Born of the Spirit

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:1-21, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

I have to admit that I have a lot of sympathy for Nicodemus. This is the first among many conversations in John's Gospel that leave us—or at least, me—bewildered at the things Jesus has to say. When I read this Gospel, I oftentimes find myself scratching my head and wondering "What does Jesus mean by that?" I'm afraid that if I would have encountered Jesus when he walked the earth that I probably would have been one of the disciples who "turned back and no longer followed him" (6:66). So, when Nicodemus expresses his incredulity at Jesus' teaching, I understand wholeheartedly what he's asking. So, what exactly does he mean when he says "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again"? What does it mean to be "born again"? How can someone possibly be "born again"? What on earth is Jesus talking about?

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According to New Testament theologian NT Wright, 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 (see Jesus' conversation with the Jews in John 8:31-59). But in his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus essentially says 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 generosity. And they easily and naturally begin to display the character traits of the God who breathed new life into them (Galatians 5:13-23). 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 June Criner so beautifully wrote about last week, 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.

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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." They’re 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.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Father, for birthing us anew and afresh through the power of your Spirit. As we trust in the Son of Man, the one who came from heaven, may your Spirit move freely and powerfully in our lives, leading us forward on the great adventure of faith.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am missing my kiddos. Kate and I will be hopping on an airplane Wednesday evening, headed to Maine for a couple of weeks. Can't wait to see these two faces on Thursday morning!