Showing posts with label Nicodemus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicodemus. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The Day We Were Born Again

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Those were Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, in John 3:3, and indicate something vitally important: Without the “new birth,” we cannot see the kingdom of God.

This took Nicodemus by surprise. “How can someone be born when they are old?” he said. Sure, the Gentiles needed to be born again, to come into the Jewish fold. But surely Jesus was not talking about him, a “teacher of Israel” and a member of the Sanhedrin — a Jew in good standing. He was already born a Jew, and heir to the promises of God. So how could he be born again when he was already a faithful Jew?

Yet Jesus’ words were quite inclusive: Everyone must be born again. “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (v. 5). This recalls the promise of the Lord found in the prophets, that he would gather his people from the nations, sprinkle clean water on them, cleansing them from all their impurities and idolatries. That he would give them a new heart and a new spirit — that he would put his own Spirit in them (Ezekiel 36:24-27).

Yes, Nicodemus, you need this, too — all of humanity does.

How does this happen? How are we born again? Peter tells us something about that, something just as surprising as Jesus’ words to Nicodemus: God, in his great mercy has given us new birth into a “living hope,” and he has done it through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It happened when God raised Christ from the dead.

Jesus the Christ is God, who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Not just one of us but, more importantly, one with us — that is, in full union with us, for he is fully human as well as fully divine. His death on the cross, then, was the death of all humanity, so that all humanity might be made alive in Christ. “As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive,” Paul says (1 Corinthians 15:22). For God, in his great mercy, has “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” He has “raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

In Colossians 1, Paul says that Christ is the “firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:18-20). That Christ is “firstborn” from the dead shows that there are many others. The scope of it is vast, for God’s purpose in Christ is to reconcile to himself all things in heaven and on earth.

In Colossians 3, Paul speaks more about the resurrection of Christ and our new life in him: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3).

This was not theory for Paul. He experienced the reality of it for himself: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The death of Christ was Paul’s death, so that the life of Christ was now Paul’s life.

This new birth is a birth from death into life, into divine life, into the life of God. For God has made us alive with Christ, who is the firstborn from among the dead. Just as his death on the cross was our death, too, so his birth from the dead was also our birth from the dead. Since we have died with Christ, our life is now hidden with Christ and in God. Peter shows us that the source of this new birth is the resurrection of Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Through the resurrection of Christ, we have new birth into a powerful expectation, a life that is far more than we can imagine. It is a life and inheritance that comes from heaven. The Greek words translated “born again,” in John 3, can just as well be read as “born from above,” for the new birth is one that can come only from God, for it is a life that transcends all the boundaries of this present age.

The day Christ was raised from the dead was the day we were born again — the day all humanity was born again. Through faith in Christ we come to know the new birth God has given us so freely by his grace. Through faith we follow Christ into this new life. Through faith we embrace our union with him and begin to understand that our new life is hidden with Christ in God. Through faith, we discover the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has begotten us anew through the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

All Things Made New

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

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?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3-5)
The kingdom of God makes all things new. Because King Jesus makes all things new. “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Revelation 21:5).

So, all who want to be a part of Jesus’ kingdom must be made new, too. This came as quite a shock for Nicodemus and the religious establishment of Jesus’ day.

Still does today.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Nicodemus and John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
John 3:16 is one of the most well-known verses of the New Testament. It is regularly used in evangelism and is one of the first verses new Christians are encouraged to memorize. And who can forget “Rainbow Man,” with his multi-colored hair, holding a “John 3:16” sign at televised sporting events. Or Tim Tebow with the Scripture reference painted in his eye blacking.

Usually people hear or read John 3:16 outside of its context, as though it was somehow plucked out of thin air or wafted down on a cloud one day. But it is actually part of an encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus one night. And it comes toward the end of the discussion, as a climax to the conversation. It can certainly stand on its own, at a certain level, and many people have come to the Lord through it. It is wonderful news, even all by itself.

However, there is an even richer meaning that Nicodemus would have gotten from John 3;16. To understand it in the fuller sense in which it was originally intended, we need to go back to the beginning of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Because the whole thing, from beginning to end, is all of one piece. So let’s take a brief look.

Nicodemus came to Jesus one night and said, “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” (v. 2).

Jesus responded in a way that did not address Nicodemus’ words but instead one that answered his need: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3).

Nicodemus was confused by this, but Jesus said it again, in a bit broader fashion. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (v. 5).

Clearly, the theme of these statements is the kingdom of God. “Born again” is what people usually focus on in this part of the conversation. However, being “born again” is not the end toward which Jesus was directing Nicodemus. It is a necessary means to that end. The new birth is necessary in order to “see” and “enter” the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the main concern, and it is through the new birth that one becomes a part of it.

The concept of the kingdom of God was not something new Jesus originated. It was the long held Jewish expectation that arose from the promises and prophecies God gave in the Old Testament. It was about the age to come, the messianic age, when God’s Son, the “Messiah” (which means “Anointed”), would be king over Israel and all the nations.

Psalm 2 portrays this promised reality. In Psalm 2:2, we read about the LORD’s Anointed, who turns out to be God’s Son (v. 7), and the one whom God would set as King over Israel (v. 6). To Him are given all the nations (v. 8) and they are called to submit to Him and serve Him with reverence and rejoicing (vv.10-12).

Now that kingdom had come into the world. It is what the preaching of Jesus was all about. Mark tells us, “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). His teaching was all about the kingdom and His miracles demonstrated the world-changing reality of the kingdom that was now at hand. As we can see from John 2:2, Nicodemus was not unfamiliar with the teaching and miracles of Jesus, and would no doubt have recognized that it was somehow concerned with the God’s promised kingdom.

Moving forward in John 3, we find that Jesus refers to Himself also as the “Son of Man.”
No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:13-15)
“Son of Man” is another title that has messianic and kingdom significance in the Old Testament. We find it, or example, in the book of Daniel, in a messianic passage about one who would come from heaven and whose reign would fill the earth:
I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)
In view of the messianic kingdom theme that begins in verse John 3:3, when verse 16 speaks of God’s Son being given out of God’s love for the world, it has great messianic significance. God’s Son is the one God has uniquely anointed to be King over Israel and the nations — that is, over all the world.

“Eternal life,” in John 3:16, also carries this theme. We often think of “eternal life” as life that lasts a really, really long time (forever, in fact). And indeed it is. However, it does not tell us just about the length of that life. More importantly, it tells us about the nature of that life. The Greek words for “eternal life” are zoen (“life”) and aionion (“eon,” or “age”). Literally, it would be the “age life,” or the “life of the age.” But what age would that be? It is the age God had long promised His people: the age to come, the messianic age — the age of God’s kingdom.

In John3:3-5, Jesus said that one must be “born again,” born of the Spirit, in order to participate in God’s kingdom age. This new “birth” speaks of the life of that kingdom. It is the life of God’s kingdom age. In verse 16, Jesus explains how that new life comes: through faith in God’s Son (who is the Messiah, the one God has anointed to be king). Those who believe on Him receive the life of the age to come, which has now already broken into the world in this present age. It is new life that begins now and lasts forever, because the kingdom of God, which has now come into the world, will endure forever.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Believing the King

Nicodemus came to Jesus, recognizing Him as a teacher come from God (John 3:2), but he was immediately confused by what Jesus had to say. “How can these things be?” he asked (John 3:9).

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:10-12)
There are things Nicodemus, the Pharisees and the Jewish ruling council should have known, and a testimony they should have recognized and embraced, but they did not. “We speak what we know and testify what we have seen,” Jesus said. Some see in this the plural of majesty, the “royal we,” but it seems more likely that Jesus is speaking of Himself and “everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8), so that “Our witness” is essentially the testimony of Jesus and the Spirit. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of heavenly things in earthly terms such as “birth,” “water” and “wind,” yet he did not understand. How then, could he ever hope to understand the things of heaven, the things of the kingdom, the things Jesus came to bring, apart from the new birth that comes from the Spirit of God?

Nevertheless, Jesus continues; He does not turn Nicodemus away but gives him opportunity to receive the witness — and the new birth — of the Spirit. “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man” (John 3:13). The only reliable witness of the things of heaven is the one who comes from there.

Now, pay close attention to how Jesus refers to Himself here; He calls Himself, “Son of Man.” That terminology is very much about the kingdom of God. It is the phrase used in Daniel about the One who comes from heaven and to whom is given “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). From His first words to Nicodemus, Jesus has not ceased speaking to Him about the kingdom of God and the one God anointed as King.

He goes further, with a reference to Moses and the Bronze Serpent. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). In their wanderings through the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land, the children of Israel spoke out against the Lord and against Moses. On one of these occasions, poisonous snakes went through the camp, causing many of the Israelites to die. The people came to Moses repenting of their rebellion and asking him to pray to the Lord on their behalf. God then had Moses make a bronze snake and lift it up on a pole, promising that anyone who was bitten and would look on that bronze snake would live (Numbers 21:4-9). On one level, it served as a focal point for their repentance and faith; on a deeper level, it is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.

It is no coincidence that this story concerns Moses. The Gospel according to John has compared Jesus to Moses from the beginning.
  • In John 1:17, there is the direct statement, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
  • In John 1:21, the Pharisees ask John the Baptist if he is “The Prophet.” This is a reference to a promise God made to Moses: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). John said he was not that Prophet, but indicated that he was the forerunner (John 1:23-27).
  • In John 1:45, after Phillip begins to follow Jesus, he finds his friend Nathanael and tells him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote — Jesus of Nazareth.”
Now, in John 3:14-15, Jesus compares Himself to Moses. Remember that the poisonous snakes came because the people rebelled against the Lord and Moses. The remedy was a bronze snake — the image of the very thing that was killing the Israelites! — lifted high. To look on it was to live. In like manner, the Son of Man, to whom is given eternal dominion over all nations, must be lifted up. In this is a reference to the Cross, where Jesus bore in His own body the very thing that was killing us all. But it also shows us the Ascension, Christ exalted in the heavens.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses, one like him yet greater than him, The Prophet. He is the Messiah, the Anointed One of Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Psalm 2:1-2). The only remedy for this rebellion is for the Son of Man to be lifted up. All who look on Him live.

This is the way in which God loved the world (John 3:16): He gave His one and only Son — the one of whom God said, “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6) and to whom He said, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:7-8). God gave His Son, Jesus, to be “lifted up.” To look on Him, to believe in Him, is to enter into the life that belongs to the ages, even the life of the kingdom age that has come into the world through Him.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Water, Spirit and the Kingdom of God


“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). Nicodemus was confused. Why would Jesus say to him, a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council and a teacher of Israel, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Nicodemus surely knew about the promise of God’s kingdom; it was his job to know. But being “born again”? Well, that was something for Gentiles who wished to become part of the Jewish faith. When they converted, they received baptism, a ritual bath, and were considered as children newly born to the faith. But Nicodemus was already a faithful Jew and heir to the promises God made to Israel. So why talk to him about being born again?
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)
This new birth Jesus talked about was a birth of water and the Spirit, and necessary to enter into the kingdom of God. But what He said next was even more surprising to Nicodemus: “You must be born again.” It was similar to what He had already said, but it was also different. Before, Jesus spoke generically, “Unless one is born again …,” and Nicodemus could think He was referring merely to Gentile converts. But now Jesus made it direct and personal: “You must be born again,” with “you” in the plural form (in the Greek text), referring not just to Nicodemus, but to every Pharisee and, indeed, to every Jew. It was not just Gentiles who needed a conversion experience, the Jews needed it, too.

“How can these things be?” Nicodemus asked (John 3:9). Now he was really confused.

Jesus said, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? (John 3:10).

Nicodemus should have understood this, but he didn’t. There was another well-known promise about the time of Israel’s restoration, which was indeed the time of kingdom fulfillment. God spoke it though Ezekiel the prophet.
For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
God used the figure of water as a metaphor of cleansing for all the sins of Israel. He promised them a new heart and a new spirit — His Spirit — not just to be with them but to be in them, so that they would now be able to live faithfully as His covenant people. This is the essence of new birth.

The kingdom of God, the rule and reign of God on earth as in heaven, is the fulfillment of Israel’s story, but Jesus’ message to Nicodemus was that even Jews needed to be converted to it, no less than all the other nations. He reiterated this great need even to His disciples.
Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:17)
The idea of becoming as little children is that they are completely dependent. Likewise, we must be completely dependent upon God if we are going to be a part of His kingdom. This dependency is through faith in Jesus, as we will see in the next post.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Promised Kingdom


Nicodemus came to Jesus and recognized Him as “a teacher come from God” (John 3:2). Jesus spoke to him about the gospel of the kingdom of God. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God, His will being done on earth as it is in heaven. God had long promised His people, Israel, that He would anoint a King would come and rule over Israel and the nations. Jesus recognized Nicodemus as a “teacher of Israel” (v. 11), and as such, Nicodemus would have been aware of the various prophesies of the kingdom, such as the following, from Psalm 2.
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed.
(Psalm 1:1-2)
Yahweh’s Anointed is the Messiah (“Messiah” means Anointed One; in Greek, it is Christos). God says of Him, “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (v. 6). This is the Son, to whom God says,
You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession. (vv. 7-8)
The one God calls “My Son” is the Messiah, the one anointed to be King. Not just king over Israel, but over all the nations of the earth. The prophecies about Messiah are about the kingdom of God inhabiting all the earth. Isaiah spoke of a coming messianic king and a kingdom of ever increasing dominion and endless peace.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
(Isaiah 9:6-7)
This is the gospel God promised would be announced. Isaiah tells of those who would bring the good news, and also what the content of that good news would be:
How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation*,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
(Isaiah 52:7)
The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, uses the word for “evangelize,” to gospel or to preach the gospel, twice in this verse. It is a proclamation of peace and salvation, and the content is about the kingdom. It is the declaration, “Your God reigns!” (*The Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah, which as a name is Yeshua, the name of Jesus in Hebrew.)

Daniel also prophesies of the promised kingdom and the “Son of Man” (which is how Jesus often referred to Himself), to whom would be given everlasting dominion over all the nations of the world.
I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13-14)
Jesus not only announced, from the beginning of His ministry and throughout, that the kingdom of God was at hand. At the end of His ministry, He declared, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The promised kingdom, the rule and reign of God on earth, had begun.

Nicodemus would have known about the promised kingdom, though he did not recognize that he was in the presence of the King. The question he would ask, however, was not about the kingdom. What perplexed him was why Jesus would be talking to him about being “born again.” There is another important prophesy about the kingdom that he apparently had not understood. We will look at that in the next post.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Nicodemus and the Gospel of the Kingdom


Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a member of the Great Sanhedrin (the supreme court of Israel), came to Jesus late one night. “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,” he said.

Jesus answered him, moving past the question, directly to the heart of what Nicodemus needed to hear. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). A moment later, he reiterated, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:6).

What was Jesus talking about? The immediate answer most evangelicals would likely give is that He was speaking of being “born again,” a birth of “water and the Spirit.” And that is quite true, as far as it goes. But what was He speaking in regard to? Why is it important that one have this new birth? The answer is found in both statements: The kingdom of God — the rule and reign of God, the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. One must be born of water and the Spirit, in order “see” it (to recognize and know and understand it), to enter in and experience it.

Jesus’ ministry was all about the kingdom of God, from the time He began to the time He ascended to heaven. After His baptism, and the Temptation in the wilderness, Jesus came preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” declaring that it was now “at hand” (Mark 1:14-15). Throughout His ministry, He constantly spoke about the kingdom: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9:35; see also Matthew 4:23 and Luke 8:1). The healings and exorcisms He performed were a demonstration of the presence and power of the kingdom: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). He sent the disciples out to do the same: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:7-8). The message and miracles of Jesus and the disciples were all about the kingdom.

The forty days after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead were a time of revelation about the kingdom. Jesus presented Himself to the disciples, “being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Then, before He ascended to heaven, to His throne at the right hand of the Father, He came to the disciples and said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). This was a declaration about the kingdom, no longer just a future hope but a present reality. What had been promised so often in the Old Testament was not just “at hand,” but had now begun, with Jesus as King.

Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, would have known (or should have) what those promises were (we’ll look at some of those in my next post). His next questions were not about the kingdom of God, but about the startling statement Jesus made, that one must be “born again” to enter into it (we’ll look at that in the post after next).