Have you ever tried to explain something to someone, and their first words were impossible? As they continue to grasp what you are telling them, more phrases come out like “No way” or “You’re crazy.” This happens a lot when you are trying to explain things about God to an unbeliever. What they cannot understand is that what is impossible by man is nothing to God. This was the situation that we find in John chapter 3.
In John 3:1, we are introduced to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was a ruler of the Jews. The setting is at night. We do not know if he came at night so that others would not know he sought out this Jew that claimed to be the Messiah they would reject, or if his position caused him to be so busy that this was his first opportunity. Either way, he chose to seek to know more about this man who had stirred up the Jews.
We do know that he had a respect for Jesus, even though he was not yet a believer. He refers to Jesus as “Rabbi,” a title of respect which means a teacher from God. He had heard about the miracles Jesus had performed, and his curiosity and spiritual knowledge brought him to find the one who performed the miracles everyone was talking about.
John 3:1-2 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”
In verse 3, we see the conversation transition to the impossible in man’s understanding. In verse 3, Jesus gives Nicodemus a puzzling statement. He says, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This was baffling to Nicodemus. He was focused on the physical aspects of birth and had no understanding of the spiritual side. To him, this was an impossibility. However, it was an impossibility with mankind, but not with God.
John 3:3-4 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
Jesus answers Him with an explanation, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus still did not understand, and Jesus tells him in verse 6 that what is of the flesh is flesh and what is of the spirit is spirit. He tells him to “marvel not,” in other words, do not wonder about it. Then he illustrates it with the wind. It blows where it wants to, and we hear it, but we can’t tell where it comes or goes. However, we know it is there because we see its effects. The same is true of one who is born of the Spirit; you can see the effects of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
John 3:6-8 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus still did not understand. In verse 9 he asks Jesus how is this true? Jesus answers him with a question, “Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?” Nicodemus did not believe that night. In his mind, things were churning around, trying to come to a logical explanation. However, we do know that sometime later Nicodemus did become a believer.
He was a Pharisee on the Sanhedrin, a man with influence among his people, but now things were changing. In John 7:51, he defends Jesus and says, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? Then Nicodemus shows that he believed the impossible was true with Jesus. He had gone from not seeing how salvation could be possible, the way Jesus required it, to being a believer. In John 19:39, we see “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.”
John 3:9-12 “Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”
Nicodemus did believe. The impossible by man became the possible with God. He sought, he found, and he believed. We too should seek to know God more, to live with the expectation that He will show us that what the world deems impossible for man is always possible with God.
