Born to Live Again

The story of Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3 has lead to all sort of speculation: Why did Nic come at night? Was he being sincere or sarcastic? Was he trying to trap Jesus or was he really seeking truth? Honestly, most of these speculations don’t matter. A man seeks out Jesus. He is a very religious, zealous, highly educated leader of the Pharisees. He comes at night. Maybe because it is just when he has free time, maybe it is because he wants to be secretive – I don’t think it matters. He calls Jesus Rabbi – teacher. It is a title of honor and respect even though in his tradition, Jesus did not have the educational pedigree for such a title. I think he is sincere – there is not a crowd around for him to impress. Nic has seen Jesus perform miraculous signs, proving to him that Jesus is acting with the power of God. The miraculous signs are not enough to lead Nic to conversion – they are not the message. But they are signs that point to the man who has the message of life. This can be true of us too. We might get all excited about miracles and healings…and that stuff is great. But it is a sign. It points to a God who loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.

So Nic is there, Jesus is there. Nic does not really ask a question, but Jesus jumps right to the heart of why Nic has sought him out. As a zealous Pharisee, Nic anticipates the coming of the Messiah, the end of this age and the arrival of God’s kingdom. He anticipates his place in that Kingdom because he is Jewish. Jesus tells him that in order to see the kingdom, he has to start over – be born again. This is the nature of the event. You must start over with a clean slate. It could also be translated be born from above which would indicate the origin of this event – this birth is heavenly, a supernatural event. Being born a Jew isn’t enough. You need a fresh start, a spiritual fresh start. Jesus doesn’t ask him to bow his head and say a prayer and then like magic, you are in. No, you have to start over. You have to begin at the beginning and grow as a new person.

In “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, upon awakening from his night among the Christmas spirits, Scrooge exclaimed, ‘”I don’t know what day of the month it is! … I don’t know how long I’ve been among the Spirits. I don’t know anything. I’m quite a baby. Never mind. I don’t care. I’d rather be a baby.”’ That is the new birth. What is good? What is blessed? What is just? We enter the Kingdom as a new born, knowing nothing, dependent on Him for everything. This is a spiritual birth and there is a certain mystery to it. We need spiritual eyes and a spirit alive heart in order to understand spiritual things. Jesus is likely referring to a passage in Ezekiel when he says you must be born of the water and the spirit. Jesus is telling Nic (and us) that this new kingdom that has come is a kingdom of cleansing (water) and power (spirit) and it is here, now, accessible in Jesus. Jesus, as the one who has come from heaven is explaining to us first hand heavenly things. This new birth is from God, it is beyond our understanding and our control.

And here is the best secret of all: God made a way for us to begin to enjoy eternal, kingdom life now. In Jesus the Kingdom has come to earth. Jesus shows us that the kingdom is already and not yet. It is here because the King has come. Life in the kingdom is accessible now through him, but it is not yet fully realized. It has been inaugurated but not consummated. Part of the joy of this new birth is that we can become agents of this Kingdom; we can open this kingdom to those around us. We can be the catalyst through which Jesus manifests the Kingdom here on earth in our time, in our places!

In the most famous verses in the Bible, Jesus explains the scope of this kingdom. The unfathomable depths of God’s love are demonstrated in the ultimate sacrifice of the Son. And the vast scope of that love extends to the entire world – not just to the Jewish people. The response to that love is to receive the new, endless, supernatural life of the kingdom. The coming of this love, life and light forces a response. There is room for unbelief and rejection and those that chose that path will perish. This regeneration, this new life is more than seeing miracles and understanding that Jesus has come. This is a new way of being. It is a miracle work of God’s love and grace, to be born again. We must BE more than human. We must be supernaturally born to walk and work in the physical and spiritual realm.

The next time we encounter Nic, he is in the Sanhedrin as his peers are arguing over who or what Jesus is. Some want him arrested and Nic just reminds them that a person should get a fair hearing before he is condemned. And then we meet Nic one more time after the crucifixion. Nic joins Joseph of Arimathea in preparing Jesus’ body for burial. I think Nic got it. I think the new birth has taken place in his heart and life. I think when the Kingdom comes into it full glory we will be able to sit down with Nic and hear him tells of us his journey from questions to commitment.

Life in the kingdom is more than just mental assent. We can agree that Jesus is who he says he is but that does not get us into the kingdom. It is more than living rightly and morally that also does not get us to the kingdom. We must be born again. And I’m glad for that. I need a fresh start. Eternal life begins now. The Kingdom of God is here, now. I need surrender. I can’t understand, I can’t live right, I can’t be good enough. I need his cleansing and his power. We all are invited to start over with him, to be born again, to live in his kingdom…forever.