In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

A religious leader came to Jesus in the dark of night because he was fearful of what his other leaders would think of him if they found out. Nicodemus was a truth seeker. He was putting a lot on the line to meet with this radical named Jesus.

Then Jesus told him he had to be born again. After Jesus briefly explained the concept, Nicodemus was still puzzled. Jesus’ next words must have shook Nicodemus to the core: “You are Israel’s teacher and you don’t understand these things.” It probably upset him because as a teacher, he was certain to know a great deal about the Law and the Prophets. But he never came across anything about being “born again.” He would have remembered that!

But the rebirth Jesus was talking about was (and is) spiritual. It was all about dying to oneself, sacrifice, trusting in a God you couldn’t see, turning from your evil and wicked desires, acknowledging to that same God that you couldn’t do it on your own. And yet, it began with one simple step: surrendering your life to Christ.

Most reading this will have had that experience in one form or another, but I think it’s prudent to remember where we’ve been and what it was all about. Back then it was fresh in our minds and exciting. The message is still the same: you must be born again. It’s as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago when a troubled religious leader came to Jesus with deep questions.