Commentary on John 3:1-21: Yeshua and Nicodemus’ discussion about being born again

    John 3 is not an easy chapter of Scripture to understand. Yet, for some reason, evangelicals have made John 3:16 the all-encompassing verse by which one must believe in order to "be saved." To be clear, if we believe in Yeshua the Messiah, we indeed will be saved and we will inherit eternal life. However, this is not everything that Yeshua was saying to Nicodemus. When we take John 3:16 out of the context of Yeshua speaking to Nicodemus, we miss the meaning that applies to us for THIS life, not just for having eternal life. We also miss important connections to obedience to the Torah. The western rhetorical approach causes us to place limitations on the meanings of Scripture. A rhetorical approach is a method that a culture uses to communicate. It is more complex than grammar, which is the basic system by which a language is organized. Grammar deals in words, rhetoric deals in sentences and paragraph organization. As Christians, people often think in terms of our present life versus our eternal life. While we are living, we are not living eternally. Or, when we get to eternal life, we will not be living, we will be physically dead. This type rhetorical organization is called dualism. A dualistic approach says that if one thing is true, then another thing must be its opposite. If you are dead, than you are not alive; or if you are alive, then you are not dead. However, a Hebraic approach is more complex. While there could be contrasting parallel statements where two ideas could be each other's opposite, this is actually less common than when two parallel statements are coexistent, without being in conflict. This type of parallelism could be called coordinating parallelism. Thus, if a person has eternal life, they do not have to be dead presently. Similarly, a person who is living is not necessarily alive, he could be dead. While this appears to be a paradox in Western rhetoric, this kind is one of the most common types of rhetoric in Scripture. This is necessary to understand, as coordinating parallelism underlies Yeshua's response to Nicodemus. Not only that, but there are other external cultural practices that need to be understood as well.

John 3:1-2 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."

    First, we see that Nicodemus is seeking truth and that he must not be satisfied with the life that he is living. If he was, then why is he seeking out Yeshua who was presenting different teachings about Torah? Now, we learn later on that Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he would have been one of seventy leaders of Israel. He would have been an accomplished Pharisee. As a Pharisee, he would have been expected to have been well studied in Torah; he would have been an expert, belonging to one of many different schools, perhaps even a leader of one of the different schools. None of this is specifically in Scripture, but we do have an understanding that there were dozens of Pharisee sects, a couple different Sadducee sects, and varying fringe sects, including the zealots, the Essenes and the Qumran community. Yet, even with all of his educational and leadership background, he was still seeking something else.

    Second, we see that Nicodemus came "at night" or "toward the night." This could mean he came at midnight or that he came during the first quarter of the night. It could also be an allusion to "death." In addition, when tied with the concept of "born again" and all of the "light" verses later in John 3, there could also be a connotation of "Rosh Chodesh," or the celebration of "new moon." With any of these possibilities, Nicodemus did not want to be seen. It can also be implied that there is some sort of connection with death. This is where the Hebraic rhetoric comes into play. Nicodemus may be physically alive, but he recognizes that he is connected to death in some way. In the connotation of Rosh Chodesh, the "night" term could refer to the night before the official judgment of the New Moon, where that first sliver of light is seen, rendering that evening as the first day of the new month. The night prior would have been considered when the prior month was "dead." The month would be "born again" or "renewed" when the moon was then seen, and then Rosh Chodesh would be declared. In Judaism, Rosh Chodesh is seen as a "mini-Rosh HaShanah," thus shofar would be blown. There would have been a theme of judgment and atonement during these celebrations. Through repentance, t'shuva, people could be forgiven of sins and begin living this new month refreshed and renewed. The term chodesh means "new" or "renewed." The word chadashah in "Brit chadashah" carries the same connotation, the "renewed covenant," otherwise called the "New Testament."

    Finally, Nicodemus makes the connection to Yeshua being Messiah, because he accepts that Yeshua has "come from God" since he is able to do miracles. It was understood that Messiah would be able to perform specific signs and miracles, so Nicodemus accepts this. In addition, one could imagine that Nicodemus may have already been familiar with Yeshua. Yeshua would have already been well known dating back to when He was twelve years old. Even then, he astounded "the teachers of the law." The problem for Nicodemus was not whether or not Yeshua was Messiah or not, but rather, "what did it mean that the Messiah had come?" What were people supposed to? What was he supposed to do? He wanted to understand what "the kingdom of God" was going to be about. The problem was, he couldn't "see." Something was missing.

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

Nicodemus wanted to understand what "the kingdom of God" was going to be about. The problem was, he couldn't "see." Something was missing.

John 3:4 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?"

It is possible that Nicodemus was being literal. But was he really asking Yeshua if a man could crawl back into his mother's womb? Or, was he really discussing something else? He could have been referring to resurrection, a marker of the beginning of the Kingdom of God. Was Messiah going to bring about the completed resurrection at that time? If he was Messiah, why wasn't the kingdom being restored immediately?

John 3:5-8
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."

Yeshua was explaining to Nicodemus the reality that believers today already understand: that being "born again" is a spiritual change within a person's heart. Yeshua was explaining that the kingdom had already come. In Ezekiel 36:25-28 "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. 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. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." The Kingdom of God was not going to be a political system. The kingdom of God began with people being forgiven of sins and their hearts being clean. Nicodemus and the Jews were practicing physical cleanness, but the cleanness of the heart had been accomplished by means to keeping the Torah. Yeshua said that this was not possible, but they needed to believe in Him.

John 3:9-12
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? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

First, let's be clear that "we" is not referencing a Trinitarian doctrine. A more contextually correct answer was that Yeshua was not the only prophet proclaiming Himself to be Messiah. John the Baptist proclaimed it. The apostles had been sent out to proclaim this. Others in Israel were proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand. Yeshua was telling Nicodemus that if he wanted to "see" the Kingdom of God, he needed to believe in Him. Belief is required to receive.

John 3:13-15 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 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.

There are two relevant verses here that serve as a background for what Yeshua was telling Nicodemus.

Proverbs 30:4
⁴ Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!

Numbers 21:8-9
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.

The first idea presented is the idea of "descending." This concept has more than one connotation. First, God Himself descended from heaven onto Mt. Sinai at the giving of the Torah. There are definite Messianic connections when Moses "saw" the "hand of the Lord" in Exodus 33, as God's glory passed before Moses. In Exodus 19, God descended, and all of Israel "saw" thundering and lightning. "Descend" in this case means "to come down" from heaven. However, very few Scriptures refer to God ever "ascending" back into heaven. This verse in Proverbs declares that Messiah would "ascend" first. However, in Matthew, we learn that Yeshua "descended" from King David, who also "descended" from Judah. "Descend" also carries the connotation that man begets man, which the essence of a son comes from the essence of his father. A Hebraic way of understanding this is that David was Judah. Certainly, they were different people, but the authority, the blessing, the inheritance that belonged to Judah eventually came to belong to King David. So, too, the essence of God "descended" through man until God became incarnated through Yeshua. Don't be deluded, Judah and David were not God; but Yeshua did descend through them. However, Mary's unique experience with the Spirit of God in order to beget Yeshua certainly differentiated Yeshua from other men. Nevertheless, the idea of "begetting" is highly significant in John 3. Yeshua was a man, and He was begotten of God. In terms of the Israelite covenant, all of Israel was begotten of God, and Yeshua was begotten both of Israel and of God. Israel's chosen status here is as important as Yeshua's chosen status. Nicodemus needed to recognize that Adonai had descended in man, and His name was Yeshua.

The other idea presented here is that just as the fiery serpent had saved the Israelites from death, so too would Yeshua save the Israelites and the whole world from death. However, the fiery serpent story carries another connotation that is often overlooked. What was the sin that caused God to send the fiery serpents in the first place? Numbers 21:4-5 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 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." The people had complained against Moses and God. Nicodemus needed to be careful, because just as the Israelites were punished with the plague of the fiery serpents, so too would God punish those Jewish leaders who stood against God because of Messiah. Nicodemus would not have missed this warning. Eternal life would be dependent upon belief in Messiah. This was true for the Israelites, too. Their living was dependent upon their belief in Moses. In either case, belief was in God. God was just specifying whom their belief was in. Believing in Moses was required to live according to the Torah. Believing in Yeshua was necessary to be cleansed from uncleanness and forgiven from sin eternally, or in their spirits, or souls.

Thus, Nicodemus misunderstanding of the purpose of Messiah and the Torah underlies John 3:16-18:

John 3:16-18 "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. 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.

    Belief in Yeshua was necessary for eternal life. Eternal life could also be connected to the issue of resurrection into the Kingdom of God, which is what Yeshua and Nicodemus are primarily talking about. Belief in Yeshua was also the purpose of Torah. Keeping individual commandments according to the Pharisaical traditions did not bring about eternal life. Yeshua explains this further in this discussion about the "works" of the Torah, light, and darkness:

John 3:19-21
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. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

    The connotation to Rosh Chodesh returns to the discussion. The Jewish leaders were following the Torah in darkness. In the same way that the phases of the moon pass from slightly light, to fully light, back to darkness, so too had the teachers of Torah served as light to Israel, but had been growing back to darkness. The Pharisee's teachings were often in violation of the Torah commandments. Thus, the Messiah would bring about these corrected teachings, i.e the light. Belief in Yeshua meant to follow the teachings of Messiah. Through Messiah, the teachings of Torah would bring about life. But the Pharisaical Torah teachers were complacent in their lives and did not desire to turn (t'shuva) to the proper teachings. They had set the religious life of Israel to benefit themselves, which was disobedience to God, or "darkness." The Israelites needed to "renew" the light, which means to follow Yeshua, who was Messiah. Throughout the New Testament, the teachings that the disciples of Yeshua followed were different than the teachings of different Jewish sects. According to Yeshua, belief in Him was the correct "work of the Torah." Any other "works" would not be accepted, and led to condemnation. "Not believing" in Yeshua is considered "missing the light of the Torah."

    In conclusion, Nicodemus was seeking how to inherit eternal life. As a teacher of the Torah, he knew that what he had been doing in his life according to the teachings that he was following did not bring about eternal life. He recognized his own misunderstanding of Torah and sought out Yeshua to understand what He was teaching and Who He was.

    We learn later that Yeshua's interaction with Nicodemus carried great weight him. In John 7: 50-53, Nicodemus is credited with stopping the chief priests from bringing an accusation against Yeshua early in Yeshua's ministry. After Yeshua's death, in John 19:39, Nicodemus brings 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes in which to bury Yeshua. It is not conclusive that Nicodemus became a believer in Messiah, but the likeliness seems arguably convincing that he was. When we keep the context of John 3:16 in a Jewish context, we not only learn what it takes to "be saved and obtain eternal life," but we also learn how to properly carry out good works, according to Torah. As believers, we have a Hebraic understanding of Torah, and our understanding has Yeshua the Messiah at the core.