Understanding Naḵdimon in John 3

Many take John 3 and think that Naḵdimon came to Messiah for knowledge, and left him being fully satisfied. Many also jump to verse 13 to show that Messiah preexisted. In a full context study, I come to the conclusion that both assumptions are wrong.

Please note, I am not addressing if Messiah preexisted, just that I feel this chapter is not on that particular subject. So now let’s examine this chapter.

For me, sound bites are a bad way to gain understanding, you have to always consider context. When I read it all the way through, I have to take a few things into consideration, one being whom Yahushua is talking too. Naḵdimon seems to be a follower of Yahushua, but he also was a ruler among the Jews, and did not seem to be willing at this time to step out and openly follow Yahushua. At this time we find him coming in the cover of night, and after this, we hear nothing about him joining the body of believers. He is absent up until the end of chapter 7 were he does at that time stand up for Messiah in a way, but still not truly openly.

In chapter 9, I like to think we see a fully open gesture of excepting the Messiah by him. Now all that being said, if we go back to the point of Naḵdimon coming at night, and not in the light of day We find that throughout the whole chapter, was Yahushua actually put up one repeated roadblock in front of Naḵdimon. Also, I think the one message he repeatedly gave him was straight forward in many ways, but it was done so in many different parables/metaphors. So, in verse 2, Naḵdimon comes in the night and says “we know you are a teacher from Yahweh”. Yahushua did not say at this point thank you, or you have spoken well, but instead he tells him "unless one is born from above, they cannot see the kingdom of Elohim". Now is there something missing? This was a strange response if you think about it. that is unless, we apply things like Isa 6:9-10 to it.

This was a parable, and one that the students of Yahushua would have understood due to their learning daily from Yahushua, but it was a parable that confused Naḵdimon, who was still stuck in a physical/literal understanding of what he was just told.

It, in my opinion is understandable, even us, as followers can get lost in some of the meanings. So just what did he tell him?

You must be born from above, note born from above, and not born again, so born from where? Above. How did the disciples understand this?

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are sons of Elohim.

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of Elohim,

Rom 8:17 and if children, also heirs – truly heirs of Elohim, and co-heirs with Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we also be exalted together.

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, Elohim has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

Gal 4:7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir of Elohim through Messiah.

1Jn 3:1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of Elohim! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved ones, now we are children of Elohim. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1Jn 3:3 And everyone having this expectation in Him cleanses himself, as He is clean.

Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of Elohim, to those believing in His Name,

Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the desire of flesh nor of the desire of man, but of Elohim.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1Jn 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of Elohim: Every spirit that confesses that Yahushua the Messiah has come in the flesh is of Elohim,

Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Yahushua answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

Simply put, the first step to being born from above, was and is to know and confess Yahushua as the awaited Messiah. Coming at night and calling him a teacher might have fallen a little short of that, and may not have reflected the willingness to suffer with Him. If correct, Naḵdimon at this time was not born from above, and would not be unable to see the reign of Elohim. At this time, he could not see, perceive, or understand. How did Messiah handle those that were not qualified to see the reign of Elohim / kingdom of Heaven?

Mat 13:10 And the taught ones came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

Mat 13:11 And He answering, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, but to them it has not been given.

Mat 13:12 “For whoever possesses, to him more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but whoever does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away from him.

Mat 13:13 “Because of this I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Joh 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.

So my understanding here, is that at this point Naḵdimon was unwilling to truly confess Yahushua as Messiah, and Yahushua told him in parable that because of that, he could not be shown the things that he came that night to see from Yahushua.

And as I said before, he did not get the meaning of that message he was hung up on what the parable meant. Now what Yahushua now does is, he repeats himself, he says the same thing as before, but this time with a different parable.

Joh 3:5 יהושע answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he is unable to enter into the reign of Elohim.

Unless you are born a second time by spirit, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Now I think Messiah was truly trying to get Naḵdimon to see the message, next Messiah ties these two parable

gave more detail, and Messiah explained it in further detail, but still the same message.

Joh 3:6 “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You have to be born from above.’

ABut at this point he is calling out Naḵdimon on what he and the others like him are doing. Joh 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes. In this same way is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

Joh 3:9 Naḵdimon answered and said to Him, “How is it possible for this to take place?”

Joh 3:10 יהושע answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Yisra’ĕl, and do not know this?

My view is that Naḵdimon, as a teacher of the word to Yisra’ĕl, should be able to understand that “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes reflects Ecc 11:5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of Elohim who makes all. In this same manner those born of the spirit,are heard, but they that are hearing them don't have a clue, and why? Again Ecc 11:5, they do not recognize/understand the works of Elohim At this point Yahushua gets blunt, and coninues on calling him out on what him and his group were doing, but notice he is still on the same subject matter.

Joh 3:11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what We know and witness what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

Joh 3:12 “If you do not believe when I spoke to you about earthly matters,

(excepting Yahushua as the Messiah, and confessing him, starting the process of being born from above.)

how are you going to believe when I speak to you about the heavenly matters? (How will you learn the things of the kingdom?)

Note that the subject matter has never left the fact that Naḵdimon is not born from above yet and is not qualified to enter, see, or understand the kingdom, now with all this in mind read John 3:13 in part.

Joh 3:13 AndG2532 no oneG3762 ascendsG305 toG1519 heaven,G3772 untillG1508 comes downG2597 fromG1537 heaven,G3772

This is the same message that was first given, and was repeatedly given, it's just one more time in a another new metaphor “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he is unable to see the reign of Elohim.”

Now we will read the rest of Joh 3:13, but attach it to the following verse, instead of the one the translators assigned it to. We can even leave the text that is disputed (being in heaven see note) as his. Because in context, it would only speak of the fact that Yahushua is fully born from above, and the kingdom is upon him, but we need to read this as the start of Messiah making his case once again. The rest of the chapter is now Messiah being mostly blunt to show Naḵdimon the meaning of all the parables from the first part of the chapter theG3588 SonG5207 of manG444 beingG5607 inG1722 heaven.G3772 See Mat 6:10

Joh 3:14 “Even as Mosheh lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of man/Aḏam has to be lifted up, Joh 3:15 so that whoever is believing in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life. Joh 3:16 “For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His special Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life. Joh 3:17 “For Elohim did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Joh 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the special Son of Elohim. Joh 3:19 “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men , for their works were wicked. Joh 3:20 “For everyone who is practicing evil matters hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Joh 3:21 “But the one doing the truth comes to the light, so that his works are clearly seen, that they have been wrought in Elohim.”

Again, this is Messiah making his case one more time, but here he is even more blunt and to the point to show Naḵdimon the meaning of all the parables from the first part of the chapter until now. The entire verse is Messiah telling Naḵdimon that he can not know the kingdom until he first is born from above by knowing Messiah. Note on “Which is in Heaven” It is found in some text and not in others, but letting it stand, you would have to came to one of two conclusions, either John said it as commentary as to where Messiah was at the time John wrote down his witness. Or that Messiah said it himself, and if Messiah said it while standing next to Naḵdimon it would have had to have been part of the ongoing parable lesson he was teaching.