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Scripture |
John 3:1-17 3 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel , and yet you do not understand these things? 11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
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Devotional |
Nicodemus enters the story in a bad light. “A leader of the Jews” and “he came by night” identifies Nicodemus a questionable character. If we focus on these aspects of his visit, we will miss the message just as Nicodemus did. Another point on which we become bogged down with is “born again.” The use of the phrase “born again” in contemporary North American Christianity is instructive in this regard. This expression, which derives from Jesus’ use of a[nwqen anothen in 3:3 and 7, has become a slogan and rallying cry for an entire segment of contemporary Christian experience. Indeed, the validity of a person’s faith is frequently judged by whether one has been “born again.” Born-again Christianity also exerts significant influence on discussions of politics and religion in North American culture. Yet this use of the expression occurs in isolation from its context in John 3 and with no attention to the complexities of the word anothen. Rather, anothen is flattened to have only one meaning, roughly equivalent to an individual’s private moment of conversion. 1 Is Jesus referring to an experience that is also a mystery? “You must be born from above” along with being born of water and Spirit is the message of Jesus. Water and Spirit could define Christian baptism. Are these the words of the Johannine Jesus or John’s Christian community? Regardless of which the message is clear. We experience new life in Jesus Christ that remains a mystery. The mystery of the new birth is much more than a slogan, it is a way of life. By codifying the expression “born again” and turning it into a slogan, interpreters risk losing the powerful offer of new life contained in Jesus’ words. Nicodemus and the reader are intended to struggle with the expression “born anothen” in order to discern what kind of new birth is at the same time birth from above. In that struggle of interpretation, the reader is called to listen to all of Jesus’ words in this text, not just a few of them. As the reader moves with Nicodemus and Jesus through this dialogue and into the discourse, a fresh and fuller understanding of “born anothen” emerges. “Born anothen” is complicated to interpret because its language and its promise transcend conventional categories. It envisions a new mode of life for which there are no precedents, life born of water and the Spirit, life regenerated through the cross of Jesus. If interpreters turn “born again” into a slogan, they domesticate the radical newness of Jesus’ words and diminish the good news. 2 As we continue to struggle with the questions, we should remain open to all the answers. New life means new beginnings but always continues to be a mystery. It becomes a slogan or a way of life. Jesus did not tell Nicodemus to do anything. This is not a command he was to obey. Jesus was telling about something God is doing. God generating new life in to you and me.
1 Gail R. O’Day, The Gospel of John. The New Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville : Abingdon Press, Vol. IX , 1995. p.554 |