Bro Stokes Gospel Musing: New Testament Lesson 05

Lesson 5: “Born Again”

New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 4

Jesus told Nicodemus that “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). What does it mean to be born again? (See the scripture chain in this section.)

Read and ponder Alma 5:14–31 as if Alma were speaking to you. What do you need to do personally to be “spiritually … born of God”? (Alma 5:14).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he could give her “living water” (John 4:10). What do you think “living water” means? (See1 Nephi 11:25; D&C 63:23.) How can we obtain living water? How has this living water blessed you?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Give each family member a drinking glass. Pour water into each glass, and invite family members to drink the water. Ask family members if they think they will ever need another drink of water. Then read John 4:1–15, and discuss the questions in the third paragraph of this section. Testify that if we will come to Christ and live his gospel, we will receive “everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Scripture Chain: “Born Again”

Start Lesson

New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 5, Born Again
John 3-4
Born of Water and Spirit

John contrasts light and darkness at the beginning of his Gospel: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5). This theme may continue in this story because Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (3:2), and when Jesus tells him that he must be “born again” (3:3), this senior Jewish leader fails to comprehend him (3:9). (Making Sense of the New Testament, Holzpafel)

John 3
Jesus went forth proclaiming faith and repentance to the Jews. Beginning a new Jewish sect that offered a Messiah to save them and condemned the works of the current Jewish sects. This often made an uproar among the people and its religious leaders.

John 3¹ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews (probably a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews) came to Jesus at night. This was largely because he feared losing his position in his own sect, and as a leader. in the Sanhedrin the Pharisee and Sadduccee sects shared power.

The Sadduccees held power in the temple,while the Pharisees were popular among the people. They often had an uneasy peace between the two sects. They were, however, quick to protect their turf by challenging other sects, such as the Essenes and Zealots. For a new sect of Judaism to arise, especially during turbulent times, meant a new challenge that risked their power and the status quo.

John 3 ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Even though he was trained as a religious leader, Nicodemus could not understand Jesus’ requirement for salvation: a man must be born again. He imagined going again through the womb as an infant, but this is not what the Savior had in mind. Nicodemus was being lazy in his thinking, as he was very aware of John the Baptist’s baptisms and preaching of Christ, in which John baptized with water, but the Messiah would come baptizing by water and fire.

John 3 ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

As the Lord explained to Adam, Enoch and Moses:

“58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
“59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
“60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified” (Moses 6:58-60).

Symbolism is extremely important to the Lord. Symbolism was placed everywhere in the ancient temple of Solomon, and in the law of Moses, “every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:14).

Baptism in water does not save us. It is a symbol of our accepting the atonement and sacrifice of Christ. But that symbol is necessary for us to receive, as we must be born again of water (baptism), spirit (Holy Ghost) and blood (atonement of Christ). The water symbolizes our covenant with Christ. The Holy Ghost changes us so we believe and desire to follow Christ, while Christ’s blood cleanses us of our sins.

In the Book of Mormon, we find that the “Doctrine of Christ” is the concept that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are “one God” and we must become one as well through:

1) faith in Christ, 2) repentance, 3) baptism by water (ordinances), and 4) receiving the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 31-32, 3 Nephi 11-18). This unity we seek is greater than just being united in purpose. The Godhead is one in all things except their physical persons, and to become Christ-like means we must also become one with Christ and his disciples, so that we may become one with the Father.

Being born again is not a one time event, as some Christians believe. Instead, it is a daily event. We must continually grow in our faith and faithfulness. As we spiritually approach Christ, we spiritually discern that we fall short. Our faith leads us to repent of sins, and we are then ready to make a new covenant with God through the ordinance of baptism, the Sacrament (communion), and other ordinances we receive. Then, we receive the Holy Ghost, which justifies us to a higher level of faithfulness and righteousness. At that point, we are ready to develop greater faith, and repeat the process. It is through this process of the Doctrine of Christ that we are then able to perfect ourselves, going from grace to grace, receiving grace for grace (D&C 93).

The Gospel of Nicodemus
One old Christian text, entitled the Gospel of Nicodemus, describes events after the resurrection of Christ. It details the story of two deceased sons of the chief high priest, who resurrect and enter into the city of Jerusalem. They are questioned by the Sanhedrin (of which Nicodemus is a member) regarding how they can be alive when previously dead.
They tell of being in a Spirit World where they were held by the being Death. With them were the prophets of old and all good people, but they were trapped by Death. Satan showed up and boasted about his victory over Jesus, having slain him. When Death heard this, he protested, saying he did not have the power to hold Jesus. When the Lord arrived, the gates of Death were broken down, and all within were resurrected. For Latter-day Saints, this story relates rather well our belief in a Spirit World, the place where all the dead go while they await the resurrection.

Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus

John 3 ⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

And then perhaps the most famous verse in Chistendom…

John 3 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And further explanation of Christ’s mission

John 3 ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John further distinguishes Light from Darkness.

John 3 ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

“Condemnation” can be read as “Judgment”

The CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) has it as: ¹⁹“Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked.

The NIV (New International Version) has it as: ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3 ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Verse 22 shifts to Jesus and his disciples arriving in Judea, baptizing after the manner of John the Baptist. The Baptist’ followers assumed that he would continue for some time. they were not aware of his coming arrest and subsequent execution. At this point there is jealousy that is forming against Jesus due to his fame. John would always try to place his mission in context to the larger work of God, particularly pertaining to the coming Messiah.

John 3 ²²After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John clarifies his mission while speaking to his followers

John 3 ²⁷John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

Some scholars believe that the last verses (31-36) of this chapter may have been an addition by the author instead of a continuation of John’s response, something similar to Mormon’s commentary when he interjects himself into the narrative. He is making an observation of the significance of the story

John 3 ³¹He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³²And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Living Waters at the Well in Samaria

John 4

The chapter begins with a comment about baptisms by the Savior’s disciples.

John 4 ¹ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

²(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Remember the focus of John. “Jesus the Man from Heaven”. John is not part of the synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke).

Once the Savior is aware that the Pharisees have knowledge of his baptisms and increase in followers, he immediately leaves Jerusalem and heads north. Why does he leave so abruptly. One possible answer is that he knew crowds would come, that had been coming to see John and would press for answers the Savior may not have been ready to give at this point.

John 4 ³He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

⁴And he must needs go through Samaria.

⁵Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

⁶Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

Jacob’s well is a deep well hewn of solid rock that has been associated with Jacob for 2000 years. (Remember Abraham has Isaac who has Jacob. Jacob has his name changed to Israel and then has 12 sons, the 12 tribes of Israel, who are then captured in Egypt).

Genesis 33 ¹⁸And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.

¹⁹And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

This ties the Patriarch Israel (renamed from Jacob) to this place. It has long been venerated.

Travel. The distance from Judea to the Galilee is around 70 miles, 2.5 days of travel.

Samaria in Jesus time was located north of Judea, and covered much of the original territory of the original Kingdom of Israel after the split of Israel into the two kingdoms in Rehoboam’s day. However, 700 years before Christ, the nation of Israel was carried off by the Assyrians, leaving just the poor in the land. Assyria brought many from other lands to dwell in Samaria, leaving it with a mixed genealogy. Thus the Samaritans were of mixed lineage and not considered “pure” in the eyes of the Jewish nation.

When the Jews returned from their Babylon captivity, the Samaritans wished to help them build the new temple. The Jews refused to allow it, as they were not pure blood of Israel. Josephus tells us that the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Archaeologist Yitzhak Magen has been excavating the site for 25 years, and has found signs of its existence.

Jesus travels from Judea to the Galilee

Notice on the above map the logical route from Judea (Jerusalem) to the Sea of Galilee. Directly north through Sychar (a city in Samaria). But the direct route is not the one that was travelled by the Jews. They would go east and cross the Jordan River and take the route through Perea.

This would add hours to their route but would allow them to not even set foot on a parcel of Samaritan land.

Travelling directly through Samaria could also be dangerous.

Hosea 6 ⁹And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.

But you don’t even realize this is referring to Samaria. Here is the NIV.

Hosea 6 ⁹ As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,
so do bands of priests; they murder on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.

Shechem is about a mile from Sychar. Maybe not the best way to go. But go the Savior does. The Samaritans were treated as second class citizens by the Jews. They were not allowed into the temple at Jerusalem and their form of worship for God had changed over the centuries. It was a mixture of Israelite faith and pagan belief.

In this environment, Jesus Christ, a Jew, went north to Samaria and sat by a well to speak with a Samaritan woman.

John 4 ⁷There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

⁸(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

⁹Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

She was shocked that a Jew would talk with her. She was likely shocked that he was there at all. It is also remarkable that any Jew would touch any form of earthenware (a cup or a plate) as these were considered unclean once a Samaritan had touched them. His response was wholly unexpected:

John 4 ¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Thinking he talks of actual water she replies…

John 4 ¹¹The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? ¹²Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

The Lord then explains to her that he is the living waters that save the soul. The Samaritan faith system was flawed and needs repair. In speaking of these things, the woman notes that Samaritan belief looked forward to the Messiah, who would teach them all things. At this moment, Jesus noted that he was the Messiah, even the Anointed One, they sought.

John 4 ¹³Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

¹⁴But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The Samaritan woman is convinced of the Savior…

John 4 ¹⁵The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

¹⁶Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

This is a pretty sensitive situation. Jesus is speaking to a woman in public at a well, alone, without disciples and her without a husband or escort.

John 4 ¹⁷The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

¹⁸For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

¹⁹The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

²⁰Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

The Savior replies that they will not always be restricted from places of worship.

John 4 ²¹Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

²²Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Before the 16th century, this chapter, John 4, was connected with John 3. They were read together. The story of Nicodemus flowed directly into the woman at the well. This was to contrast the Jewish male coming under the cover of darkness and having no understanding, but the Samaritan woman of questionable repute, coming in the noon-day sun does understand.

Nicodemus: Jewish male leader, religious, came to the Savior in darkness and left in darkness.

Woman at the well. Samaritan woman of the lowest class (first she is a Samaritan, second she is living with a man to whom she is not married) comes to the Savior in the light of day and left in light.

An interesting contrast.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

“God is a Spirit”
In talking with the Samaritan woman, the Lord explained to her:

John 4 ²²Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

²³But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

²⁴God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Verse 24 contains one of the few verses used by traditional Christianity to express that God is [a] Spirit. From this comes the development of the belief in the Trinity, established with the Nicene Creed three centuries after Christ. Then and now, it is a contentious issue. There are vastly differing views on the Trinity/Godhead.

Discussing religion often in their later years by letter, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams discussed how they viewed Christianity. Both were Christian, yet differed greatly from certain traditional beliefs. Jefferson was a Deist Christian, believing God wound up the universe and then pretty much left it alone to wind down on its own. Adams, known as a strong Christian of his day, still questioned certain issues. He wrote Jefferson once saying, “Ye will say I am no Christian” because he disagreed with the concept of the Trinity. He noted that Jesus said “God is [a] Spirit” and agreed with it. But then asked, “what does that mean?” The concept of Trinity expands further than what the Lord states in John’s Gospel. For John Adams, it meant that God is real, He lives, and he is our true God.

That God is a Spirit is true. The Bible also tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and a “consuming fire” (Deut 4:24, Hebrews 12:29), This does not mean either of these statements is the only thing God is, but only descriptive of some of his attributes. For we also know he is the “father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9), and Christ commanded us to call God, “our Father which art in Heaven.”

It is interesting to see the contrast in the NIV:

KJV John 4 ²⁴God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

NIV John 4 ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The article is missing in the NIV. He IS spirit, not A spirit.

John 4 ²⁵The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

²⁶Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Remember the focus of John. “Jesus the Man from Heaven”. This is a clear declaration by the Savior.

His disciples then return and, apart from questioning why they are in Samaria in the first place, wonder why Jesus is speaking to a woman, alone at a well, in the noon-day sun.

John 4 ²⁷And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

What does Jesus answer them? He doesn’t.

John 4 ²⁸The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

²⁹Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

³⁰Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

³¹In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

³²But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

³³Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

He takes a moment to teach his disciples…

John 4 ³⁴Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

³⁵Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

³⁶And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

³⁷And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

³⁸I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Verse 35 has echo’s of D&C 4.

Many of the Samaritans that the woman brought back, also had more faith than Nicodemus.

John 4 ³⁹And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

⁴⁰So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

⁴¹And many more believed because of his own word;

⁴²And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

⁴³Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

Now, back in Galilee we will continue on this group of miracles to non-Jewish people who will have enough faith to believe. Specifically the upcoming Centurion.

⁴⁴For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

This is an interesting statement to make when travelling to the area. It seems to imply an unwelcome reception in a smaller area, a city in the past.

John 4 ⁴⁵Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

⁴⁶So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

This story is also found in Matthew and Luke, but not Mark. The first part of the story is very different between the three version, but the end is almost word for word between the books.

Matthew emphasizes the faith of the centurion while Luke emphasizes his worthiness.

This again, is a foreshadowing of the gospel being expanded to the Gentiles.

John’s account coincides in at least 10 points of the story recorded in Matthew and Luke. It therefore likely represents another version of this tradition. In this account in John, they are in Cana, in the Galilee region. Most of the narratives in John are set in Judea, most often Jerusalem. Only a few are set in Galilee and this is one of them.

John 4 ⁴⁸Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

⁴⁹The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

⁵⁰Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

The “Royal Official” is likely from Herod Antipas. He returns home, finds his son has improved and questions his staff on when his son started to recover.

John 4 ⁵¹And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

⁵²Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

7th hour would have been 1pm, early afternoon.

John 4 ⁵³So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.

⁵⁴This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

Unlike the accounts in Matthew and Luke, John has Jesus warning the people, saying, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (4:48). It seems that the people were much more interested in the “signs” instead of where the signs are to lead them—to Jesus himself.

Pictures of Christ and the Samaritan woman