Last time we met we saw how Jesus knows us full well, today we get to listen in on a conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
We have two players involved, Jesus…. Son of God and Nicodemus, Pharisee, ruler of the Jews. The scene plays out at night.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus with a statement. You do signs, signs come from God, ergo you are a teacher from God.
It seems to me an odd response by Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Odd or not though, Nicodemus immediately responded to it by asking how a man can be born twice? It’s not like he can crawl into his momma’s belly again.
Jesus then went on to make it clear that he is talking about spiritual birth, not physical. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. “
Do you see that Jesus doesn’t want Nicodemus to be fretting over what he doesn’t completely understand. He wants him to just understand that true faith is born of the Spirit not of blood line.
Nicodemus doesn’t get it though. “How can these things be?”
Jesus ends up challenging him (at least that’s how it read to me). Nicodemus is a leader among the Jews. Nicodemus is also a teacher. As a teacher he doesn’t really understand this???
Jesus tells him that “we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen”. But Nicodemus you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Do you see how Jesus points him to an act of faith from the Old Testament? This would be an event that as a teacher Nicodemus would know well. It wasn’t the bronze snake that healed people…it was the looking to it (that act of faith) that healed them. If Nicodemus doesn’t understand this, how will he understand heavenly matters? How will he understand when the Son of Man is lifted up. Those who believe will have eternal life.
I get much of this story Nicodemus has questions, Jesus steers him to what is most important, Nicodemus doesn’t get it, Jesus challenges him to think beyond the physical, to see the spiritual. We aren’t told here if he ever really gets it. I have to admit… I am just not sure I totally get all the connections.
I need to do what I told my lad today… I need to think about what I can take away from this passage, even if I don’t understand it all. We need to come to his word seeking for truth that we can take away and become more of the people he wants us to be. How do I find Jesus in this passage? What truth can I take away today?
To enter the kingdom of God is an action of faith. Faith is believing in what we can’t see. So even if we don’t see something we know it to be true. Like believing that the bronze serpent would bring healing by looking at it, we know it wasn’t the snake doing the healing… it was God doing the healing by their faith in his redeeming action. Faith matters you know? It matters to look beyond what makes sense physically. To look beyond it and see where God is in the picture. I need to always look for where I can find God.
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