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He came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness to question Him.

Nicodemus: Teacher, some of us have been talking. You are obviously a teacher who has come from God. The signs You are doing are proof that God is with You.

At this time, Israel’s Roman occupiers have given a small group of Sadducees and Pharisees limited powers to rule, and Nicodemus is one of the Pharisees. He holds a seat on the ruling council known as the Sanhedrin, and surprisingly Nicodemus is among those who seek Jesus for His teaching. It appears that he believes more about Jesus than he wants others to know, so he comes at night.

Jesus: I tell you the truth: only someone who experiences birth for a second time[a] can hope to see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus: I am a grown man. How can someone be born again when he is old like me? Am I to crawl back into my mother’s womb for a second birth? That’s impossible!

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Footnotes

  1. 3:3 Or “from above”

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,(A) we know(B) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs(C) you are doing if God were not with him.”(D)

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a](E)

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

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Footnotes

  1. John 3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.