'Jesus replied: I assure you, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can never see the kingdom of God" (John 3: 5).

Can I suggest this title: Passport to the Kingdom. In order to travel from one country to another, every person - no matter how notable - must have a passport. Likewise, what Jesus is saying in our text can be considered a sort of passport into the kingdom of God. Jesus was visited by a VIP in the person of Nicodemus. He was a leading Pharisee of his day and had many commendable qualities. He wanted to know more about Jesus' concept of the kingdom.

He acknowledged that Jesus had unusual powers from God:

"Rabbi..no-one could show the signs that you show unless God were with him" (verse 2). Let's look at Jesus' words to Nicodemus. He went abruptly to the end of Nicodemus. Without being impressed with the credentials or his compliments, Jesus said: "I assure you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". Jesus gave a mandate to Nicodemus.

There is no other way to enter the kingdom. Think about what Nicodemus thought.

When Jesus mentioned the expression 'born again', Nicodemus thought of a physical birth. To go through the physical birth again would be an impossibility. Let's think about what Jesus meant. The Lord was not talking about a physical birth. He was talking about the miracle of a new beginning; allowing God to come into your life and change you. That is a miracle indeed! Listen to Nicodemus' questions. Twice the Pharisee asked "How?" (verses 4 and 9). Without a doubt Nicodemus wanted to know how he might have this new experience. In verse 8 Nicodemus was asked to observe the wind. "The wind blows where it likes...you can hear the sound of it but you have no idea where it comes from or where it goes..." The results of the wind blowing can be seen. Likewise, when the Lord comes into life, changes are evident.

This week's thought: The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train.