Daily Bread 2010 - John 3
Daily Bread 2010 – John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The 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."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
In John’s Gospel, like the other 3, we Jesus’ continuing dialogue with the religious leaders of his day. Today, we meet Nicodemus, who was one of the ruling council. Apparently, he came to him at night for he was afraid to be associated with Jesus. Whatever the case, Nicodemus is a seeker, who knows about some of the “signs” Jesus is doing. Nicodemus comes to check it out for himself.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can see the Kingdom of God (which the signs are pointing to) unless they are “born again”. Nicodemus is puzzled by this because he is taking Jesus literally. Nicodemus doesn’t understand how someone can be born a second time, if he was born once through natural means.
But Jesus is talking about a “spiritual rebirth”, the kind that comes when one receives the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit takes residence in someone (as a result of their belief that Jesus is the Messiah) they are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. It is not as important what type of experience you had in becoming “born again”, as that you have experienced new life in the Spirit. Paul spends much of his letters to the early church talking about the “life in the Spirit”.
At Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus has risen from the dead, the disciples will gather to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Often today in the church, we leave this kind of stuff to those who are “born again”, or “charismatic”. But these experiences are not meant for those in a particular denomination, but every believer. People experience being “born again” in different ways, including being baptized as an infant and growing up in the church.
As I have said on numerous occasions, the Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity. What does this mean? It means we need to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, just like we have a relationship with God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit’s presence and power is more difficult to discern, but as we seek the Spirit we will find him. Are you born again? Are you filled with the Spirit? These are normative for the early church, and they can be normative to us as we approach these matters in healthy, non-manipulative way. Ie. Teaching people how to have a personal relationship with Christ and helping people to experience the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit are two of the most important matters the Church should be about today that will lead to the re-vitalization of its membership and mission in the world.
Dear Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts. Help us to be born again to a new life and be led by Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. God teach us to learn how to know and feel Your Spirit so He can guide and lead us every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The 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."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
In John’s Gospel, like the other 3, we Jesus’ continuing dialogue with the religious leaders of his day. Today, we meet Nicodemus, who was one of the ruling council. Apparently, he came to him at night for he was afraid to be associated with Jesus. Whatever the case, Nicodemus is a seeker, who knows about some of the “signs” Jesus is doing. Nicodemus comes to check it out for himself.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can see the Kingdom of God (which the signs are pointing to) unless they are “born again”. Nicodemus is puzzled by this because he is taking Jesus literally. Nicodemus doesn’t understand how someone can be born a second time, if he was born once through natural means.
But Jesus is talking about a “spiritual rebirth”, the kind that comes when one receives the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit takes residence in someone (as a result of their belief that Jesus is the Messiah) they are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. It is not as important what type of experience you had in becoming “born again”, as that you have experienced new life in the Spirit. Paul spends much of his letters to the early church talking about the “life in the Spirit”.
At Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus has risen from the dead, the disciples will gather to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Often today in the church, we leave this kind of stuff to those who are “born again”, or “charismatic”. But these experiences are not meant for those in a particular denomination, but every believer. People experience being “born again” in different ways, including being baptized as an infant and growing up in the church.
As I have said on numerous occasions, the Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity. What does this mean? It means we need to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, just like we have a relationship with God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit’s presence and power is more difficult to discern, but as we seek the Spirit we will find him. Are you born again? Are you filled with the Spirit? These are normative for the early church, and they can be normative to us as we approach these matters in healthy, non-manipulative way. Ie. Teaching people how to have a personal relationship with Christ and helping people to experience the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit are two of the most important matters the Church should be about today that will lead to the re-vitalization of its membership and mission in the world.
Dear Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts. Help us to be born again to a new life and be led by Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. God teach us to learn how to know and feel Your Spirit so He can guide and lead us every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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