"Nicodemus answered and Jesus said".....heard this a few times over have we not?
Thank God for this discourse between a master in Israel and our Lord~recorded for us to learn a wonderful truth~one must be born again, before they can see, and understand spiritual truth, impossible for it to be otherwise, since men by nature are at enmity against the holy scriptures, they truly consider the scriptures below their high opinion that they have of themselves and what they want others to think of them, since all men believe that the scriptures are a crutch for weak minded individuals who are below them in every way imaginable who need something better than what they have in this world.
"How can these things be?" I love the humble spirit of this man named Nicodemus~he humbly ask our Lord this simple question because he was still in spiritual ignorance of this biblical truth of being born again, and even more so, concerning the truth that it must proceed the gift of faith, even though he was a living example of this truth before us!
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou not a master in Israel, and know not these things?" The new birth is taught all through the scriptures in different manner and allegories. Yes, it takes spiritual eyes given by the Spirit of the Living God to see truths and and even more so, to take those truths and open them up to God's sheep and even lambs.
Consider the great man Abraham~A man among a nations of heathens worshipping other gods. How did it come to pass that this man left his homeland to seek a better country than the one he had? God Almighty called him alone, to leave and to follow him.
The gift of faith was freely given to Abraham the father of all that believe ~we know that God likewise gave Lot the same power, only he did not make the best of his God given faith.
We see in the life of Isaac how his birth was a beautiful picture of all of the children of God's promises are born again~we are born again based on two immutable acts of God, his oath and his promises of grace, Isaac being the perfect picture of all of those born of the Spirit of God.
Our spiritual birth was solely accomplish by the power of God's Spirit alone according to his holy oath and promises of grace to the seed of Jesus Christ.Galatians 4:28-31~"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Why had not this master in Israel considered these precious truth? They were hidden from him, and besides, it takes the working of God's Spirit to reveal any truth much more so the new birth~for it goes against the pride of sinful man telling him that he is a corrupt sinner unable to even desire to love and fear God on his own and in his sinful condition he is in by nature.
Most truths we will learn in our lifetime will come via by the help of uneducated men and women whom God has revealed his truths to.
Amen.1st Corinthians 1:26-31~"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."