The Nic and Jesus chat ... resumed

John 3:5-8

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 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." NIV

So much is going on here. So many levels of communication are engaged. I am convinced that Jesus had literally been told by the Holy Spirit what parts of scripture were on Nicodemus' heart, and I think that this section speaks to Nicodemus at the point of his deep struggle.

'...no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit" "unless" ??? Nicodemus had just been told that from where he was he could not get to the kingdom...he who had spent all of his life in study and the Temple life. Now Jesus throws an "unless" at him. What does "born of water and the Spirit" mean? I -- again -- have heard so many many sermons say things like 'well there is the water a baby is in -- amniotic fluid -- and then there is being born again. . . so you have to be born physically and then Spiritually.' OK...but really ~ if you aren't born physically ? ? is this a discussion worth having? To be honest it feels like a "reach" as an explanation. Realizing that Nicodemus KNEW the Old Testament ... knew like HAD IT MEMORIZED knew ... I thought, this HAD TO BE a quote from somewhere and it had to mean something to Nicodemus. If you go to Ezekiel 36 I think you find the reference:

Ezek 36:24-29

"For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. NIV

I think Jesus was saying to Nicodemus, "Unless you have life because you are cleansed by God and unless God puts a heart of flesh in you AND gives you his Spirit, you will not be able to enter the Kingdom of God. All the 'works', all the 'time of study' all the 'doing what was right religiously' -- none of that, Nicodemus, has given you life and YOU KNOW IT!" That must have hit Nicodemus like a ton of bricks.

The next line: "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." is translated by some translators "That which is flesh is just flesh, but that which is Spirit is Spirit". It is, I believe, a reference to the amazing story of Ezekiel 37, one roll of the scroll over from where Nicodemus started reading. It is the story where God takes Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones. He tells him to prophecy to them and they come together -- "bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. " I think that every time Nicodemus read that, inwardly, he groaned. Then the story continues with God telling Ezekiel to prophecy to the "ruach" -- that is the Hebrew word that carries all the meanings of 'Spirit, spirit, breath, and wind' -- Ezekiel does and "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army." NIV

I actually suspect Nicodemus had been reading these passages that very week and taking them personally. I can imagine him praying as he read, "OK God...so your promises of Ez 36 -- to take us out of the nations have been fulfilled. But we are not clean, we do not have hearts of flesh ! I do not have a heart of flesh. In fact I feel like these bones...dead and decayed : NO life at all. And maybe, God, I can see that bringing us back to Israel after Babylon (when you spoke this to Ezekiel) is like those bones coming together and flesh being put on them...we are, after all Israel again and we do have a Temple. But God -- I am like that creature -- bones and flesh but I have no Spirit in me." I suspect it was this gnawing angst that drove Nicodemus to Jesus that night -- he clearly saw THE SPIRIT alive in Jesus. Now imagine Jesus looking Nicodemus in the eye, KNOWING Nic was remembering the Ezekiel passage and his heart's angst and saying, "Come on -- that which is flesh is just flesh. You are like a zombie, walking around, doing things ... but you have no life in you. That which is SPIRIT is Spirit."

Then Jesus goes on, quoting, I believe, from Eccl 11:5 "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. "NIV This can also be translated "You do not know how the ruach enters the baby in a mother's womb". Jesus here ties all the images together: birth, life, ruach. He was saying, "Nicodemus, you don't know how a baby gets a spirit (the path of the wind) while it grows in his mother's womb...and you do not know how to get the Holy Spirit into your dry bones and heart of stone either." Nicodemus' responce is "How can these things be?" I think Jesus chuckled then, ruefully. I think he responded with a twinkle in his eye -- a twinkle that was backed by a lasar!

Jesus says, "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" NIV

Then I think the conversation went something like, "Ok Nic my friend. Remember what Proverbs 3o says -- after all weren't you just reading it? Aren't you like Agur son of Jakeh when he says, "I am the most ignorant of men;I do not have a man's understanding. I have not learned wisdom,nor have I knowledge of the Holy One."

"But, Nic, Agur goes on to say :

Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! Nicodemus, I have gathered the ruach in the hollow of my hand. I have wrapped the waters in my cloak. You know that it is YHWH -- God Himself who is the Holy One, and Nicodemus I am His Son, AND YOU KNOW IT."