Divine DNA: John 3:1-17 - Second Sunday in Lent

¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
  ¹¹“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
  ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
  ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (NRSV)

CG4A0365 by Makia Minich.  Creative commons image on flickr

In what ways are you exactly like your parents?

I have my Father’s eyes—and my mother’s love for green bell peppers.  She and I can eat them like potato chips and never get tired of them. 

Every person inherits something from their parents, be it physical appearance, tastes, or talents.  You may have inherited a health problem or disability.   Either way, it’s all about genetics.  You’re born with it.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above,” or “born again,” as some translations read. 

God’s presence and God’s love cannot just be seen.  You must be reborn with the ability to see.  You must inherit faith from God.

This certainly flies in the face of the way American Christianity has come to understand the whole concept of being “born again.”

When someone says, “ye must be born again,” does that not sound as though YOU must do something?

How can you give birth to yourself?

The answer is simple: you can’t.  You can only inherit faith from God.

This is difficult for any human mind to comprehend.  Nicodemus was certainly no exception.

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was holy by profession.  He had expert knowledge in the Scriptures.  He adhered to the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders with the utmost precision.  He and his spiritual brethren firmly believed that they had cornered the market on God’s truth.

On top of all that, the Pharisees sat at the top of religious establishment—which was closely allied with the Roman occupation.  Nicodemus would have enjoyed prominence, power, and prestige as a Pharisee.

But then Nicodemus encounters Jesus… He sees the signs.  He hears his teachings.  He has to find out more. 

Wanting to save face, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night.  Jesus tells him is that his entire belief system is far from God’s truth.  Worse yet, he is part of a religious enterprise that has set itself in opposition with God’s kingdom.

Nicodemus needed more than just a change of beliefs.  He needed to be reborn by water and Spirit.  This will happen only after he leaves behind his life prestige and privilege in the establishment.  Only then will he see the truth: that God’s love for him is absolute.  Jesus is his salvation. 

You can be certain Nicodemus was not in the market for this.  He thought he knew everything about God.  He thought he knew his place in the world.  Then Jesus comes along and it all comes crumbling down.  

To be blunt, when Jesus shows up, the rebirth in the Spirit is always preceded by the death of the old self.  Nicodemus stood to lose a lot in the process.  So what about you?  Your rebirth in the Spirit may come through the separation from much of what you consider valuable—like career success; a comfortable lifestyle; stability and security; or perhaps even a belief system in which everything makes sense to you.

Sometimes, though rebirth in the Spirit happens in the aftermath of loss—or after you’ve done something of which you’re terribly ashamed.

Either way, when you reach a point where you can’t go on living like this—or you can’t go on dying like this—you are ready for rebirth.  And this is where God steps in.

Whether you are exceptionally holy like Nicodemus or your face is pictured in the dictionary right next to the word “sinner,” God acts through water and Spirit to “rebirth” you. You are reborn with faith to behold God’s love in the cross of Jesus Christ.  You are reborn with eyes to see God’s presence in the world.  You are reborn with the compassion of Jesus Christ toward all of God’s children.  You literally inherit the genetics of Jesus Christ and live them out in daily life. 

In the same way as the wind blows where it will, you are not in control of who you will be or what you will do when you are reborn.  This is the scary part.  Priorities will change.  You will think differently.  You will act differently.  You will see things differently. The world may not recognize you.  You may not recognize you! 

And today, you can experience rebirth—by sharing your treasures; by feasting at the table; by receiving a personal prayer and the laying on of hands.  It’s nothing to be ashamed about if you can’t go on living like this—or dying like this.  You all need what God wants you to have—and God delights to give it to you.  Death and rebirth of water and spirit.  A new creation made with divine DNA.