Articles
How Jesus Was Misunderstood (7)
“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4)
Nicodemus’ Pharisaic training had not instilled within him the notion of spiritual rebirth. As Jesus begins to explain the concept further, Nicodemus still struggles: “How can these things be?” (3:9). Jesus answers him with a mild rebuke: “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” (3:10).
Likewise, many people today still don’t get the gist of being born again, especially baptism’s role in the process. Their Calvinistic indoctrination has so discounted baptism that any passage clearly explaining it is dismissed out of hand. Thus, when Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (3:5), His words are twisted beyond their simple meaning.
Surely after John’s ministry, immersion in water would be a clear symbol of renewal to many Jews, but the leaders rejected John. Still, Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand the concept of spiritual rebirth from many Old Testament stories of Israel’s repentance. Access to and study of the Scriptures does not guarantee that we are seeing in them what God is communicating. Our minds must be open to God’s thoughts.
