seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and 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.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g]
16 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. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
People know John 3:16. It's even advertised at football games. People who know nothing of the Bible know that verse. But do they understand "born again"?There's a story inside this story. It's interesting and I think it might help explain Born Again. The only reason I think so.... is that Jesus brought it up in the middle of this teaching. The story is found in Numbers 21:4-9. Yep it's an Old Testament story.... and Jesus is going to use a story that Nicodemus should know by heart. It's about Moses and those Pharisees loved Moses and everything about Moses.
Over two million people left Egypt with Moses. They had to walk all the way from Egypt to Israel.... they didn't know they were headed to Israel... they were just following Moses. They knew they were going to a "Promised Land" but they didn't know where it was. They were just following Moses... and... they got bored with walking.... bored with being tired.... bored with not knowing where they were going..... bored with not knowing why they were going anyway.... and they were bored with the manna.
They started to complain.... can you imagine..... over two million people complaining. So... according to the story.... God let loose a pack of venomous snakes. Those snakes shook them up.... those snakes caused a lot of deaths. It got their attention and they stopped their complaining and they begged Moses to do something about it. God told Moses to put a snake on a pole. Moses fashioned a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived.
Jesus told Nicodemus that Jesus was like that Bronze Snake..... anyone who looked at that bronze snake got to survive. They were told by Moses if they looked at the snake they would live. They believed what Moses said.
When I say there were over two million of them.... the two million is only the count of the free male descendants of Jacob [Israel]. The women, children, slaves and gentiles weren't even counted. This was a group of people so huge the country of Edom told them to go around.... they couldn't handle that many refugees. They were in the desert... in the days before CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox. There were no televisions.... or radios.... or printing presses to feed them news. They saw their friends and families being bitten by a venomous snake and dying.... and so many were crying over the death toll from these snakes.... they stopped complaining about the manna and asked Moses to do something.
Looking at the snake on a pole was the vaccine of the day. If they looked at the snake on the pole.... they would live.
Now.... how in the world does that figure in to the story of Nicodemus and being Born Again?
According to Matthew's Gospel.... Jesus came right out and say that the Pharisees are like venomous snakes.
So.... now.... going back to the story at hand. I have to deal with the timing of this visit. The Bible intentionally states that it happened at night. Nicodemus went to Jesus at night. I've always figured he was hiding from the other Pharisees..... like he was doing research. I figure Nicodemus didn't know he was just a venomous snake. I figure Nicodemus was willing to listen to what Jesus had to say. I also figure, since the commentaries can't make up their mind "why" Nicodemus decided to go see Jesus at night..... night was convenient for them, according to one commentary.
So.... timing aside.... what in the world does it mean to be Born Again?
The descendants of Jacob [Israel] thought they had a free ticket to Heaven. They thought if they were faithful to perform the right sacrifice at the right time.... if they covered every sin with an ox, sheep, oil or grain as prescribed by Moses in the Law.... they would go to Heaven. They were, after all, God's chosen. They were wrong. The Pharisees were lying to those free men who got to worship in the Temple right outside the Holy of Holies. They all thought they were good enough to argue with God about the menu in the desert. But they were dying.
The Pharisees were like the snakes in the desert. Anyone they taught the wrong message.... was doomed to die. There is no free ticket to Heaven handed to the mother of a newborn descendant of Jacob [Israel] at birth. There is no free ticket to Heaven handed to a father of an eight day old descendant of Jacob [Israel] at the circumcision. The Pharisees were teaching a dead message. Humans cannot cook enough lamb, oxen, grain or oil to save their own souls. There is always that one little sin.... hanging out there.... even if it's just the sin of continuing to be ignorant when the truth was right there in front of them the whole time.
There are some, like my mother, who believe that Jesus was saying..... "do better in your next try at life". They think there is a second chance at doing what is right. They think there is a reincarnation. Brother... that is way over my head.....
I think.... Nicodemus was sitting on the fence. I think Nicodemus was moved by Jesus. I think Nicodemus [to bring it into today's language] saw that the force was with Jesus... and Nicodemus wanted to know more. Jesus told Nicodemus..... "you have to have a fresh start.... I'm here now... stop preaching Moses.... I'm your guy. I'm your bronze snake on a pole. All you have to do is "Believe".
To be Born Again..... is to get a fresh start.
Jesus told Nicodemus.... God sent His Only Begotten Son.... and Nicodemus [a Pharisee, part of the ruling class, a priest of high standing in the Temple] should stop being the venomous snake and change his tune.
To be Born Again..... is to get a fresh start.
Jesus is our bronze snake on a pole.....
Happy New Year's eve! After a strange Christmas, I'm happy a new year starts tomorrow. Of course it doesn't change a thing with God.... because He created time and humans created our calendar.... so to God it's just another nana-second in eternity.... but to us.... 2020 is hopefully going to close tonight.