Jesus must have
seen promise in this well-dressed, prim and proper Pharisee. Otherwise he would have deflated his ego
where he stood. Jesus has a way of doing
just that with people who proudly trumpet their religiosity and spiritual
superiority. But in this case, Jesus
looks past Nicodemus’ weak attempt to veil the true reason he seeks Jesus out
that evening.
Totally ignoring
Nicodemus’ attempt to elicit a mutual exchange of pleasantries, Jesus cuts to
the chase and redirects the dialogue unexpectedly, at least for Nicodemus. He immediately identifies the very area that
has been troubling him—the very reason for his evening visit. Nicodemus is not happy with his present
spiritual condition. I don’t know if
there is break between his spiritual commitment and his feeble resolve to honor
those commitments. Maybe he is tired of
the rituals and traditions that surround his religious experience. I don’t know.
But Jesus does, and he hones in immediately and lays down the
gauntlet. “You have to be born
again!” That’s the answer to the
question Nicodemus has yet to ask.
And in a sense
that is the answer to the questions I have yet to ask myself. When my resolve does not match up with my
intentions, Jesus says, “You have to be born again.” When there is a discrepancy between my desire
to grow spiritually and my stunted condition limited by my past, my rituals and
the religious status quo, Jesus says, “Be born again!” If I struggle with my lust, my lying, or even
my libertine spirit, Jesus says, “Let me clear this up, you need to be
reborn!” He does not recommend an
overhaul or a refurbishing. He does not
suggest a revival or some good old reformation.
Nope, nothing short of a rebirth will do. Nicodemus has a choice to make…as do I.
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