Born From Above
7:29:00 AM
In chapter three of John's Gospel, a teacher of Law - Nicodemus, visits Jesus by night...
I love this story. There is so much personal connection to it for me. During this season of Lent, we are hoping to meet Jesus - even if by night and in the dark.
I feel connected and empathize with Nicodemus. I remember as a young Christian back in 2008/2009, I was ashamed of telling others about my faith in Christ. I also thought I knew a lot in my early days of following Jesus. Let's face it - it can feel weird at times to admit you are a follower of Jesus. Especially considering how much my life had changed since coming into that relationship with Jesus. It's risky exposing your faith - and Nicodemus does the same thing. It's a secret for him. It had been a secret for me. But it didn't stay that way.
One of the reasons that Nicodemus visits Jesus by night is because he is amazed by the "signs" that Jesus had been performing. He is convinced that he must be connected to God because of those things. He also recognizes Jesus as a Rabbi - a teacher. Nicodemus is also a "teacher". The contrast is striking - a teacher of the nation of Israel visiting the ultimate teacher - Jesus.
And why not think that way about someone performing miraculous things? Aren't we all mesmerized by "signs"? So many today are still looking for "signs of the times" or miracle workers or other ways of proving God's existence. What Nicodemus doesn't know, is that Jesus isn't ready to call you a disciple if you think like that. Nicodemus is about to get a lesson from the supreme teacher.
Jesus challenges and instructs Nicodemus that he must instead be, 'born from above'. But what does that mean? Nicodemus didn't know either. To be re-born is not to be physically re-born, but to be made new in the Spirit of God. How deos that happen? Well, no one knows! Not even Jesus. Jesus says:
"The wind
blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell
where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how
people are born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
Bob Dylan said, "the answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind". Yep. Bob was correct. Nicodemus might not have it figured out, but neither have we. Part of this teaching from Jesus pulls on an Old Testament passage from Ezekiel 37:7-9 describing the valley of dry bones:
So I spoke this
message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling
noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and
attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then
as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed
to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then
he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man.
Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
We must be born again. Made alive again. Do we have the courage to come to that reality? Are we willing to meet Jesus in the dark night of the soul? Are we able to admit we don't have it all figured out? I know that it's extremely hard for me. I'm comfortable, at times, feeling superior in knowledge or understanding - only to find out that Jesus is showing me that I must re-think everything. And how I missed the point.
To be born again is painful. To have your comfortable identity reconstructed is tough on the heart and mind. The older you get, the harder it is to be re-born. But the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night is the reminder that I will never have it all figured out. In fact, most of my times coming to Jesus are by night - when my soul is troubled. I have found it easier to come to Jesus by night than by the daylight. A lot of times my mind runs at night. The promise in John's Gospel is that Jesus has overcome the darkness - the Light of the World.
The promise is not that Jesus will answer all of our questions, doubts or problems. He certainly doesn't do that for Nicodemus. But Jesus will point us in the right direction. We have to choose whether or not we will trust him. If you're like me, you probably think you know Jesus so well that there isn't a whole lot more to know. We couldn't be more wrong. We are called to be re-born - in the Spirit of God.
When you come to Jesus by night, are you able to see the light of the world? Are you willing to be re-born of the Spirit? Are you willing to step into the light?
Grace and peace,
BT
(The artwork is Visit of Nicodemus to Christ by John La Farge, 1880)
I leave you with a portion of St. John of the Cross' poem - Dark Night of the Soul
In the happy night,
In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught,
Without light or guide, save that which burned in my
heart.
This light guided me
More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me–
A place where none appeared.
Oh, night that guided me,
Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover,
Lover transformed in the Beloved!
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