Jesus
does not let up. Nicodemus is obviously
reeling from the frontal assault on his spiritual façade. Jesus challenges him even further,
"Don't be amazed at what I'm telling you, Nicodemus!" Jesus has obviously identified something
special in this man of the cloth. He
notes sincerity behind the propriety; openness on the other side of his
religiosity; and insecurity hidden behind his self-sufficient veneer.
Jesus
is leading him to a truth he has been unable to even fathom before. He has been captive to a system that placed
demands upon demands on him. For him,
salvation is the result of a well-lived life.
Blessings are a side benefit of a life pleasing to God. It is a checklist religion that holds little
room for grace yet provides ample room for external improvement at the expense
of inner change. Note that Jesus adds
the words "from above" to this developing masterpiece of divine love.
It
is too easy to snicker inside when we read stories such as this one. Nicodemus' point of view seems so archaic and
stogy in spiritual terms. We are so
acquainted with grace and mercy as the foundation of our salvation through the
merits of Jesus Christ. Yet it is also
all too easy to be fooled into creating a false salvation concoction that mixes
divine grace with human works. Jesus
reminds the Nicodemus within me that this work of salvation is "from
above." It is a spiritual endeavor,
thus void of even a thread of any personal merit. By the way, Jesus is not done unraveling the
Good News right before Nicodemus' eyes.
It is truly good news for the spiritually frail seeking assurance; but
not so good news to the spiritually disciplined questioning the worthiness of
those who have not reached their personal religious heights. Any height I experience finds it apex on a
craggy hill outside the city of Jerusalem on which the Lamb of God raised me up
even as he was laying down His life on my behalf.
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