THE KING’S BUSINESS
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word of Hebrew derivation coming from a verb that means “to separate.” The Pharisees regarded themselves as separated from the ordinary run of men (Luke 18:11). They were the holy people, too good to touch an ordinary Jew. Furthermore, Nicodemus as a member of the Sanhedrin, was one reputed as pre-eminently holy and zealous. He could understand how a Gentile could need a new birth, but that he, a Jew and a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, and a teacher should need a new birth, that was the staggering thing, and therein is a lesson for each one of us. If there could be an exception to the rule that no man can see the kingdom of God except he be born again, Nicodemus would be that exception. There could be no doubt that he had most scrupulously observed the externals of the law of God. He was a man of culture, “the teacher of Israel” (v. 10), a man of pure life and large generosity, a man exceedingly religious, most devoted in the observation of all the externalities of religious forms, a man with an eager desire to know the truth, and he was willing- to humble himself to obtain the knowledge of the truth, a man of holy aspirations. He is a representative of human nature at its very best, and yet our Lord says of him, “I say unto thee, Except one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Thus our Lord annihilates all our modern conceptions that a man can be saved by mere culture or character or external reform, or by the observation of the externalities of him. What is said applies, to anyone. Our Lord puts the necessity of the new birth in the strongest possible, form. He says there is absolutely no exception to the rule, “Except a man” (litjerally, any one ) be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus had hidden behind the plural “we” (v. 2), but the Lord
that of the rich young man who later came to Jesus (Matt. 19:16), “How may I obtain eternal life ?” As a faithful Jew and a Pharisee and a teacher, he had no question that when the kingdom appeared, he would undoubtedly be one of its members, and yet for all his Pharisaic self-confidence there was underneath it all dissatisfaction with self and an uncertainty as to his being a true member of the kingdom, and as to whether he really would inherit eternal life. The words, “Verily, verily (or, Amen, amen), are found in this double form only in John’s Gospel, though “verily” in the single form is found frequently in the other Gospels. The double form occurs 25 times in this Gospel. The word so translated is really Hebrew and our “Amen” is •the Anglicized form of it. It means “firm” or “faithful” or “sure.” The single form means surely, of a truth, truly ; the double form strengthens the single form and means “most assuredly.” As used by our Lord it is a most solemn form of asseveration calling to and laying tremendous emphasis upon what is about to be said. While all the words of our Lord are God’s words (ch. 3:34; 14:10) and are therefore worthy of the most careful and thoughtful 'attention, those utterances of His which He prefaces with “Verily, verily,” demand especial attention, and should be deeply pondered. The expression, “I say unto thee” is also an emphatic formula. It is rendered especially emphatic in this case by the “thee” being in the singular, making our Lord’s answer most personal to Nicodemus. In the Greek the “thee” is very emphatic ; our Lord Jesus would have Nicodemus understand that He was not merely stating a general principle, but a principle that applied in a very particular and personal way to Himself. Nicodemus was a Pharisee (v. 1). Pharisee is a
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