Lent 2 John 3 v 1 – 17

How Can I Be born again?

Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

This whole passage depicts that eternal problem of understanding the difference between our earth bound understanding of what life is about and Jesus’ perspective. We have to learn that we must trust what we cannot see, cannot understand. As we cannot see the wind until it touches something so it is with the spirit. We cannot see the Spirit, but we can feel its strength, its healing power, but like the wind it is free, it cannot be contained.

In the passage we have just heard, Nicodemus was having a difficult time understanding the truth of the heavenly grace. Nicodemus was a very religious man, a Pharisee, who was impressed by all the miracles Jesus was performing and knew that he must have God with him, but he couldn’t understand just who Jesus is.

Like many others at that time and since he could hear the word but he couldn’t understand it, but he was open to learning and so he had come to Jesus.

Why did he go at night – perhaps so no-one else would know, perhaps he wanted to avoid the crowds who surrounded Christ each day. Or perhaps it is the writer’s way of stressing a point. Throughout John’s Gospel, darkness opposes light. So night might be symbolising the darkness that Nicodemus was living in, showing even more dramatically his searching for the truth, the light.

He had a great respect for what he had heard about Jesus, his addressing Christ as Rabbi and teacher proved that. He knew there was something special, something perhaps truly divine, but he could only see he could not truly hear, but he was impressed by Jesus. Nicodemus represented the Jewish ruling community of the time and indeed in today’s world there are many Nicodemus’ people who are impressed by what Jesus did, but who cannot understand the Word.

We do not know what response Nicodemus was expecting to his questions, but it is obvious from his response ‘ how can a man be born when he is old’ it was not what he was expecting.

And this for many people is the problem with Christianity, it is not earthly it is spiritual. This being born again, is allowing the Holy Spirit to enter into our hearts and soul so that we can be transformed. But it is not ‘instant signs’ ‘ instant healing’ it is not something you can physically get hold of. It is turning to God and trusting, seeing the light in the darkness, feeling the warmth of the Holy Spirit and knowing what strength we can gain from the Spirit.

This was all very hard for Nicodemus to understand

 a spiritual birth was a new concept – not something that can be bought or earned, but something freely given to those who truly turn to God.

As Jesus said ‘I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

So just as the wind is unexplainable in many ways (we can see its effect but we cannot pinpoint its source), so it is with the Spirit, which is a divine act of God. God alone gives new life, it is on offer for all, but we have been given freedom of choice to accept it or reject it. When we accept the Spirit we can feel the difference, we can see the difference in others who turn to God. It is a truly life changing event, for not only does it alter our lives but it brings with it the promise of salvation bought for us on the Cross.

Let us thank God for his grace to us and pray that this Lent we can reach out to those who are struggling in the darkness, we can make The Word come alive and through that we can help them to see the great Light, with all the joy and peace that brings. Amen