We are told his name was ‘Nicodemus’.

We read that he was ‘a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews’. (John 3:1)

And for those to whom these things matter – he identified as a male and his pronouns were ‘he/him’.

Nicodemus would have been an educated man who was an influential religious leader back in his day, being a respected teacher and a part of a sect known as the Pharisees. And like many of his counterparts, he too was captivated by this Jesus of Nazareth who had arrived on the scene and was making quite a splash among the people who had been listening to His teachings, and were eyewitnesses to the miracles He had performed...if not a recipient of one themselves.

Yet wisely, as we all should be when anyone ‘new’ arrives on the scene with teachings and ‘signs and wonders', one would do well to ‘test the spirits’ before jumping on any bandwagon. (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11). Let’s not forget we humans tend to be like sheep and can quickly fall for most anything. So those religious leaders were cautious, if not suspicious of Jesus.

It appears that Nicodemus decided to investigate further and so he approached Jesus himself, in person, as he probably had a few questions for Him. But he opted to come at night, when it was dark and less likely to be seen by others. Funny, is it not, how we have that tendency to be curious about Jesus but don’t want others to see that in us and rush to any false conclusions. And Jesus did not seem to mind. At least Nicodemus was willing to ...come to Him. It was a start.

We have no indication as to what may have led up to the first statement we have recorded spoken by the Pharisee, and it really does not matter what words or pleasantries may have been exchanged in greeting between the two. But verse 2 is very telling in itself as Nicodemus just flat out declares: “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.”

We. Know.

“We know...you are from God”.

Please take note that Nicodemus did not use a personal pronoun like ‘I’ know; it was an inclusive pronoun (we) that clearly suggested others in his circles knew as well. That is one of those confessions or admissions that can be a turning point in a courtroom trial, like on TV or in movies at least, where there is an audible gasp from those in the gallery as the judge taps his gavel on the desk and demands order. This is usually when the camera zooms in on the face of the lawyer questioning the defendant and has a look of shock himself as if he was not expecting such a bold admission to be uttered under oath.

But there he was- Nicodemus clearly admitting that he, and a few others at least, knew that God was wanting to communicate with them having sent Jesus to ‘teach’ them a few things. Clearly there is no sense of acknowledging, at this point in time, of Jesus being the Son of God, or even the anticipated Messiah whom the Jews were anxiously awaiting to appear for multiple reasons

But they knew Jesus was sent by God to teach them – “we know you are a teacher come from God.”

Now if that opening statement by Nicodemus was not a defining one in itself, the first recorded statement made by Jesus in response to that would be one for the ages, for sure.

Depending on the translation you read, it begins with: “Most assuredly, I say to you....”. (3).

For those of you who cut your teeth on the KJV, the words, ‘Verily, verily’ will strike a familiar chord. Other translations use similar expressions like: ‘truly, truly’, or “I assure you and most solemnly say to you”, and “Yes, indeed I tell you”.

Another version caught my attention when it was translated as Jesus saying: “I can guarantee this truth...”.

Would you let that sink in for a moment? For Jesus to boldly say...”I guarantee this truth”, is no small promise. It reminds me of another modern day idiom often used when someone wants to affirm what they are saying is reliable, dependable, and can be trusted without reservation. It’s when we say: “You can take this to the bank!”

I would think whenever we hear Jesus begin a statement with that phrase of assurance, that we’d want to sit up and have pen and paper, or some recording device ready to hear and record what He is about to say. (On a side note, it was interesting to discover that phrase was used 25 times by Jesus and all 25 examples are recorded in John’s gospel.)

So what was this statement Jesus was about to make, most assuredly, and one that would be echoed down through the centuries as ‘one for the ages’ that we could ‘bank on’?

It was this: “....unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

The Amplified version relays it this way: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

I don’t know about you, but for me...such a declaration would be one to stop that discussion in its tracks to allow the seriousness of this statement and the ramifications it entails ...to be given serious consideration. And certainly for anyone who might be spiritually inquisitive; meaning those who believe there has to be something more to this life than just eating, drinking, and being merry as we blindly pursue our personal pleasures, contentment, and comfort; be it for whatever amount of brief time we humans are allotted on this planet.

“....unless one is ‘born again’....”

Do you remember the very first time you even heard that phrase, ‘born again’?

I do. It was during the presidential election of 1976 when then candidate, Jimmy Carter was interviewed by Playboy Magazine if I remember correctly. He acknowledged being a ‘born again Christian’ and it certainly made the news cycles back in the day. And while I was raised in a particular church denomination where scripture reading/study was not really encouraged, I probably heard this portion from John’s gospel read at one time or another, but I have zero recollection of that phrase until Carter brought it to the forefront when I was 16 years old.

It certainly did not spur any sudden spiritual interests for me to pursue truth; it was simply the first time I remember being exposed to that term.

The next time I remember it surfacing was when I lived in Arizona during a season in my life where I was basically trying to ‘find myself and figure life out’. I was 19 or barely 20 at the time and a supervisor at work had begun to share the gospel with me in a very casual and non-threatening way. I had questions...and he started giving me answers....from the Bible. And it was John 3 and this story of Nicodemus sitting down to talk to Jesus that once gain, caught my attention. Unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God...let alone enter it, we will soon discover.

Oddly enough...that expression had an unfamiliar and puzzling effect on me, much like it did on Nicodemus.

“Born again”? What on earth is He talking about”, I wanted to know. I’m grateful to Nicodemus for asking the question we all wanted to ask but thought twice about doing so.

“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4)

That would have to be filed under the category of ‘rhetorical questions’ I’m thinking.

But one thing seems to be sure here, if what Jesus is teaching us has any weight at all. There has to be some kind of transformative experience...if anyone has any hope or inclination to seeing or experiencing and even entering...this ‘kingdom’ that Jesus came preaching about. (Matt. 4:17). And it seems to begin with a ‘re-birth’ of some sort.

You might also jot down Matt. 18:3 next to John 3:4. It’s another one of those times where Jesus begins His statement with ‘’most assuredly”...(you can take this to the bank as well) where He continues on: “...I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Do you know what it seems to me that Jesus is implying here? Using a modern day example related to technology that is so interwoven into all of our lives, what’s the first suggestion we are encouraged to do when our computer or phones are going haywire and not operating right?

“Reboot it”, or ‘power off and then turn back on again. Oddly enough, that seems to fix many of the issues that arise for me, at least. Now that I think about it, could the case be made that there is some connection between ‘rebooting’ and ‘repenting’? Can’t you just hear it now:

“Reboot...for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Join me tomorrow?