We have this way of thinking that our lives, and the generation we live in, are really unique. Of course, no YOU has ever existed before, and the circumstances we live in are certainly unique in the sense that they haven’t happened before. After all, we do live within this thing called “time.” That being said, there are fundamental principles that drive our personal passions & pursuits (sorry for the alliteration), as well as the greater global dramas that drive people groups, nations, economies, etc. That’s all just to say that, at the root, we’re not much different than people of the past because we have the same engine. In a sense, our lessons were their lessons. Today we all have all the knowledge of the whole world available on our phones, but there are things beyond knowledge that often elude us.
Jesus had this way of cutting to the heart of issues. He spoke the language of knowledge, but was far more interested in what was deeper…what was behind the curtains of appearance. He had a clandestine conversation once with a very well known & powerful religious & political leader. Clandestine because Nicodemus the Pharisee came to Jesus at night, under cover of darkness, to avoid association with the revolutionary young teacher / miracle worker who was wreaking havoc on the status quo. Nicodemus opened the door wide to hear Jesus’ thoughts, and we see in this dialogue some amazing things as Jesus brings new & unexpected realities across the threshold. We would do well to consider taking them to heart for ourselves, in our day. Here are some highlights from that conversation, found in John chapter 3:
- “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” This is where the phrase “Born Again Christian” comes from. Although in the original Greek language it literally means “Born From Above.” Some English translations stick with this meaning…I like it because it connotes something very different. To me, “born again” conveys the feeling of throwing away the first one and doing it again. But I think Jesus’ intention was to convey more of a dual-citizenship idea. There is, indeed, a sense in which we must throw-away our selfish, sinful desires in order to truly walk in step with God, but that’s certainly not a one-time deal, is it? “Born from above” has this aspect of connecting us with a greater, other-worldly reality. So we have Jesus’ invitation to live our lives in 2 realities simultaneously…with greater loyalty to the “one above.” That would change everything for our lives, would it?
- “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” This connects with many other scriptures that seem to say that that following God, for real, doesn’t follow conventional wisdom and won’t result in conformity with what’s popular in society at large. It carries with it the call to surrender….surrendering our desires, plans, priorities. This isn’t because God’s like a petulant child who wants to “be the boss of us”…He doesn’t need that, but apparently we do. All throughout history, we tend to make a mess of things…and although the idealogues among us make great claims to their own versions of “utopia,” there is no such thing as unmarred & lasting peace and harmony in this world. That’s because this world was designed to be temporary, it leads to something beyond. The SPIRIT, which is God’s ongoing work in & through the hearts & souls of all His people, is from that place…and is constantly manufacturing personal revolutions that usher people into that reality.
- “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” “Evil” is a funny word. Practically no one who does evil things considers them to be evil…that’s a really strong word, right? Evil simply means “against God’s character/design/desire.” We often want to soften the blow of evil so that it doesn’t seem so sinister and malevolent and “bad”…because those words certainly could not apply to us! That’s an example of self-defensive reasoning…it doesn’t work, and would never hold-up in any serious discussion of logic…but we all do it, and it is what it is. Not everything is “black & white,” but many things are. IMHO, most people who make an informed decision against following Jesus do so, not because they truly “disbelieve” but because of the price that believing would require them to pay. Many of God’s children love things that are inconsistent with Jesus’ character to the extent that giving them up to follow Him is simply “not worth it” to them. But God’s invitation is to all of us (I’m saying me too!) who have evil tendencies, to come into the light. What we find in the light is that there’s no comparison between the temporary happiness we glean from our evils, and the lasting joy & peace that rewards us for letting them go. Choose your reward wisely.
- “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Yeah, you’ve heard that one before, right? Jesus, aka “God’s Son” / “God In a Human”, is the key to all of this…the pivot of history…the answered prophecy. If I’m sounding like 100 movies you’ve seen right now with similar themes, consider their source. I’d love to share with you, so feel free to reach out to me if you want more info about who the historical Jesus really was, what He did & said, and what we’re supposed to do about it. Or talk to someone you know and trust who seems to understand this stuff…if they do, I’m sure they would love to share with you as well.
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18)
