The story of Nicodemus' visiting Jesus is an invitation to believe.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, is curious
about Jesus. Unlike other religious leaders of the day, Nicodemus comes to
Jesus with an open mind. He thinks Jesus is a teacher come from God, so he
is not seeking to persecute Jesus.
Even though Nicodemus wants to know who Jesus is, he comes to visit
under the cover of night. Though Nicodemus is a wise man schooled in
traditional religious teaching, he is bound by darkness. He does not
believe in the Son of God, and he does not understand the liberating power
of the Holy Spirit.
In a beautiful poetic response to Nicodemus' questions, Jesus explains
His own relationship to God and the Kingdom of God. Weaving concepts of
birth, water, Spirit, wind, and light, Jesus creates a fabric of belief for
the confused Nicodemus. Birth or rebirth is mentioned seven times; Spirit
four times; light five times. The word believe is used seven times, almost
like a heart beat.
Simply put, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he will not be able to see the
Kingdom of God until he really sees God's son. He must be born again
through belief in the Son of Man. The idea of being born again confuses
Nicodemus. But Jesus once again stresses that "no one can enter the kingdom
of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
We might roughly paraphrase the explanation like this: Only belief in
Jesus can bring spiritual birth and the gift of an indwelling Holy Spirit.
If we experience the baptism by water, we must likewise experience the
baptism of the Spirit to become new creatures walking in newness of life.
It is an inner spiritual process much like the movements of the wind: There
is some outer evidence, but the process is still something of a mystery.
While there is only one baptism, it is completed by the indwelling Holy
Spirit.
Nicodemus, still confused, questions, "How can this be?" He does not
yet understand the earthly examples or the heavenly insights.
Jesus, without directly identifying Himself, points to the Son of Man,
God's one and only Son as the key to eternal life. Belief in God's Son
brings salvation and freedom from evil, freedom from sin and death, and
freedom from the old sin-bound self.
While we are not certain whether Nicodemus understands the message or
not, we know Jesus is the Light to the world. He and His followers live by
truth, and Jesus does His deeds plainly in the light so that all may see
that He comes from God. In this way, He confirms Nicodemus' original ideas
the He, Jesus, is from God and also gives him much to ponder.
Jesus seems to have revealed His true nature in gradual stages to His
followers, perhaps as His own humanity adjusted to and fulfilled His divine
role. As Christians, we may learn from the story that Jesus' relationship
to God and to us is never quite clear until the Holy Spirit creates a new
life in us. The process is a spiritual rebirth, a gift of God to those who
believe.
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