80 friends have opened a study shared with them this month.
I have the degrees listed on my LinkedIn profile—the M.Div., the D.Min. I've led ministries at Ivy League universities and served as an elder. On paper, I'm an expert. But there are nights when I stare at the ceiling and feel completely hollow. I know about God, but in the dark, sometimes I wonder if I've lost the wonder of simply being with Him. It's unsettling to realize that my credentials aren't enough.
John 3:1-15
There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to him at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him." Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "How can anyone be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked him. "Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." "How can these things be?" asked Nicodemus. "Are you a teacher of Israel and don't know these things?" Jesus replied. Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Nicodemus is an impressive individual. He's well-educated and high status—a ruler of the Jews. He's supposed to have all the answers. If he admits he's searching, he loses his status. So he hides in the dark, trying to negotiate with Jesus teacher-to-teacher. He wants a debate. But Jesus offers him a new life. It's striking that Jesus, who usually humbles himself to care for the most vulnerable, refuses to engage with Nicodemus as an equal. Instead, he speaks with authority. "Truly, I tell you." Jesus is telling the teacher that he needs to be a student. Second, he challenges Nicodemus' spiritual legitimacy. He states, "You must be born again." What would you think if someone told you that you needed to be born again? The Greek word can mean "again" or "from above." Nicodemus hears "again" and thinks Jesus is talking biology. But Jesus means "from above." Nicodemus gets confused: "How can these things be?" If Nicodemus couldn't earn or study his way into heaven, what chance do we have? Jesus leaves no room for ambiguity. He asks this highly respected leader, "You don't understand?" It's confrontational, but it's a gift. Unless Nicodemus gives up control and power, he can't be born of the Spirit, and have his life directed by God. Until Nicodemus will humbly receive Jesus as God, he can't believe in him. Nicodemus came at night because he wasn't ready to risk his reputation. But Jesus doesn't leave him there. He reminds Nicodemus of a familiar story: the Israelites dying of snakebite, helpless to save themselves. Salvation came from beyond their resources: Moses lifted up a bronze serpent. They looked and lived. "So the Son of Man must be lifted up." Jesus isn't just confronting Nicodemus, but showing him where to look. Nicodemus can't do anything to rebirth himself. But he can look at the lifted-up Jesus and live.
What's one area of your faith where you've relied more on your understanding than humbly accepting what Jesus says?
Nicodemus came at night. In what ways have you hidden your spiritual searching from others?
How do you respond to the idea that rebirth isn't something you can achieve?
We often feel pressure to have it all together. Break that pressure today. Text a friend this specific message: "I was reading about Nicodemus today. Honestly, one thing I still don't understand about God is [fill in the blank]. What about you?" It doesn't have to be a deep theological crisis. It just has to be honest.
80 friends have opened a study shared with them this month.