21 Days in the Gospel of John With Levi Lusko Sample

Nic at Night

Nicodemus knew he was missing something.

This is a condition universal to man. All people have a need, no matter how smart or respected they are. Nicodemus had it all—morals, power, success, influence. But he had a hole in his soul. Fortunately, he turned to the right place: Jesus.

I knew little about childbirth when I found out I was going to be a father. I went into birthing classes eager to know how this whole process worked and was pleased when the instructor in our very first class said, "Childbirth is simple." They went on to explain the 3 Ps: Passage, Passenger, Powers. Being a preacher, I immediately thought, well, nothing with a 3-point outline can be that difficult…passage = birth canal, passenger = baby, powers = contractions that enable the passenger through the passage. In the following weeks, however, I was more than overwhelmed by how complicated a process it could be: fetal monitors, breech births, meconium, cesarean, epidural, inducing—all of it sort of made me seasick. Then they had us watch videos of births. I went in curious and came out horrified. 

In today's passage, Nicodemus is experiencing some birth confusion of his own as Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter with an arresting statement that hits the jugular. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus, a Jew who prided himself on his place in the kingdom of God—earned by old-fashioned hard work—must have been shaken to the core. To hear that nothing can save you but a second birth? Controversial, to say the least. 

A baby doesn't earn his birth, it just happens. But if not born, he certainly can't live. So what does it mean to be born again? 

The term "born again" has been pirated, ripped off, and cheapened. What it really means is to be born from above and given new life. This entire discourse is a contrast between human and divine, physical and eternal, spirit and flesh. Nicodemus is talking on human terms, Jesus on supernatural. Jesus draws attention to the heart—not the chambered, muscular organ that pumps your blood, but the essence of man, the soul, who you are in an eternal way. The part of you that can never be buried. It takes faith, as does any worldview, atheism included. That is how we are saved: through nothing but belief and trust in the Son. Nicodemus—in spite of his culture, position, fame, and religion—needed to be born again. Believe nothing else; look to Jesus.

Remember: Nothing but faith in Jesus can save.