Greetings in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
One day, Nicodemus heard one strange man, who came to the Temple, the most holy and sacred place, and whipped away all merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices and money changers from the Temple. This quickly escalated to a true chaos. The merchants were running around the Temple to catch their precious animals, and the money changers were busy to pick up coins thrown on the ground. The temple guards quickly moved in to stop Jesus, and the priests in the Temple at that time were standing still and frozen because they could not believe what was happening before their eyes. Countlessly many years, in the Temple, there were always merchants of animals and money changers. The priests themselves saw the same scene when they were young and taken to the Temple by their parents’ hands.
What’s happening in the Temple looked good. People could come without carrying sacrificial animals from their own home far from the Temple. People brought money instead, and exchanged their money to the Temple money to purchase sacrificial animals because the sacrificial animals in the Temple only be purchased with the Temple money. As a result, the system served well from the temple guards, the worshipers, the merchants, the money changers, to the priests. Nobody wanted to change the system. Practically speaking, it was impossible to change the system because too many people’s interests were built in. To a real surprise to Nicodemus, one young man completely disrupted the system by turning over the money changers’ tables and scattering away cattle, sheep and doves. The young man did something unthinkable. Then the young man called the Temple as “my Father’s house.” The young man was really intriguing to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus sent his servants to find out who the young man was. His servants returned to him, and told the young man’s name was Jesus. Then he studied carefully about Jesus, while pondering about who the Jesus really was. Nicodemus always felt that what was happening in the Temple was not right. He believed that the Temple was a holy place where people met God and heard God’s voice, not a place for selling, buying and taking a profit out of such activities. Even the priests in the Temple were involved in money making, which made Nicodemus really uncomfortable. In fact, all in the Jerusalem knew what’s going on behind scene, but nobody dared to speak up. On the other hand, Jesus, who came from nowhere, directly addressed his frustration that he had in his heart long time.
As learning more about Jesus, Nicodemus realized that Jesus was not a normal man. Although Jesus was not educated like him, Jesus taught people about God, Gods’ words and love. He actually cared for people. He talked about peace on those who were suffering, and gave comfort to those who mourned. He gave hope and mercy to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness so that they were filled. Jesus was not like most of the teachers and priests that he knew. Most of all, miracles followed Jesus. Recently, Jesus turned water to a finest wine when the wedding festival wine ran out during the festival. All built up toward one simple conclusion that Jesus was sent from God who taught the truth and cared for the people suffering and hunger for righteousness.
In fact, Nicodemus had been always pondering on his unanswered question rooted deep in his heart. He was well respected by people as a religious leader and teacher. Thus, he could not share his heart with anyone. He just buried his unanswered question in his heart, although it always bothered him. Amazingly, sometimes people asked the same question of his heart, but he could not share his frustration with others. Instead, he fluently answered the question by quoting God’s Word that he learned from his own teachers before. He knew it was not a real answer to the question, but he had no other way exception just quoting what he learned. His heart was getting emptier as searching for a true answer. When he was thinking about Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus would give him a real answer because Jesus was sent from God not like him. After getting to this conclusion, Nicodemus decided to meet Jesus, but he planned to see Jesus secretly because his visit to Jesus could not be seen by others.
After dark one evening, Nicodemus walked out to avoid people, and came to where Jesus stayed. He knocked the door carefully, while looking around. The door was opened, and he quickly entered into the house. He asked for Jesus, and the owner of the house took him to Jesus. As seeing Jesus, Nicodemus told to Jesus. “Rabbi, we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Nicodemus opened up by praising Jesus by calling Jesus a true prophet from God. Then he tried to go to the very point of his heart troubling him for a long time. However, Jesus did not let him to continue.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
Jesus knew what Nicodemus really needed. Thus, Jesus gently guided Nicodemus to the profound truth of “born again.” Nicodemus, although he was one of the best teachers at that time, could not understand what was told by Jesus.
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” It was impossible to born again as a grown man. There was no way to get into mother’s womb and born again. Then what’s meaning of born again? Nicodemus was completely baffled.
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)
Jesus answered with three points:
1. Nobody cannot go into the Kingdom of God as a person naturally born,
2. A person has to be born again, and
3. The Holy Spirit gives birth to a new born-again spiritual life.
The born-again process is performed by the Holy Spirit in heart, which cannot be seen by our naked eyes like a wind. We cannot see the wind, but only can hear the wind. We also cannot tell where the wind comes and is going. The born-again process is like the wind. God provides the Holy Spirit in our heart, and makes us born again through the Holy Spirit with the blood of Jesus Christ that cleans away all our sins in our heart. Then he Holy Spirit takes us to our true repentance before God, and God’s true forgiveness. Through this spiritual process, we are born again as His children loved by God forever, and inherits the Kingdom of God as His children. This is the Good News.
Nicodemus taught God’s Word, but he could not reach to this truth. Nicodemus should not be blamed for not being able to get to this truth. This truth cannot be gained by any human wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit. Even so, he clearly knew the weight of sins that he could bear. Although Nicodemus sacrificed animals before God for his sins, but it was temporary. Soon sins came upon him, and made him sin again. He was always trapped by sin. Although he repeatedly sacrificed animals for his sins, sins were always with him. He knew this sad fact. He could not get out of the vicious cycle although he really wanted by being a good person not sinning at all. He always found himself in sins. He tried to maintain a relationship with God by his own effort, but all of his attempts became futile. As a result, he had to live in fear of being punished by God for his sins. This was the unanswered and bothering question in his heart. That night, Nicodemus heard the Good News of born again in Christ through the Holy Spirit for the first time.
Yes, God makes those who believe in Jesus born again in the Holy Spirit. Then God raises His children with His undivided attention and care. As earthly parents love their children, God dearly loves His own children. In fact, His love is wider, longer, higher, deeper than anything that we know and imagine. His love is also stronger than anything so that nothing can separate His Children, who we are, from His love. Thus, we are confident in Him as His children. This is our faith as His forever children.
Then the Holy Spirit in our heart is continuously pointing Jesus Christ on the cross who endured humiliation and even to death. This is the proof of His love and our hope to overcome all things in Him. Yes, we are sure, and our surety is that His Love, which always with us. The love of God given to us as Children is so strong that nothing can separate from God, Our Ever-Loving Father, and His love – neither death nor life, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation. This is our assurance and faith. Amen!
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)