A master in Israel and you don't know?

 John 3v9-12

Nicodemus was confused, and didn't know what Jesus was talking about. “How can these things be?”  This tells us that all people, including the high ranking religious teachers, were thick concerning the things of God-6v52 and v60.  Religious garments and religious talk, and religious practises do not bring us nearer to God.  We need the cleansing of the Holy Spirit, actual spiritual regeneration, before we can understand the things of God.

Jesus answers “Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?”  Can it be true that one of the topmost teachers in the most religious nation on earth, is really ignorant of these things?  What a come-down for this ill-informed, if sincere teacher of sacred things, that he does not even grasp the basics; what chance those who are his pupils?

 

V11-12  “Verily, verily, I said to thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen: and ye receive not our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall ye  believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”

 

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and he was in the dark spiritually.  The reason was that the rulers of Israel did not receive Jesus witness. They knew the facts of Holy Scripture they did not know the truth that lay behind them. The very mention of the wind should have immediately registered with Nicodemus the record of Ezekiel 37v1-14 which speaks of the wind of the Spirit which will bring restoration to the nation.  Because of their refusal to accept Jesus as a witness for God they remained ignorant of the truth of God.  Rejection of Christ is noted throughout the gospel- 3v11; 5v37-47 and 12v37-50.  The religious rulers thought that by reciting scripture they had favour with God but they had missed the whole point “They are they that testify of me”-John 5v39.  Parrot recitation of sacred things without meaning is just emptiness.   How solemn is this, that influential men who are ignorant of the truth of God can keep a whole nation from the truth.  An interesting comparison is with chapter 4, when Jesus deals with the Samaritan woman.  With the Pharisee, Jesus was scathing and pointed in His approach; with the woman He was gentle and winsome. 

Jesus spoke of “earthly things” to the rulers, the temple being His Father’s house; water, wind, flesh, all things of the earth; the necessity of new birth because the old life was evil.  If there was confusion about these things, how are they going to receive the things of the Spirit, which are from outside of this world.  This is because “…no man has ascended up into heaven, but the Son of man which is in heaven.”  We can only speak of what we know, and only the Son of man has been in heaven, indeed- spiritually speaking still dwells in heaven, and is in unhindered fellowship with heaven at all times!  He has much more to teach them of unseen spiritual things, but they cannot begin until they are born again.  They can know nothing until they know Him.