Of Water And Spirit

John 3:1-17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind 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.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

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Nicodemus most likely had many thoughts on his mind as he went to see Jesus in the dead of night. It wouldn't be surprising that someone of Nicodemus' rank and stature caught wind of what Jesus had done in the temple, which was running through with a whip made out of cords driving out the merchants and money changers. His curiosity, like ours, would be piqued. Nicodemus, like us as well, decided to have a nighttime conversation with Jesus. And again, like Nicodemus, we are confronted with a message that pushes us out of our comfort zone. This morning Jesus does so by challenging our very understanding of what it means to tear down the barriers and constructions that we use to divide ourselves. 

Curiously, Nicodemus decides to visit Jesus at night. Perhaps he thought he would evade the judging eyes of any colleagues or other people who would have frowned at Nicodemus' decision. Yet the trouble for Nicodemus, and us, is that we often come to Jesus with a set of expectations and ideas that rarely coincide with Jesus' actual desire for our world and our lives. We like to think that we know all the answers, that we know what is best for ourselves and others, but when we come before Jesus with that kind of arrogance well, we shouldn't be surprised at what happens next. 

Jesus turns to Nicodemus and says, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born from above." That last word, "above," can also mean "anew" or "again" in Greek, which is where we derive the phrase "being born again." When he hears this, Nicodemus is confused. He doesn't understand how someone can be born from above, let alone be born again. He even asks Jesus, "Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Of course, Jesus isn't talking about a literal "rebirth," but one that has already occurred in the pouring out of God's love upon the entirety of the created world. 

We already have had a rebirth in love that flows from the covenants and promises of God. And such a revival is found in the incarnation of such love made flesh. The problem is that we have forgotten what that means and what role it plays in our lives. So instead of living as people who give life to others, we take life, and salvation, and freedom away in our erecting of barricades and barriers that keep people out instead of welcoming them in. When we forget that such love dwells inside us and has given us life anew, we then also forget how the Spirit of God has brought us into fellowship with one another in a way that breaks all fears and walls we attempt to put in its way.

In what ways have we not lived as people reborn in the love of God? Perhaps it is how we treat others who don't fit our mold for who belongs and who doesn't belong. Maybe we pretended not to hear the racist slur or derogatory remark made to someone in a public place. The reality is we have fallen short on a number of different occasions. Even though we know what Jesus expects of us, we aren't yet fully able to comprehend what it means to be people born of both the water and Spirit. But just because we fail to stand up to injustice, to welcome those who have not been welcomed to the table of God before, does not mean we stop trying to live our lives as people who have been born again. 

When Jesus tells Nicodemus, "[N]o one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit," I can't help but think back to an old episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Mr. Rogers invites Officer Clemmons to cool his feet in a little kiddie pool. It was a commentary on the present culture at a time where people could not see people for who they were, so they threw chemicals into pools to drive out Black Americans. In welcoming Francois Scarborough (the actor who played Officer Clemmons) to share a moment by the water, Fred Rogers modeled what it means to understand divine love and made manifest the words of Jesus we hear this morning. 

And that is where we find our hope. That is where we find our strength. Because, for all the times we hopelessly try to control and manipulate things for ourselves, God's love shines through. And we need to remind ourselves of this love every day. Because it is a love that impacts the entirety of creation, it transcends race, creed, and borders to tell us that regardless of our alliance to any earthly power, we are called first to be disciples of the living God. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

The kingdom of God is a place where light has shown onto all the darkened areas of the world—bringing the fallen aspects of our world into the light so that they may be redeemed. As an interwoven family made of a variety of people from all walks of life, Jesus shows us that our loyalties are not bound by conventional elements such as blood, nation, or creed. The places and times where we have failed to live as people born anew are brought forth into the light of God so that they may be redeemed and given another opportunity to live the way that has been demonstrated for us in our daily living. 

This good news, this love, this rebirth, is an opportunity for us to put our faith into practice. It is not something that happens on Sunday mornings or in the privacy of our homes when we do devotions. This rebirth is a call by God to live out our faith publicly, unashamed at how it leads us against the traditions we have become so accustomed to witnessing. As we continue this Lenten season, let us discover how the fullness of a new life in Christ compels us to act, speak, and live differently. Christ came into the world to dismantle systems of oppression and injustice, to show us that we ought to put our trust in God rather than in fear, hate, and the powers of this world. 

So whose "feet '' can we wash today and the day after tomorrow? Who can we invite to the table and join us in the community God has brought us? Our actions, more so than our worlds, will reveal whether or not we have embraced our identity as people born anew in God's love. Let our works then reflect this truth in how we conduct business, dispel fear and prejudice, and actively tear down the things that divide us so that they may be brought into the light of God. The end result is something more beautiful than anything we could imagine as it would embody the Spirit of God and the fullness of our diversity, joys, sorrows, talents, and love. Amen.