Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 9.13-21 and John 2.23-3.15
In each of these passages we see a tension
between our finite, human understanding of how we relate to God, and the
kind of relationship God longs to have with us. The Deuteronomy text recalls
the time the Israelites turned away from Yahweh and created an idol to serve as
the object of their worship. In John, we find Nicodemus questioning how a
person can be born of the spirit after
that person has already been born of the flesh. The Israelites had fallen prey
to the culture around them, where various tribes and peoples worshipped objects
that represented many different gods. They had difficulty letting go of “the
norm” and fully trusting in the unique relationship they had with the one true
God. Nicodemus had fallen prey to a false sense of religiosity that led him to
believe true worship and right relationship with God depended on following a
preset script of rules, rituals, and obligations. He couldn’t quite grasp what
Jesus meant when he said, “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born
from above.”
As we enter into the second week of our Lenten
journey, where are you finding the struggles in your relationship with God?
Does the culture around you make it difficult to focus on this season of
fasting, self examination, and repentance? Have you struggled inwardly with
“going through the motions” of religious rituals and disciplines, but still
feel there should be something more spiritual to your experience of the Divine?
Nicodemus deserves some credit for recognizing
something special about Jesus and seeking him out. But he gets caught up in his
worldview of what it means to be born – to be human. Jesus responds that we
must be born “of water and Spirit.”
By including both, Jesus acknowledges the fullness of our humanity – and the
fullness of God’s kingdom. Yes, we are each born from the water of the womb,
and what we do with our earthly lives in the here and now matters. But there is
also a spiritual realm to our existence, and to God’s kingdom, which we must
embrace in order to be in right relationship with God and neighbor. Conforming
to the culture around us, thinking we have all the answers, or believing we can
ritualize our way into the kingdom – these approaches will always leave us
wanting for a truly intimate encounter with God. Ultimately, we must be open to
work the Spirit within our individual lives and amongst the community of
believers, for “the spirit blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of
it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
