A.T. Robertson Commentary John 3

Now (δε). So often in John δε is explanatory and transitional, not adversative. Nicodemus is an instance of Christ's knowledge of men (2:25) and of one to whom he did trust himself unlike those in 2:24. As a Pharisee "he belonged to that party which with all its bigotry contained a salt of true patriotism and could rear such cultured and high-toned men as Gamaliel and Paul" (Marcus Dods).

Named Nicodemus (Νικοδημος ονομα). Same construction as in 1:6, "Nicodemus name to him." So Re 6:8. It is a Greek name and occurs in Josephus (Ant. XIV. iii. 2) as the name of an ambassador from Aristobulus to Pompey. Only in John in N.T. (here, 7:50; 19:39). He was a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and wealthy. There is no evidence that he was the young ruler of Lu 18:18 because of αρχων (ruler) here.

The same (ουτος). "This one."

By night (νυκτος). Genitive of time. That he came at all is remarkable, not because there was any danger as was true at a later period, but because of his own prominence. He wished to avoid comment by other members of the Sanhedrin and others. Jesus had already provoked the opposition of the ecclesiastics by his assumption of Messianic authority over the temple. There is no ground for assigning this incident to a later period, for it suits perfectly here. Jesus was already in the public eye (2:23) and the interest of Nicodemus was real and yet he wished to be cautious.

Rabbi (Ραββε). See on 1:38. Technically Jesus was not an acknowledged Rabbi of the schools, but Nicodemus does recognize him as such and calls him "My Master" just as Andrew and John did (1:38). It was a long step for Nicodemus as a Pharisee to take, for the Pharisees had closely scrutinized the credentials of the Baptist in 1:19-24 (Milligan and Moulton's Comm.).

We know (οιδαμεν). Second perfect indicative first person plural. He seems to speak for others of his class as the blind man does in 9:31. Westcott thinks that Nicodemus has been influenced partly by the report of the commission sent to the Baptist (1:19-27).

Thou art a teacher come from God (απο θεου εληλυθας διδασκαλος). "Thou hast come from God as a teacher." Second perfect active indicative of ερχομα and predicative nominative διδασκαλος. This is the explanation of Nicodemus for coming to Jesus, obscure Galilean peasant as he seemed, evidence that satisfied one of the leaders in Pharisaism.

Can do (δυνατα ποιειν). "Can go on doing" (present active infinitive of ποιεω and so linear).

These signs that thou doest (ταυτα τα σημεια α συ ποιεις). Those mentioned in 2:23 that convinced so many in the crowd and that now appeal to the scholar. Note συ (thou) as quite out of the ordinary. The scorn of Jesus by the rulers held many back to the end (John 12:42), but Nicodemus dares to feel his way.

Except God be with him (εαν μη η ο θεος μετ' αυτου). Condition of the third class, presented as a probability, not as a definite fact. He wanted to know more of the teaching accredited thus by God. Jesus went about doing good because God was with him, Peter says (Acts 10:38).

Except a man be born anew (εαν μη τις γεννηθη ανωθεν). Another condition of the third class, undetermined but with prospect of determination. First aorist passive subjunctive of γενναω. Ανωθεν. Originally "from above" , then "from heaven" (John 3:31), then "from the first" (Luke 1:3), and then "again" (παλιν ανωθεν, Galatians 4:9). Which is the meaning here? The puzzle of Nicodemus shows (δευτερον, verse 4) that he took it as "again," a second birth from the womb. The Vulgate translates it by renatus fuerit denuo. But the misapprehension of Nicodemus does not prove the meaning of Jesus. In the other passages in John (3:31; 19:11,23) the meaning is "from above" (δεσυπερ) and usually so in the Synoptics. It is a second birth, to be sure, regeneration, but a birth from above by the Spirit.

He cannot see the kingdom of God (ου δυνατα ιδειν την βασιλειαν του θεου). To participate in it as in Lu 9:27. For this use of ιδειν (second aorist active infinitive of οραω) see Joh 8:51; Revelation 18:7.

Being old (γερων ων). Nicodemus was probably familiar with the notion of re-birth for proselytes to Judaism for the Gentiles, but not with the idea that a Jew had to be reborn. But "this stupid misunderstanding" (Bernard) of the meaning of Jesus is precisely what John represents Nicodemus as making. How "old" Nicodemus was we do not know, but surely too old to be the young ruler of Lu 18:18 as Bacon holds. The blunder of Nicodemus is emphasized by the second question with the μη expecting the negative answer. The use of δευτερον adds to the grotesqueness of his blunder. The learned Pharisee is as jejune in spiritual insight as the veriest tyro. This is not an unheard of phenomenon.

Of water and the Spirit (εξ υδατος κα πνευματος). Nicodemus had failed utterly to grasp the idea of the spiritual birth as essential to entrance into the Kingdom of God. He knew only Jews as members of that kingdom, the political kingdom of Pharisaic hope which was to make all the world Jewish (Pharisaic) under the King Messiah. Why does Jesus add εξ υδατος here? In verse 3 we have "ανωθεν" (from above) which is repeated in verse 7, while in verse 8 we have only εκ του πνευματος (of the Spirit) in the best manuscripts. Many theories exist. One view makes baptism, referred to by εξ υδατος (coming up out of water), essential to the birth of the Spirit, as the means of obtaining the new birth of the Spirit. If so, why is water mentioned only once in the three demands of Jesus (3,5,7)? Calvin makes water and Spirit refer to the one act (the cleansing work of the Spirit). Some insist on the language in verse 6 as meaning the birth of the flesh coming in a sac of water in contrast to the birth of the Spirit. One wonders after all what was the precise purpose of Jesus with Nicodemus, the Pharisaic ceremonialist, who had failed to grasp the idea of spiritual birth which is a commonplace to us. By using water (the symbol before the thing signified) first and adding Spirit, he may have hoped to turn the mind of Nicodemus away from mere physical birth and, by pointing to the baptism of John on confession of sin which the Pharisees had rejected, to turn his attention to the birth from above by the Spirit. That is to say the mention of "water" here may have been for the purpose of helping Nicodemus without laying down a fundamental principle of salvation as being by means of baptism. Bernard holds that the words υδατος κα (water and) do not belong to the words of Jesus, but "are a gloss, added to bring the saying of Jesus into harmony with the belief and practice of a later generation." Here Jesus uses εισελθειν (enter) instead of ιδειν (see) of verse 3, but with the same essential idea (participation in the kingdom).