Christian Pathway

Today’s reading covers a LOT of ground, born again, Nicodemus, and it asks us a lot of questions too, So we have an interesting journey.

Nicodemus is an interesting character , a pharisee, an educated person of faith, feeling like he had to come to Jesus in the dark, so he wouldn’t be seen. He wasn’t just any pharisee either he was a member of the ruling council the Sanhedrin.( John 7:50–51)  Later when this council tries Jesus and sends him to be crucified, he stands up for him and later still he embalms Jesus body before it goes into the tomb (John 19:39–42). So, he goes on a journey with Jesus. To be fair as a lot of us do, from unsure supporter to public.

He knew Jesus was  a man of importance, as he 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.”

However despite that conviction at this point he still had to sneak around so his peers and his congregation would not think less of him.

I think that’s why Jesus doesn’t do any small talk in response to this quest and just offloads on him, he thinks this man a religious leader should be a lot closer to the truth “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

So, Nicodemus pays Jesus a compliment and  Jesus just make his next response a rebuke of him.

This is a man of great standing being treated like an underling. Jesus has no time for his status  and infers this person who is Gods representative in this community is way short of the required mark.
Interestingly, Nicodemus doesn’t fight back he simply confirms this by asking , openly admitting his lack of understanding

How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

Again Jesus talks down to him and speaks?

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 

Jesus then tries to explain , by giving him examples of where peoples actions are borne  of trust of God

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.”

This is a reference to Numbers verse 21 about chapter 4 onward . Where  Israel spoke against God, a swarm venomous snakes came and bit many people, and God told Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole. Anyone who looked at it in trust was healed.

The lifting up was also a reference to him being lifted on the cross. But all these things are about the trust that’s required, the faith that’s required to be quote unquote born again.

This would have really hurt Nicodemus , Jesus is saying the scripture you have taught your entire life points to me and you don’t get it?

Essentially what Jesus saying is that  what’s not required is Liturgy and rite,  what is required Is faith, and trust that God can heal to be Born again. Another way of looking at this is that in short what Jesus is saying is You have  come here seeking information  and don’t need more information, you need transformation.

For modern ears Born again is a loaded statement and I’m sure  it means something to you, and can mean something like a conservative, Bible‑centred, often charismatic, evangelical form of Christianity.

 I also think it can seem some sort of finality, like a thing that happens once and we move on drastically changed, and our behaviour changes, and we never go back to how we were? Any sign of stepping back can lead to accusations of not being truly born again

For those of us who never really understood what it can mean Jesus’ statement about being born again can be a little worrying? “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”  You can ask yourself am I , what do you do to be born again?

Some think it happens like a wedding , like an event at Baptism? But what about those of us who have always been part of the body of Christ, what about those of us whose faith was like a gradual change. Where there is no event?

This can leave some of us worrying, have I been born again?

My answer to that is probably yes , but maybe not next week?

I think our journey is exactly that a journey and born again happens in a number of ways. I think born again is  more like a marriage, and like all marriages it can have a few up and downs.

I have been married 34 years, and I met my wife when she was 21 and we have both changed a lot since those days. She is a wonderful person, and I must try hard to be as nice and kind as she is naturally. But like all couples I think life can have its ups and downs.

It is the same with our faith, it can ebb and flow with life’s events , and our doubts and things people can say to us that make us doubt. God of course remains constant; it is us that vacillate around gods’ constancy.

This is where our relationship with God or with our significant other can sometimes need a reset, to be born again again ?

I can recall a conversation with my wife where I said , I’m bored with arguing , what are we going to do? We made up and moved on with a new understanding of each other. Our relationship was reborn

So Born again isn’t a single event , it can happen many times over our lives   Then like the lost sheep (Luke 15) we can be welcomed back by a God that sits with sinners and rejoices when one of his number comes  home.

Because as it says in todays reading  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.

So God did not come into the world to condemn us if we wander off , but he came to save the  world through him.
To go searching for us and bring us home rejoicing

Then like my ever-forgiving wife we  get welcomed back into the fold.

So, this phrase born again as shown by Jesus’ explanation of it to Nicodemus is about trusting him to heal us from our sin, our doubt and be born into a new relationship. Maybe more than once maybe many many times.

I heard someone say marriage is falling in love with the same person repeatedly. I think Born again is like that, our love is reborn many many times

Each time we come back with a little more understanding and hopefully do it better. Spiritual rebirth is not a one-off event; its lifetimes work with a loving god that welcomes us back each time we weaken or wander off.

I think also born again is a journey to the point where unlike Nicodemus at the beginning we don’t feel worried what our peer group says, and we openly state Jesus is lord and mean it.(as Nicodemus later did)

Just like Nicodemus we start off seeing him in the dead of night almost afraid to let people know,  then the  relationship grows over time to where we publicly  stick up for  Jesus and openly show our love as our love grows.

if you feel born again, I am glad and I really hope you stay that  way, if you don’t then don’t worry it’s like that old saying ,  I love you yesterday and I will love you forever, but today you got on my nerves.

I wish love was an eternal state  of ecstasy like the rush of first love, albeit I do not think much would get done. My friend still teases me 34 years later was a sad and hopeless thing I was when I first met my wife.

But our love for Jesus is  love for the long haul and must last the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and it will. You may have patches along the way, but here is the thing
Once he claims you , he doesn’t let go. You are his and he is yours for eternity.

You are truly born again, just some days you may not know it 😊