February 7, 2023
Understanding the Misunderstanding
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3: 1-3 (NASB)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be born all over again? What would life look like for you if you were born into this present age? Would your life ever be like the one you live now? Would it be different? I asked my mom this question years ago. She was born in 1930. Imagine how much has changed for her. After a long discussion, she said, “I don’t know if I want to live much longer now,” “I have seen so much change in this world that I am not sure if I want to see much more.” It is sad our world has become what it has. It can make a person wonder though what it would be like. What would it be like to be born again?
Nicodemus becomes the third installation of inquiries from mankind about Jesus’ ministry. His statement, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” is unique one. His statement of agreement said that Jesus had come from God. As a teacher though? In fact, more from Nicodemus also comes to light of his misunderstanding: “You have come from God” and, “no one can do these signs unless God is with him.” This provides some insight into the mind of Nicodemus. He had questions about Jesus’ ministry which he didn’t even know existed. Was He a prophet? Was He a teacher? Was He God or is God with him? The response from Jesus is one that only can be known by God. Note Jesus’ answer. It doesn’t line up with his inquiries. Jesus replied with an answer to which he never asked. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus, you’re asking the wrong question!
Instead of inquiring about the identity of Jesus (as the Jews did), Nicodemus missed it. They missed the message and concentrated on the messenger. Nicodemus (a Pharisee) and his group (of fellow 6000 Pharisees) spent their lives concentrating on the external things of obedience (Mosaic Law and traditions). Jesus knew the issue of their hearts. It was their sole outward obedience that became problematic, and Jesus knew the inside was where change needed to happen. The need to be “born again.”
If we are all honest, I think most of us are pretty much law-abiding citizens. We pay our taxes, bills, and treat people mostly fair. We do it. We don’t always like it. We do it because it is right, legal, or moral. This is externalism if not understood in the right context. The Jews had this problem too. They did what they believed was right in the sight of God but missed Him along the way. They thought that their religious externalism would qualify them into the spiritual kingdom. It wasn’t. Jesus on the other hand wanted them to see that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a game changer. This means all of our external acts mean nothing without a change, “born again.” This “born again” means to be conceived from above or regenerated, not doing acts to be righteous before God. Birth is the beginning of life; to be born again is to begin to live anew with purpose. If you are born again, your life has purpose. There is purpose. There is meaning. This way you can say you have lived this life to its fullest!