John 3: A Failure to Communicate (2 of 3)
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “
This passage is about “a failure to communicate.” This failure takes place because of one Greek word with a double meaning. The word is a preposition, “anothen.” It can be translated “from above.” It can also be translated “anew,” or “again”
Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (anothen/from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus hears, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (anothen/anew/again), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This is evident from his answer,”How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus then explains that he meant “from above,” Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Herein Jesus contrast the physical birth “that which is born of the flesh is flesh,” with the spiritual birth, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” The birth in the Spirit comes “from above,” from heaven, from God.
When Jesus speaks of being born of water and the Spirit, it is a clear reference to Christian Baptism, and the Spiritual rebirth that it signifies. In the early days of the church, when most of its membership still consisted of believing Jews, this statement would be exceedingly hard on those Jews who were trying to keep one foot in the synagogue and one in the church, as one could dabble in faith in Jesus the Messiah with relative impunity, until, of course, one actually submitted to Christian baptism. Those who ultimately refused baptism would forever be numbered by those who accepted it wit those who “loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:43) So, too, in this text Jesus/John is saying the same thing that Paul says in Romans 8:9 when he says, “Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
The Holy Spirit is the lowest common denominator of our Christian discipleship. This theme is widespread in the New Testament, and, I believe everywhere assumed.
It is interesting that the failure to communicate recorded in John 3 assumes the conversation takes place in Greek, while the evidence is that Jesus ordinarily spoke Aramaic, even in times of stress. Thus his cry from the cross, “Elo-i, Elo-i, lama sabach-thani?”, is in Aramaic, not Greek. (Mark 15:34)
Does this mean that the conversation is purely an invention of the author of the 4th Gospel? Not necessarily, “koine” or “market place” Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire. Educated people like Nicodemus and Jesus would not have been ignorant of it; and, as we will see next time, Nicodemus himself could be the source of this conversation. On the other hand, the man we call John certainly wrote narrative theology, setting forth his theology sometimes in an episode from the life of Jesus, and sometimes in the commentary that accompanies an episode. (see verses 16 and 17 below) We should note, too, that John is not concerned with keeping a strict logical and chronological order. In John 3, Jesus’ words to Nicodemus anticipate the sacrament that has not yet been instituted, and reflect the later practice of the Christian community of which John is apart. This is also true in John 6, where in Jesus references the Holy Communion saying, “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:51-58) Interestingly, John includes this statement of Jesus about his flesh and his blood even though he does not even include the institution of the Holy Communion itself! This he leaves to the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John knows! John knows that his reader knows! He expects us to be able to follow along.
From my perspective, questions of how to best understand John’s method should never blind us to the intended meaning of the text. The important thing to remember here is the exhortation of Jesus that, if we hope to enter the kingdom of God, it is not enough just to be born into the human family, we need also to be born from above, born of water and the Spirit. According to this same passage this new birth is dependent upon our recognition of Jesus, “the Son of Man”/Son of God”
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
How are we born from above, born anew, born again? Jesus says that is a mystery, comparable to the wind that blows where it wills, we hear the sound of it, but we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. Yet, according to the Fourth Gospel, the birth from above has its genesis when we put our faith in Jesus.
Last Time: A Comparative Darkness
Next Time: Did Nicodemus Become a Follower of Jesus?