Chapter Three (part two)

In search of Water…
Peace be to all people of Good Will! I pray that the past few weeks have been a blessing to you and your family. As the holiday season comes to a close, let us return to our exploration of the Gospel of John. As we left off we were given a first glimpse of the text of chapter three. So we begin the first part of our commentary on the chapter. We will proceed slowly at points. This first posting will concentrate on helping the seeker to define key terms used in the Gospel.

In chapter three we have what is arguably one of the central dialogues of the Gospel. The Jesus engages one of the Leaders and Teachers of the Religious establishment. We will explore this chapter in several parts. Today we will look at verses 1-6. A formula of sorts is provided to the seeker of truth. This formula leads to an awakening if understood in the proper context. Let’s take a look at the verses:

1. There was a certain man from the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2. This man came to The Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you were sent from God as a teacher, because man is not able to do the miracles you do unless God is with him.”

I will ask you to make a few decisions as we look at this section of the Gospel. The first concerns the definition of a very important element of scripture, the idea of the “night.” Here we see that the Gospel is careful to record the fact that Nicodemus comes to Jesus “at night.” Why is this significant? It is---I assure you---but why? Before you can experience the awakening of the Spirit there are certain ideas that you should explore. One such idea is the symbolism of the “night.”

You would do well to explore the Gospel for other references to the “night.” It may also be helpful to explore the Hebrew Scripture (the Christian Old Testament) for references to “night.” It’s not for me to spell out all the answers for you, but I can point you in a safe direction. Understanding what scripture and tradition mean when they mention “night” is important for you on this journey. Don’t rely on what anyone else tells you about the definition or symbolism of the “night.” Instead, discover it for yourself.

In the verses that follow the Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about what needs to happen before a person can enter the Kingdom of God:

3. The Jesus answered, “So be it, so be it indeed: I say to you that if a man is not born from the start again, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God.”

Ok, what we have here is some pretty heavy stuff! What does it all mean? We have just read a definitive statement concerning one’s eligibility to enter the Kingdom of God. If you are familiar with other translations of this Gospel you will notice that verse three does not contain the expression “born again” or “born from above” that one usually finds when reading this verse in some other versions. I have translated this expression as “born from the start again” because I believe it is a more accurate translation. There are other modern scripture scholars who have also translated this expression as I have. Is this just quibbling over minutia? I think not. This is one of the few times that the Jesus gives such a direct quote on what is required for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. It’s well worth pondering.

Ask yourself this: Is Jesus speaking figuratively here?

I don’t know if a Christian can really make any progress in the search for spiritual truth and awakening without first answering this question. If he was speaking figuratively, what good is this dialogue? If he was speaking literally, do we really believe him? What does it mean to be born from the start again? Let’s continue with the verses. Read verses 4-6:

4. Nicodemus said to him, “How is an old man able to be born? Is it possible to enter the womb of his mother and be born a second time?”
5. The Jesus answered, “So be it, so be it indeed: I say to you that if a man is not born from water and the Spirit he is not able to enter into the Kingdom of God.
6. The thing which is born from flesh is flesh. The thing which is born from spirit is spirit.

This exchange should help use decide what Jesus means when talking about being born from the start again. Here the Jesus refers to being born “from water and the Spirit.” What does this mean? We hear this verse so often in the Christian life, but do we ever stop to really listen to the words? What does it mean to be born “from water”? Can you really profess a belief in the Christian faith without a firm understanding of such a fundamental Christian idea? I think not. So, what then is meant by “born from water?”

Reference to water can be found in the scriptures of all major faiths. Can you recall other references to water in the Gospel or other books of the bible? Do the references have any common theme? What can water represent…or is the reference to water literal? Decide before you move on because it will become important later.

We are given a little help in understanding this idea by the addition of the term “Spirit” to the expression…“born from water and the Spirit.” The juxtaposition of the terms suggests that they are not interchangeable in this context. So water does not refer to something spiritual (or non-material). It speaks of something unlike---but not antagonistic to---spirit.

So what is water?

Take the next week to ponder this element. The answer is really very obvious. I will post part two in a week or so. In the meantime, search for the meaning of water. Good Luck. As always, I am available by email if you are seeking a little extra support on the journey. Peace!