Born Again

So, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night, searching, and wanting to know the answers to some questions, because he has marveled at the things that Jesus has done and he believes that God must, in some way, be working in them.  The good aspect of Jesus’ coming to Jesus is that he is curious.  He has these questions.  He wants to know more.  He is looking for something.

But there is also a shadow side to it and that is that he comes to Jesus in the night.  Because he doesn’t want anyone else, especially his colleagues, to know what he is doing.  He is still a little afraid of what he might encounter and what the impact might be.  Maybe even a little ashamed or embarrassed that he is approaching Jesus and asking these sorts of questions.

They enter into this fascinating conversation where the words are somewhat ambiguous and mysterious including this phrase “born again,” which the NRSV translates “born from above.” . . . .

[Note: Scott preached without manuscript on this Sunday, so if you want to hear more about what is inhibiting Nicodemus’ full participation in the way of Jesus and therefore what we must learn if we are to be “born again,” then you’ll need to watch or listen to the video.]