Born from Above: A Lenten Reflection on John 3:1–17

As we continue our journey through Lent, we slow down and listen carefully to the words of Jesus. In John 3:1–17, we are invited into a quiet, nighttime conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus. It is a deeply personal exchange, and it speaks to our own need for renewal.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark. He is a Pharisee, a leader, a teacher of Israel. He knows the Scriptures. Yet he senses there is something more. He says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2, NRSV). He sees that God is at work in Jesus.

Jesus responds with words that must have startled him: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (John 3:3).

Nicodemus is confused. How can someone be born again? Jesus explains, “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5). He goes on to say, “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).

During Lent, we are reminded that we cannot save ourselves. We cannot think our way into the kingdom. We cannot earn our way in. New life is a gift. In the Wesleyan tradition, we speak of prevenient grace—the grace that goes before us. Before we ever seek God, he is already at work, stirring our hearts. The Spirit blows “where it chooses” (John 3:8). We may not control it, but we can respond to it.

Jesus then points to a story Nicodemus would have known well. “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). Even here, in the early part of John’s Gospel, the cross casts its shadow. Lent leads us in that same direction.

And then we hear words many of us learned as children: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Notice the scope of that love. God loves the world. Not just the church. Not just the faithful. The world.

Verse 17 continues, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Christ comes not to crush us, but to rescue us. Not to shame us, but to restore us.

Lent is a season of honest self-examination. Like Nicodemus, we may come with questions. We may come in the dark. But the good news is this: God meets us there. He invites us into new birth, into transformed hearts, into a living relationship with Christ.

As we reflect on this passage, let us ask ourselves: Where do I need to be made new? Where is the Spirit calling me to trust more deeply? What would it mean for me to truly live as someone born from above? Let us consider how we can embody this love in our daily lives. Are there ways we can extend grace to those who are seeking? How can we be a source of hope and encouragement in our communities?

May we open our hearts to the Spirit’s work and receive the gift of new life.

Let us pray...

Gracious God,
We thank you for loving the world so deeply that you gave your Son. Thank you for meeting us in our questions and in our darkness. By your Spirit, bring new birth within us. Wash us, renew us, and shape us into the people you are calling us to be. Help us to trust in Christ, to walk in his light, and to share your love with others. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.