A man named Nicodemus comes to Jesus under cover of darkness seeking to know more about Jesus. He is curious. And Jesus responds by saying, “Flesh gives birth to flesh. Spirit gives birth to spirit. Nicodemus, you must be born again.”
Knowing Jesus… How? Seems to me, when people seek Jesus (including me) they want to know more about him. Bible Studies, Church, Spiritual Disciplines, Discipleship Programs… all good in knowing about Jesus. Can grow informational knowing of Jesus. Yet, these things can become the ‘thing’ themselves. This seems to be more ‘flesh giving birth to flesh.’
What seems to be most needed, essential, and necessary is to have an encounter with Jesus. To know Jesus is when ‘Spirit gives birth to spirit.’ This is what it means to be ‘born again.’
I wonder if this is what Jesus’ is getting at in the Book of Revelation to the church of Ephesus (to us today) when he says, “You’ve forsaken your first love.” It’s a good pursuit to know more about Jesus. But what is essential, needed and necessary is to have an encounter with Jesus, to be born again, because ‘Spirit gives birth to spirit.’
Let’s talk about this some more Sunday, as we seek not to (only) know more about Jesus, rather, to encounter Jesus. What does that look like? (John 3:1-21 as a base text)
See you Sunday,
Pastor Mark