commentary by TA York

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Beyond the Rules: What Nicodemus Can Teach Us About Letting Go of Religion

Have you ever found yourself doing all the “right” things, yet feeling completely empty inside?

It’s an exhausting place to be. The world constantly whispers a heavy lie: You can do all things through your own strength, your own knowledge, and your own good works. But trying to carry that weight by ourselves always leads to a burden we simply weren’t built to bear.

If you’ve ever felt that way, you are in good company. Thousands of years ago, a man named Nicodemus felt the exact same thing.

In John 3:9-15, we get a front-row seat to a late-night conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus—a brilliant scholar, a leader of the Jews, and a master of religious law. Yet, despite all his education, he was completely blind to the spiritual reality standing right in front of him.

The Trap of Human Strength and Knowledge

In verse 8, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit like the wind: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus, completely baffled, asks a question that reveals his heart: “How can this be?”

Nicodemus represents worldly, human knowledge. He was a master of the Old Testament, yet he couldn’t comprehend the very Scriptures he spent his life studying. He had forgotten how to focus on God, allowing the distractions and titles of the world to send him on an empty search.

Jesus responds with a bit of loving, yet direct urgency: “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?”

It’s a sharp wake-up call. A blind guide cannot lead people anywhere. If Nicodemus didn’t know how to truly connect with heaven, how could he lead anyone else there? Jesus points out that if people are stuck in rigid legalism, they won’t accept the truth, even when it’s witnessed firsthand.

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot interpret Scripture correctly. We don’t know how to truly come to God, and we miss the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel.

Checking Our Priorities and Idols

Nicodemus recognized that something was dying inside his religion. His education and leadership status were doing absolutely nothing for his soul. He had to stop, examine himself, and face his own confusion.

This brings us to a tough question we all have to ask ourselves: What are we putting in front of Jesus?

Whatever takes that top spot becomes an idol. It is so easy to accidentally put our children, our spouses, our homes, our careers, or even our church work above God. Don’t get me wrong—taking care of life’s demands isn’t wrong. When the car breaks down and you don’t have the time or money to fix it, that pressure is real. But the issue arises when our priorities flip upside down. Giving the first fruits of our day and our heart to God is what grounds us.

The truth is, on our own, we are weak. We need Jesus to give us strength. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Notice it says through Him, not through our own resumes. We have to come to God in humility, broken enough to admit that only His strength will carry us through the next day, the next hour, or even the next minute.

The New Covenant: A Heart of Flesh

Nicodemus was starving for something that the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah had promised centuries before. He wanted a vibrant, living spirit, not a stone-cold checklist.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” — Jeremiah 31:33

God promised to remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). But so many people today still rely on “generational religion.” They stand on the mantle of their forefathers, but the spiritual movement stops there. Why? Because religion takes us nowhere. Only a living, breathing relationship with Jesus moves us forward.

Look Up and Be Cured

Jesus concludes His talk with Nicodemus by pointing back to history to predict the manner of His own death:

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” — John 3:14-15

In the desert, when the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes, the cure was simple: they had to look up at the bronze snake Moses held high on a pole. They had to acknowledge the poison in their bodies and look to God’s provision for healing.

Today, Jesus is our cure. We look up to the cross, acknowledge the sin in our lives, and receive His healing. When we step out of the natural world and into the spiritual, we no longer have to live in confusion. We can celebrate salvation and stop asking, “How can this be?”

Romans 10:9-10 tells us: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

A Prayer to Start Fresh

If you are tired of running on your own strength and want to exchange dead religion for a living relationship with Jesus, pray this with me today:

“Dear Jesus, I come to You a sinner. Forgive me of my sins, and wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son, that He died on the cross for my sins, and that You raised Him to life. I repent of my old life and choose to turn away from my sins. Holy Spirit, come into my life, guide me, and direct me. Thank You, and I love You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

God Bless!