Born From Above

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
John 3 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again… Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:3, 5-8, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
I love the Gospel of John. I love not only the story John tells, but the way in which he tells it. His gospel is filled with unique language, metaphors, and imagery. One of the most unique features of John's gospel is the number of extended dialogs or discourses. While Matthew records the Sermon on the Mount (Luke records an abbreviated version), most of the recorded teachings in the Synoptic Gospels are in the form of pithy sayings or parables. But John presents a good portion of his story in the form of long talks that Jesus engages in with individuals or groups of people. 

Many of these discussions are filled with symbolic elements that are strange to our ears and cause a good amount of confusion. This particular chapter is a good example of such an in-depth discussion, and it's chock-full with a number of features that are hard to understand. But let's be encouraged, we are not alone in our confusion. Even Nicodemus, "Israel's teacher" (verse 10), struggled to grasp the new knowledge that Jesus was dropping on him.

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This story reminds me of a recent incident in my life. Last month, I received a letter from a particular organization that helps to manage some of my disability services. The letter requested copies of several documents, one of which was my birth certificate. There was just one problem… I had lost my birth certificate. I used to know where I had a copy. But I suspect I decided to file it away in a very, very safe place. Unfortunately, that place proved to be so safe that I couldn't find it. Thankfully, I was able to order another copy for a small sum of money.

At one point throughout this whole process, I found myself thinking that it's ironic that the one thing that a birth certificate isn't needed for is to prove that a birth took place. The proof is me. Here I am, a living, breathing, human being. Obviously, I must've been born. The fact that at the moment I can't officially prove when and where is but a minor detail.

When many Christians discuss the "new birth," the "second birth," or the "birth from above," they often forget this. These Christians tend to focus almost exclusively on when they "walked the aisle" or "prayed the Sinner's Prayer" or "accepted Jesus into their hearts." 

But that's a bit like someone framing their birth certificate, hanging it on the wall, and insisting on showing it to everyone who comes into the house. What matters for most purposes is not that once upon a time you were born. What matters most is that you are alive now, and that your present life day-by-day and moment-by-moment, is showing evidence of health and strength and purpose.

A similar thing is at work in our Christian experience. While it's definitely important that a spiritual birth took place, the important thing is to not point back again and again to what happened at the moment of birth. Instead, the most important thing is to feed and nurture and strengthen the spiritual life at work within us.

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What Jesus says to Nicodemus in this nighttime conversation is much starker and more sharply focused than we usually imagine. This is not simply a casual conversation about the second birth—this is a revolutionary conversation filled with earth-shattering truth. 

To fully grasp Jesus' teachings in the Gospels, we have to seek to understand the mindset of Jews in the first century. And, the Judaism that Nicodemus was familiar with had everything to do with being born into the right family. What mattered was being a child of Abraham. Of course, a few other things mattered too, but everything was based on being a son or daughter of Abraham. But in this conversation, Jesus essentially tells Nicodemus that God is starting a new family in which ordinary birth isn't enough. You need to be born all over again, born "from above." 

As an aside, the same word, here, can mean "a second time" and "from above." I, personally, prefer "from above" because it points to God's initiative. This is something John highlighted previously, when he wrote: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God" (1:12-13).

The point of all this is that God's kingdom is now thrown open to anyone and everyone. The Spirit of God is on the move, like a fresh spring breeze, and no human family, tribe, organization or system can keep up with him. (The word for "wind," is the same word as you'd use for "spirit.") The wind is a wild and unpredictable force. We can't tell "where it comes from or where it is going," but we can see its effects—trees dancing, leaves swirling, grass swaying. The wind animates and gives life. 

Similarly, the Spirit of God moves about with a wild freedom, giving life to those he touches in a manner that is mysterious and hard to put your finger on. We can't actually see the Spirit moving, but we can see his effects in the lives of all true believers. Those who are birthed by the Spirit experience a change of life and a change of character. They no longer live for themselves, but pursue a life of others-centered love. They renounce the desires of their flesh and, instead, live a life of absolute freedom. And they easily and naturally begin to display the character traits of the God who breathed new life into them (Galatians 5:13-26). This is true, whether they fit into the traditional religious mold or not.

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This is all so confusing to Nicodemus. Even as a respected teacher in Israel, he has to admit that he doesn't understand what Jesus is saying. And there's a good reason for that. In verses 10-13 we have the first of many passages in which Jesus speaks about a new knowledge—indeed, a new sort of knowing. It's a way of knowing that comes from God, from heaven.

This new way of knowing, and the new knowledge we get through it, is given by the "Son of Man"—the one who came "from heaven" (verse 13). As we were told previously, the "Son of Man" is now the ladder which joins heaven and earth (1:51). If we want to understand not only the heavenly world, but the way in which God is now joining heaven and earth together, we must listen to the "Son of Man," and walk with him on the road he is now to take.

………

If the new birth is a mystery, we shouldn't expect life in Christ to be any different. Jesus lived as the quintessential man of mystery. Much of this is because he was guided by the wildly free Holy  Spirit, who descended upon him at his baptism (1:32). His teachings turn everything we've encountered throughout our life on its head. While we might find the things Jesus said to be hard to understand, and maybe even confusing, Jesus' words were "full of the Spirit and life" (6:63). 

A perfect case in point is what he said in verses 14-15: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." In referencing this story from Israel's history (Numbers 21:4-9), Jesus is clearly pointing to his death. Who would have ever imagined that God would send his long-awaited Messiah into the world for the express purpose of being "lifted up"—crucified? It makes absolutely no sense to our way of thinking. But in God's economy, the crucifixion of the Son of Man was the absolute best way to demonstrate who he is—the God of self-giving love. The cross is the ultimate ladder set up between heaven and earth.

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Those who look to the crucified Son of Man in believing faith, receive the gift of "eternal life" (verse 16). That is, they are "born from above," "born of water and the Spirit." There born to a life of mystery and adventure following the leading of the wildly free Spirit of God. 

Let us, this day, set aside our preconceived notions and our comfortable religion. And let us, this day, embrace the teaching and mindset of the Son of Man, the one who came from heaven so that we might have life.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom. While I admittedly have some Grinch-like characteristics regarding our typical celebration of Christmas, I have had a great time purchasing presents for our kids. This is a new thing to me, and it's a ton of fun. J