Born Again

I used to work with a lady who had actually died in a car wreck and was brought back to life by the EMTs en route to the hospital. She would talk about how her life changed after that. She had a sense of mortality; she said she didn’t take things for granted anymore and I could tell that she viewed each day as a gift.


Although my father never went “Code Blue”, he did have two experiences with his health that impacted him. He suffered kidney failure after dealing with diabetes for years. He was on dialysis for a while but was fortunate enough to get a kidney transplant in 1995. He was in the hospital for quite some time and really began to examine his life. A few years later, he had double pneumonia and went into a coma. He was unconscious for weeks and we really didn’t expect him to make it. He would often say that he could hear people praying for him and that he felt a presence while he laid there. Both experiences impacted how he lived his daily life and how he viewed life in general. He lived about six more years after the double pneumonia.

The story of Nicodemus in the third chapter of John obviously comes to mind when we think about “rebirth” or, in church-talk, being “born again.” Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, a leader among the Pharisees. No doubt he had become aware of who Jesus was, especially after the cleansing of the temple that occurs in Chapter 2. He comes to Jesus at night and says to him, “Rabbi, we know you are a man sent by God, or else you couldn’t do these miraculous things you’ve been doing.”

I think it is important to notice the context of the setting and the way Nicodemus phrases his statement. First, he comes to Jesus at night. Jesus is not the most popular person with Pharisees and the Romans, so Nicodemus chooses to come to Jesus under the cloak of darkness. “I don’t want to risk anything by being seen with you Jesus. It’s ok if we meet at night, right?”

Then he asks for confirmation. “We know you are a man sent from God, right. Jesus you are a man of God. I need to know before I sacrifice my career.” Like Nicodemus, we want to come to Christ on our own terms in our own time. Like Nicodemus we are afraid to commit, we are afraid to sacrifice the things that are important to us in this life.

Jesus knew this about Nicodemus. He knew Nicodemus wanted to hedge his bet. Like Nicodemus, we are afraid to trust in God and to submit to His will for our lives. Those who have not been saved often say that the time is not right, they will wait until later. Later… after they are out of school, or after they have gotten married and had a family. That’s when they plan to settle down. Or perhaps they plan on getting involved at church after their career is well underway and they are more established.

We are a nation that is afraid of sacrifice. God may us to do something we are not ready to do, or ask us to go somewhere we are not comfortable going. We are afraid of giving up control of our lives. I think that is the problem for most people. We like to be in control of our lives, the unknown often scares us. But Jesus tells Nicodemus and he tells us, “You must be born again!” What does that mean to born again? The passage says we must be born of the flesh and born of the spirit.

Born of the flesh is obviously our natural, human birth. Born of the Spirit means we have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and that the Holy Spirit has come upon us. But here is where as Christians we often stumble, we don’t fully accept the responsibilities of that new birth. I truly believe that at this time in our history, there is no message that needs to be heard more today than for us to fully understand what it means to be Born Again. I especially think that our children, youth and college age students need to hear this message.

We live in a society that is highly critical and we are constantly exposed to an onslaught of media that attempts to influence us and define our perceptions of reality. The media too often sets the agenda for political and social discourse and tries to tell us who we should be and what we should think.

Depending upon who you listen to, you are too fat or too skinny, too tall or too short, too old or too young. Your life would be better off if you would buy this product or that. You could be a winner, be happier or be more successful if you would only do thus and such.

The most popular shows on television today are the “reality shows.” We love to see the people on American Idol who can’t sing a lick or carry a tune in a bucket. We can’t wait to see who is voted off the Island on Survivor. There used to be a show called The Average Joe, it let us witness men who were less than runway model material be rejected by beautiful women, only reinforcing the notion in our society that only “pretty people” get to be happy. The Bachelor compresses the process of meeting and falling in love into 13 neat, one hour episodes. On that show, even some of those “pretty people” get rejected.

Our society thrives on magnifying the imperfections and faults of individuals. Today we allow it to define who we should be, what we should look like and what we should wear. What kind of message are we sending our kids?

To be born again in Christ means that we do not allow society to define who we are. We are not of the flesh or of this world any more. We are born of the spirit. Defining ourselves by the Word of God, seeking to be the person God wants us to be, that is what it means to be born again. We need to stop trying to keep up with the Jones or the Smiths or whoever, and start trying to be God’s people.

How does being born again change us? First, I think it changes how we see God. The Bible is a narrative of the story of God’s desire to have a relationship with His creation. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God sought to have a relationship with humanity. Adam and Eve could not resist the temptation to be like God, to have the knowledge promised by the serpent if they would only partake of the fruit in the center of the Garden of Eden. God made a covenant with Abraham and his decedents of to be a priestly nation and to take the God’s message to the whole world. The Israelites chose to take this relationship and keep it to themselves, claiming to be special, better than anyone else. One of the frequent and recurring sins of the Israelites was their corruption of God’s laws by mixing the customs and religions of other cultures. Thinking they can worship God and Baal at the same time.

Sounds a lot like us doesn’t it. Just like Adam and Eve our society seeks to be like God. We often think we are the masters of our own destiny, in charge of our own lives. That’s what we say about successful people in our society. We are told to be self reliant, not to need anyone, to stand on our own two feet and to solve our own problems.

That works to a certain extent. We can do many things on our own. The question is, are those things really important. Is material success what we are striving for? Unfortunately too many people that our society deems as successful stumble. How often do we hear about professional athletes or media stars turning to drugs or alcohol to fill a void in their life that fame and fortune can’t fill? How often do we hear about the corporate CEO who bilks his company of millions because enough is never enough? How much money does it take to be happy? I remember an old song called “Fill My Cup, Lord”, it says like the woman at the well I was seeking for things that could not satisfy. Too many people in our society today seek for things that can’t satisfy the Spirit of God put in us at our physical birth. As creation made in His image, God’s spirit is in all of us, but if we don’t allow that Spirit to grow and flourish by connecting with the Holy Spirit, we feel a void in our lives that money, fame, materialism or chemical dependence cannot satisfy. We need to strive daily to have a relationship with God and to walk humbly in His presence. That is what satisfies us today.

Like the descendents of Abraham, we often try to live a life straddling the world and God. We covet and crave the things of the world, often above doing God’s will in our lives.

Looking at the story of God’s relationship with humanity we see a Creator never giving up on His creation. We see then and today, a people that are sinful by nature and who constantly fail. Yet, we see a loving God who allowed his only Son to be a sacrifice for all of the sins of humanity. By being born again of the Holy Spirit, we begin to see God in a new light. We seek God’s will in our lives and we seek guidance on a daily basis. How do we do this? We do this by having a relationship with God, a relationship that involves prayer and study, thought and reflection. How would your friends feel if you only called on them when you needed something? We shouldn’t treat God this way, like that drive-thru restaurant, but like a friend that we look to and trust with our very lives.

Secondly, I think we see others differently once we’ve been born again. What do we see when we look at others? Society often judges people based upon their station in life or their material possessions. Fame and power are exalted. As stated earlier, our society is also very critical. We look for the faults and weaknesses in individuals. Unfortunately, many in our society have a perverse habit of lifting themselves up by putting others down. I think often the only thing society likes better than seeing someone exceed or achieve success, is to see what will ultimately bring them down.

Once we have been born again, I think God wants us to see people through the eyes of Christ. He wants us to look at people and see the needs of their life, instead of judging them or criticizing them because of their weaknesses or faults. I think God wants us to see them for the potential and promise they have instead of looking at their failures. I think being born again means that we allow God to dispense mercy, grace and forgiveness through us.

I must confess it is a big problem for me because I have a great memory. I can remember phone numbers from 20 years ago, and I can remember everybody who ever did me wrong. Forgiving others is hard. We like to hold onto the hurt because it gives us something on others. Aren’t you glad God isn’t that way? God gives grace and forgiveness freely, if we will only believe. The scary thing is that the Bible tells us that as we judge others, we will be judged. I think we would all be better off if we could learn to see others through the eyes of Christ and give grace more freely.

Finally, I think we can begin to see ourselves differently when we are born again. Just as our culture influences how we see others, it also influences how we see ourselves. In a recent study, 60% of teenagers said they felt they were unattractive. Half the girls surveyed said they wanted to lose weight. 85% said they needed to improve in some way. Only 15% said that they were happy with whom they were. And 33% said they had a friend who had contemplated or tried to commit suicide.

Adolescence is a difficult time in a person’s life in our society. Being a young adult is not much better. I’m not really sure if it ever gets easy. We live in a time where people try to pursue an image and a lifestyle that is mostly smoke and mirrors. And sadly, even those who reach the goals of materialism and wealth are left feeling empty.

Being born of the Spirit means that we don’t judge ourselves according to the standards of the world, it means that we seek to be the people God would have us to be. Now, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t seek a healthy lifestyle or try to improve ourselves through education or stop providing for our families. It does mean that we examine our priorities in life.

Being born again means that we seek God’s will and that we give Him priority. It means that we trust Him to guide our steps and allow Him to work through us to spread His love, mercy and grace to a world that desperately needs to hear His message.

Thirty Pieces of Silver

This is Easter Weekend. It has been a very good week, starting with Palm Sunday, a very somber Maundy Thursday service, and culminating today with a great Easter service. For some reason, Judas and the role he played in the Easter story have been on my mind since Maundy Thursday. Why did he betray Christ? We have the luxury of looking back on historical events through the lense of time. Events that confused or perplexed the participants usually come into focus as we see the bigger picture. This question is different. This is an attempt to articulate where my thoughts have gone with this question.


The idea of Messiah to a first century Jew was someone who would lead the Jewish people to greatness. Israel had been a strong and powerful nation under great kings like Saul, David and Solomon. Yet for so many generations they had suffered under the seige of the Babylonians, Assyrians and the Romans. The Messiah was to be someone who would make Israel great again. We know from John 1 that the disciples recognized Jesus as Messiah. No doubt they had ideas about their future and how it would unfold as disciples of Christ. He would lead them to greatness, and they would be leaders in the new kingdom. We see examples in Mark 10 and Luke 9 where the disciples are dreaming of the future and jockeying for position in the coming kingdom. Mark 10 mentions James and John having the discussion, Luke 9 refers to “the disicples” as having the argument about who would be the greatest. The disciples spend time with Jesus, witnessing the miracles and listening to his teachings, seeing more and more people join the group of followers. They know Jesus is the Messiah and they all have visions of what the future will hold.

Jesus, however, isn’t talking like the Messiah they envisioned. He is talking about persecution, suffering and death. He plainly told them what would happen at the hand of the elders and chief priests, but they either didn’t understand or they refused to believe it. In Matthew 16 Peter even tells Jesus that such things will never happen to him. Jesus scolds him and tells him that he is thinking of the things of man, and not the things of God. The idea of a suffering Messiah does not exist in their realm of thinking.

Then comes the entry into Jerusalem before Passover. Jesus tells two of the disciples to go into the village to get a young colt, referring to a donkey. I never understood the significance of this until a couple of years ago. Horses weren’t very common during this time. Only military leaders and rulers or the rich really had horses. If a leader rode into town on a horse, it meant that they were a conquering ruler with militaristic or nationalist ideas. If they rode a donkey, it indicated a peaceful mission. Horses were for the privileged and led leaders into battle. Donkeys were common work animals of the people.

I think Judas began to grow impatient. Jesus had articulated his ideas about his suffering and his death. Judas had a different idea. I think he realized that Jesus had a following, and that the people were looking for a leader to start the revolt and cast out the Romans. Perhaps getting arrested was the nudge that Jesus needed to get things started. Surely he would resist, he was innocent. Surely this popular leader being arrested would be enough to get the people fired up and start the fireworks!

I won’t even try to attempt to explore what happened to Judas. We know that he met a gruesome end. Matthew 27 states that he tried to return the money and eventually hanged himself. In Acts 1 Luke writes that Judas bought a field and threw himself over a cliff. Consumed with guilt, he couldn’t live with himself.

If the betrayal was an attempt to start a revolt, Judas was guilty of trying to impose his ideas and desires instead of accepting God’s will for what a Messiah should be. Looking at it in those terms is a bit uncomfortable for me, I know that I am guilty of the same thing. Like the disciples mentioned in Luke 9 and Mark 10, and like Judas, I have my own ideas of how things should unfold. Sometimes I am guilty of trying to give things a nudge by setting events into motion instead of trusting God to take care of things. Every time I choose to go to “Tarshish instead of Nineveh”, every time that I choose to worship a “golden calf”, every time I deny Christ, I am choosing to impose my will instead of accepting God’s will.

God’s will is rarely what we expect. It is humility instead of power and wealth. It is mercy instead of condemnation and judgement. It is love instead of hatred and bitterness.

We don’t understand how a Messiah could be carpenter’s son instead of a preist or a ruler’s child. We don’t understand choosing to work through prostitutes, fishermen, and sinners. We don’t understand a suffering Messiah instead of a conquering hero. As human beings, we don’t understand how sin and death can be overcome through the resurrection.

As spiritual beings we believe in the power of the risen Lord and the transformative power of God’s love. Easter shows us how grace and love trump sin and death. My prayer is that I will trust God and that I will be obedient to His will. I don’t want to sell out for thirty pieces of silver!