What did you say?

Have you ever been told something that seems completely unbelievable?  I don’t mean William Shatner is the son of an alien like you would see on a supermarket tabloid headlines.   I mean something that just really blows your mind…  You just can’t grasp the meaning of it.

Imagine if you were the foremost expert in brain surgery and you go to meet the new intern surgeon because you hear he is pretty bright and doing some good things and he begins to tell you every way you’ve practiced brain surgery in the past is completely wrong.  Then this new intern goes on to say to you, do you mean you are supposed to be the world’s greatest brain surgeon and you don’t know these things?

In an instant he destroys everything you ever thought about your system of brain surgery.

Can you imagine your reaction…?  How ridiculous does that seem?

This is exactly what happened to Nicodemus as he came to Jesus one night.  What did Jesus say to him that seemed so hard to believe?  Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews.  He was at the top level of Judaism and Jesus blew his mind.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus knew the Law of Moses better than anyone, he was a teacher of the law, he had the books of Moses memorized.  Can you imagine memorizing all those begots?

This is a big question for all of those who don’t understand what Jesus meant by being born again.  This is a common term among Evangelical Christians and I would guess not many truly understand its meaning and implications.

I know I didn’t.

First of all Jesus says this must happen for you to see the kingdom of God.  This is very clear right?  “Most assuredly”, the King James Version says “Verily, verily”, which is the word amen.   This is a word of Hebrew origin which means we are in agreement with it, that it is trustworthy, and sure.

Jesus says this must happen or one cannot.

How few messages in Christianity stress this point today!  How few people are having their minds blown to their present situation!  How many people will not see the kingdom of God (heaven) because they never knew they “must” be born again?  There are only two choices, heaven or hell.

I hope you will meditate on this today.  Next time I want to discuss what happens next, how can one be born again?  “Can you enter the womb a second time and be born?”  That’s also what Nicodemus asked Jesus.

Kevin