect
a moment; how is it that one man drove out the vendors from the Temple?
Certainly Jesus would have had physical strength, having worked in a carpentry
shop. But the folks driven out were many times his number. How, then, did he
do it?
The
first answer comes in the nature of moral authority.
How many chickens does it take to match one lion? These people knew that what
they were doing was wrong – but a sweet deal. The average peasant might
grumble at the scheme, but he wouldn’t buck the establishment. This man,
however, doesn’t grumble – he acts. Why is it that no one else did this?
The
answer is in the phrase, “zeal for your house.” The average peasant thinks of
the Temple as part of the requirements of his religion – but not something to
stick his neck out for. The care and feeding of the Temple is someone else’s
problem. For Jesus, it’s “my Father’s house” – and he cares for it
passionately.
In
so doing, he pronounces one of the most puzzling of statements. If you tear
down this Temple (building taking 46 years) he will rebuild it in three days.
The reference is to the Resurrection, of course – but it’s worth noting that
his disciples didn’t get it until after the Resurrection. We may take some
comfort in this, as we attempt to understand the mysteries of prophecy.
Reaction
of the crowds
Evidently
this Jesus made a name for himself at this point, for many believed. Why?
- First,
because of the miracles he performed (not mentioned in Scripture).
- Second,
because of the moral authority he displayed.
The
two “match up.” Who he really is does not show yet, but they’re convinced he
came from God.
Christ,
however, knows how fickle the crowd can be, and therefore ignores their
interest, knowing the depravity of man. The issue is one of testimony; who
would believe this crowd which, after all, experienced him for only a few
days? See the way Israel treated Moses! Real testimony takes experience, not
just local visibility.
Nicodemus
We
now come to one of the minor characters of the Bible, Nicodemus. It is rather
ordinary to pass judgment on him with the benefit of hindsight. But I would
ask you to consider the turmoil in the mind of this good man. He has seen and
heard, but has not reconciled this Jesus with the Law. Genuinely perplexed, he
seeks out the Lord:
Joh 3:1-21 NASB
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 have come from God as
a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with
him." (3) Jesus answered and said to
him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (4) Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be
born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and
be born, can he?" (5) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water
and the Spirit he cannot enter into 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 be amazed
that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (8) "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the
sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is
everyone who is born of the Spirit." (9)
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" (10) Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand
these things? (11) "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know
and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. (12) "If I told you
earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
heavenly things? (13) "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended
from heaven: the Son of Man. (14) "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up; (15) so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (16) "For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (17) "For God did not send the Son into the world to
judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (18) "He who believes
in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) "This is the
judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness
rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (20) "For everyone who
does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. (21) "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so
that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
The
Pharisee
To
understand this man we must begin with his education and training. He is a
Pharisee. Many of this group were hypocrites, but all were learned in the Law
of Moses. Imagine, then, how disconcerted this honest man would be when the Temple
commerce was routed out. No doubt there was some rationalization for the
merchants. But, however, this man throws them out. Perhaps it awakened some
long-sleeping ember in the man. But some things we do know about the man:
- He
comes to Jesus by night. He does not have either the courage or the
conviction to go by day. He’s still an inquirer at this point.
- He
is thoroughly baffled by the actions of Jesus. The man assaulted
people in the Temple, yet his teaching and miracles attest that he is one
sent by God. How can this be?
The
root problem, of course, is that he does not recognize the Messiah. Christ’s
answer to his problem? “You must be born again.” One bafflement leads to
another.
The
Defender
We
next see Nicodemus in the role of a defender of Christ:
Joh 7:45-52 NASB
The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to
them, "Why did you not bring Him?" (46)
The officers answered, "Never has a man spoken the way this man
speaks." (47) The Pharisees then answered
them, "You have not also been led astray, have you? (48) "No one of the rulers or Pharisees has
believed in Him, has he? (49) "But this
crowd which does not know the Law is accursed." (50)
Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them, (51) "Our Law does not judge a man unless it
first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?" (52) They answered him, "You are not also from
Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee."
Note,
please, that this is not a personal testimony. His argument is solidly
grounded in the Law. It reflects the concern of the honest Pharisee; he’s not
sure just who this man really is, but the least we can do is give him a fair
chance to be heard.
Again,
we see that Nicodemus holds the Law in greatest esteem – and is seeking to
harmonize Christ with it. This will not be possible in his mind until after
the Resurrection.
The
friend after death
Joh 19:38-40 NASB
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret
one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate
that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he
came and took away His body. (39) Nicodemus,
who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and
aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. (40) So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in
linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
This
would have been considered by the Jews to be a high degree of charity. By
caring for his body you are doing something that can never be repaid – except
by God. Nicodemus seeks his rewards from the generous hand of God, not the
praise of men.
How
the man has grown! He starts by meeting Christ furtively – and now openly
cares for the dead man.
Born
Again
We
now come to one of the great puzzle passages of the New Testament: you must be
born again.
Joh 3:1-21 NASB
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 have come from God as
a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with
him." (3) Jesus answered and said to
him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (4) Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be
born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and
be born, can he?" (5) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water
and the Spirit he cannot enter into 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 be amazed
that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (8) "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the
sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is
everyone who is born of the Spirit." (9)
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" (10) Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand
these things? (11) "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know
and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. (12) "If I told you
earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
heavenly things? (13) "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended
from heaven: the Son of Man. (14) "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up; (15) so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (16) "For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (17) "For God did not send the Son into the world to
judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (18) "He who believes
in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) "This is the
judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness
rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (20) "For everyone who
does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. (21) "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so
that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
Much
has been written about this passage. It is clear from the rest of the New
Testament that being “born again” is not usually the way to the kingdom of
God. Let’s take a look at the other methods.
Repent
By
far the most common command that Christ gives is simply, “Repent, and sin no
more.” That’s because the most common person Christ meets is an unrepentant
sinner. See this simplicity:
- The
sinner knows very good and well that they are doing something wrong. They
just don’t know how to get out of the trap.
- Christ
– always condemning the sin, almost never condemning the sinner – makes it
clear that there is a way out.
- That
way? It is called grace, the free pardon of God, open to all who will
accept Him.
“You
yet lack one thing…”
The
most quoted example for this is the “rich young ruler.” It isn’t so much that
his money is sinful; in fact, it’s probably rather beneficial. It’s just that
it is in the way of devotion to Christ. Please note two things:
- First,
this is a decision. It is not spontaneous combustion. This is a
case of the good being the enemy of the best. The money stands in the way
of following Jesus. Decide.
- The
reward of the decision? It is simply Jesus himself. “Follow me,” he
says. See the transition – from a life in which I think I am in control,
to a life in which he is in control.
But
what if there is nothing lacking?
Born
again
Jesus
uses this expression only with Nicodemus. Peter repeats it
in a context which makes it appear that this happens to all Christians – but
not that we must, but we are. So it appears that being born again is an
adequate descriptor.
But
see it in its original context. The one who is born again is truly free – see
verse 8. So it is that Nicodemus is being asked to trust the one who completes
the Law – and liberates those held in its grip.
The
Apostle John, perhaps, understood this most clearly. His favorite preaching
was, “Little children, love one another.” Away with all the rules and details;
simplify life. The spiritual life does not consist of rules and regulations,
but a ride on the wind of the Spirit. Love God, and do as you please.