Episode Nicodemus (John 3)
What did Jesus say about being “born again” and what does that mean for Christians today?
Chapter 1
What comes to mind when you hear the words “born again”? Well, this Bible study with the Discover the Word team of Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, Daniel Ryan Day, and Rasool Berry explores an important conversation Jesus had with a prominent religious leader named “Nicodemus.” It was that conversation that introduced the idea of being “born again.”
Chapter 2
Why would the idea of being “born again” have been so confusing to a religious leader—a Pharisee—in the first century? Well, in this conversation, Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, Daniel Ryan Day, and Rasool Berry explore how the religious “baggage” a Pharisee like Nicodemus would have been carrying could have hindered him from understanding what Jesus was saying
Chapter 3
Ever have someone tell you how to do something and you just didn’t get it? I think that’s happened to all of us. Well, in this episode of Discover the Word, Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, Daniel Ryan Day, and Rasool Berry explore whether the religious leader Nicodemus ever understood what being “born again” meant when Jesus explained that to him. Did he ever get it?
Chapter 4
What do you think of when you hear the word “impossible”? That may have been what Nicodemus was thinking when Jesus spoke to him about being “born again.” In this edition of Discover the Word, Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, Daniel Ryan Day, and Rasool Berry stay in John chapter 3 and continue looking at an important conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named “Nicodemus.”
Chapter 5
Why was it so difficult for Nicodemus to understand the concept of being “born again”? Did he ever get it and follow Jesus? Well, in this episode of Discover the Word, Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, Daniel Ryan Day, and Rasool Berry wrap up their conversation titled “Nicodemus” by exploring how this Pharisee turns up later in the gospel of John. Was Nicodemus ever “born again”?
About This Episode
- Show Notes
Receive
Jesus often said things that unsettled the very people who thought they understood God best. When He told Nicodemus he must be “born again,” it didn’t fit his framework—and he struggled to receive it.
Where might the same be true for you?
Is there anything—assumptions, expectations, past experiences—that could be shaping how you hear Jesus’ words today? Ask God to gently reveal and release anything that’s getting in the way.
Nicodemus didn’t understand everything at first, but he kept moving toward Jesus—stepping out of the shadows, speaking up, and showing up when it mattered most.
What might your next step toward Jesus look like?
Reflect
- Read John 3. As you reflect on the chapter, what stands out to you?
- Why do you think Nicodemus struggled to understand the meaning of being “born again” that Jesus mentioned in John 3:1–4?
- According to John 3:5–15, why must Jesus’ followers be “born again”?
- Based on John 7:50–51 and John 19:38–42, do you think Nicodemus eventually understood what it meant to be “born again” and became a follower of Jesus?
- How does John 3:16–17 encourage you as you read about God’s immense love for you?
Respond
(Use this prayer to start a conversation with God)
“Dear God, thank You that by Your Holy Spirit I can be born into Your kingdom. Thank You for renewing and cleansing me. Help me overcome any baggage that may be hindering me from completely receiving Your gift of eternal life through Your Son Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Help me as I seek to live for You.”
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