John, Chapter 3, A Brief Commentary— You Must Be Born Again

What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

In the bustling streets of ancient Jerusalem, amidst the miracles of Jesus, a prominent Jewish leader sought a private audience with him. His name was Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, a man of authority and intellect. Yet, despite his religious standing, he came to Jesus at night, perhaps out of a mix of caution and genuine curiosity. His opening statement, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him,” revealed a glimmer of faith, a recognition of Jesus’s divine authority. But Jesus, seeing beyond the man’s intellectual assent, immediately went to the heart of the matter, challenging Nicodemus with a profound and transformative truth: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This statement, seemingly a riddle to Nicodemus, is the core of Jesus’s message. It moves beyond external piety and ritual to the absolute necessity of a fundamental inner change. To be “born again” is to experience a new spiritual birth, a complete renewal of one’s nature, principles, and desires. It’s a transition from a life rooted in the “flesh”—our natural, corrupt human state—to a life animated by the “Spirit.” This is not a process a person can initiate on their own; it is a mysterious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit, much like the wind that blows where it wishes, with an unseen source but a clearly felt effect.

The Earthly Versus the Heavenly.

Nicodemus, struggling to grasp this spiritual concept, posed a logical but flawed question: “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’s response highlights the chasm between human understanding and divine truth. He explains that “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Our physical birth, no matter how distinguished, produces only a corrupt, earthly nature. A genuine change requires a new origin—a birth “from above,” from God himself.
Jesus gently rebukes Nicodemus for his ignorance, despite his position as a “master in Israel.” This highlights a timeless truth: those who are deeply entrenched in the forms and rituals of religion can sometimes miss its spiritual essence. Jesus asserts that he speaks what he knows and has seen from heaven, and yet Nicodemus struggles to believe even when the truths are presented in simple, “earthly” analogies. What hope, then, is there for those who refuse to believe? Jesus makes it clear that he alone, as the Son of Man who came down from heaven and is in heaven, can truly reveal these divine, heavenly things to humanity.

The Brazen Serpent and the Lifted-Up Son.

To further explain the purpose of this new birth, Jesus turns to a powerful Old Testament image: the brazen serpent in the wilderness. During the Exodus, when the Israelites were bitten by venomous, “fiery” serpents as punishment for their complaining, Moses was instructed by God to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole. Anyone who looked at it in faith, no matter how severe their wound, was healed.
This seemingly strange act was a foreshadowing of Jesus’s purpose. The venomous serpent represents the destructive power of sin and the fiery wrath of God. The raised serpent, with its life-giving properties, points directly to Jesus. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” This was a prophecy of his crucifixion—a brutal, public act that would serve as the ultimate remedy for the spiritual sickness of humanity. Just as the bitten Israelites were saved by a simple act of faith (looking), so too are all who look upon Jesus with belief saved from eternal perishing.

A Tale of Two Destinies: Belief and Unbelief.

This conversation culminates in one of the most famous and concise summaries of the gospel: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Here we see two contrasting outcomes based on one’s response to Jesus.

Those who believe: “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life.” The moment a person puts their faith in Jesus, they receive the gift of salvation. It is not a future reward but a present reality. They are not under condemnation because they are united with the very source of life.
Those who do not believe: “He that does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Unbelief is not merely an intellectual disagreement; it is a rejection of God’s love and the very solution he provided for humanity’s deepest problem. Because they refuse the pardon offered in Christ, they remain under the original sentence of sin.

The tragedy of unbelief is that it is often a deliberate choice. People love darkness more than light “because their deeds are evil.” The light of the gospel exposes their sinfulness and demands a radical change that they are unwilling to make. In contrast, those who “do the truth” and live with integrity are drawn to the light. They are willing to have their lives and actions examined, because they have nothing to hide.

John the Baptist’s Testimony: The Friend of the Bridegroom

Following Jesus’s discourse with Nicodemus, another significant event unfolds. Jesus’s ministry and baptism begin to draw larger crowds, leading to a complaint from John the Baptist’s disciples. They voice their concern: “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are coming to him.” They saw Jesus as a rival, a threat to their master’s popularity.
John’s response, however, demonstrates profound humility and wisdom. He clarifies his role, stating that his purpose was to be a “friend of the bridegroom.” Christ is the bridegroom, the one to whom the people belong. John’s joy was to prepare the way for Jesus and to see him receive the honour and attention that was rightfully his. John’s mission was always temporary, a preparatory step. He summarizes his role with a beautiful and selfless statement: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The flourishing of Jesus’s ministry was not a sign of John’s failure, but the fulfilment of his purpose.
John’s final words on the matter reinforce Jesus’s ultimate authority: “He who comes from above is above all… For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.” Jesus is not just another prophet; he is the beloved Son of God, to whom the Father has given all things.