“His Pharisaic theology had made it almost impossible for him to apprehend new (to him) spiritual truths. It was outside of his groove (rote, rut, rot, the three terrible r’s of mere traditionalism).” (RWP) He could have understood the concept of a new birth from the Old Testament (Deut 30:6 Isa 49:21 66:8 Eze 18:31 36:25-26 37:9,10) had he not been blinded by the way he was taught. Robertson also observes, “Literally one must often empty his mind to receive new truth.” (RWP) Nicodemus was obviously having a difficult time doing this.

Deut 30:6  The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Isa 49:21  Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”

Isa 66:8  Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children.

Eze 18:31  Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?

Eze 36:25-26  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Eze 37:9-10  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Misunderstanding may come because a man has not arrived at a point where he can grasp that which is being taught, or it can come from a deliberate shutting of the mind to whatever he doesn’t want to accept. Which of these do you think best applies to Nicodemus? Have you ever refused to accept a truth from God?