A man named Nicodemus, a leader among the religious elite, went to visit Jesus at night, recognizing him as a Teacher who came from God.

He said to him, “No one can perform the signs you are doing if God is not with him.” And Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Nicodemus went to seek Jesus at night to avoid being seen. He acknowledged the power of God emanating from the Savior, but he had only come to probe him, to observe him out of curiosity, without crossing the line into the personal.

It reminds me of many people who speak of Jesus as a topic of study, as a historical figure with debatable astonishing deeds, with plausible moral teachings.

We can observe that the Savior sets aside this way of seeing God as a topic to be discussed, and focuses on Nicodemus’s urgent salvation.

It’s not going to be Nicodemus analyzing God; it’s going to be the Creator delving into Nicodemus’s heart and being concerned with the most pressing matter: His salvation.

That’s why Jesus redirected the dialogue and said to him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”