Born of Water
The
“Red Letter” Words of Jesus
Day
Twenty-Five
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 3:4-6
Let me set the scene:
It’s nighttime. Something (or Someone) is drawing Nicodemus to Jesus and he secretly seeks Him out. He believes Jesus is a teacher come from God. He’s hoping for more. Is He the promised Messiah? And yet, there he stands with his mouth wide open. It’s so obvious he's stunned by Jesus’ words that Jesus says to him, “Do not marvel.” (See John 4:7)
That’s okay. My mouth is hanging open too as I attempt to wrap my mind around the above scriptures. After I studied what several different commentaries had to say about John 3:4-6, I found myself as confused as ever. All three commentaries had a different perspective on the verses, especially the “unless one is born of water” part.
I asked my friend, Bible Scholar Dr. Rick Wadholm, Jr., for his input on what “born of water” referenced. Here’s what he had to say: “Some say birth. Some say water baptism. It seems to me that Jesus may be referring to the ritual washings that included John’s baptizing mentioned in the first chapter of John. It pertains to repentance and preparation.”
Nicodemus felt he was spiritually okay because of the ritual washings and adherence to the letter of the law. Then Jesus told him it was only a preparation. Even repentance wasn’t enough to gain access into the kingdom of God. Flabbergasted, he struggled to understand what Jesus meant.
Nicodemus thought being “born of water” (ritual washings) deemed himself holy and pure. He thought wrong. In the kingdom of church, I can say all the right things and do all the right things, however, those alone won’t grant me entrance into God’s kingdom either. It’s a good start, a preparation for the next step but I must be born of the Spirit to gain access.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/john/3.htm
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/john/3.htm
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/john/3.htm
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