John 3:3 (NIV)
“No-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
The Jews of Jesus’ time were hoping for God to send his anointed one (the Messiah) to bring about an earthly kingdom, ending the Roman occupation. This was based on many Old Testament prophecies, such as Zechariah 9.9: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation.” They assumed that all Israelites would be entitled to be part of this coming kingdom. But Jesus had to tell Nicodemus that the right to enter the kingdom was not dependent on being born into the right family and nation, but it was a different sort of kingdom, which you enter when you allow God to do a work of transformation in your heart – Jesus called it being ‘born again’. Like those first-century Jews, people today can mistakenly think that growing up in Christian surroundings, going to church, being baptised, taking communion etc, make them part of God’s family; even if we have had those privileges, we still need that same deep-down change of heart that Nicodemus needed.
Father, please come and do your work of transformation in us by your Spirit.
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