This morning I am meditating on some classic verses from John's Gospel, where Jesus is conversing with Nicodemus. Here are the verses - John 3:5-17 NIV:
[5] Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' [8] 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.”
[9] “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
[10] “You are Israel's teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? [11] Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. [12] I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? [13] No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven---the Son of Man. [14] Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
[16] 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. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
I like reading passages like these within the context of the greater conversation. So often we just hear the verses pulled out of their context, and they can take on a different meaning when this happens. In this case, I am looking at Jesus' comments about being born-again of the Spirit. Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus says, so Jesus responds to him. He says in verse 12 that He has "spoken of earthly things (including being born again of the Spirit) and you do not believe".
I find that statement very interesting for Jesus appears to place being born-again of the Spirit into the bucket of earthly things, not heavenly things. It is not that this doesn't make sense, it is just the phrasing of His statement. As a teacher of Israel, Nicodemus must have understood that there was a spiritual component to all our lives, for the Old Testament is full of verses talking about the Spirit of God coming upon people. I am quickly reminded of the story of Saul chasing David, coming upon a group of prophets and suddenly coming under the power of the Spirit of God and beginning to prophecy himself (see 1 Sam 19:23-24). So, it is apparent that it is not a matter of knowledge, but rather of belief. Belief engages our spirits, not our minds, and our spirits within us must be engaged for us to experience salvation and eternal life.
As people who are raised with a western mindset, we tend to discount the things of the spirit as being non-existent. We tend to focus on logic and learning, not valuing spiritual experience. This was not true of the Jews at that time, and is not true of many of the nations of the earth today. There is a growing emphasis on the spiritual realm and experiences in our nation, but it seems driven primarily by new-age and other "spiritual" movements. Those Christian churches that are open to Spiritual experiences are often viewed with caution and sometimes outward disdain by other churches and denominations. Yet if we look at Jesus' statement, it is the Spirit that gives birth to spirit, and the Spirit that allows us to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is the Spirit working within us that leads us to belief, leads us to salvation and eternal life! It is clear to me that we need to learn to understand the Spirit of God, interacting with our spirits, for that is the way of salvation. These are earthly things, according to Jesus, and thus, should be things we can understand and believe in.
Just last evening my good friend David and I were talking about our inability to be aware of that which is occurring in the spiritual realm. We were talking about how we were unaware of much that actually concerns us. I am encouraged by Jesus' words this morning that this does not need to be so, but that this is part of our earthly experience and something we should be able to learn, understand and believe in. In so doing we would become more effective representatives of the Holy Spirit who is about birthing salvation and eternal life in those He calls.
Last night we were talking about how the Holy Spirit directed Phillip to meet with the Ethiopian eunuch on the desert road leading to Gaza (See Acts 8:26-40). His encounter with the eunuch was perfectly timed, and salvation was birthed in the Ethiopian because Phillip understood the movings of the Holy Spirit in his life. Oh that we would learn to walk in the ways of the Holy Spirit with the same effectiveness!
I am encouraged that this whole realm of learning and experience is available to me and part of my earthly experience, according to Jesus. Thus, I must be able to learn to operate and believe in this realm. I am encouraged because I know on my own I am incapable, but with the Spirit of God working in me, all things are possible. Lord, I pray that You would open my eyes to the working of the Spirit, in and around me. Help me to have spiritual eyes, and awareness. Teach me to join myself to the movements of Your Holy Spirit, for I desire to see things birthed of the Spirit!
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