And Do You Not Understand?
23028
John 3:9–10 The Context: A Pharisee (one group of Jewish religious rulers), named Nicodemus, came to visit Jesus after dark in order to not be seen by any other Pharisees who would be very critical of the visit. Nicodemus had been watching and listening to Jesus interaction with the crowds of people. He recognized that Jesus was indeed uniquely blessed by God. Jesus confounded Nicodemus when He said that in order to truly see the Kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” Taking the phrase literally Nicodemus was confused. Jesus explained that the issue was spiritual and should be understood by one who claimed to really know and teach the Old Testament Scriptures.
God Asks Us: Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
JNE: It is not primarily my intellect that God uses to introduce me to Himself and His Truth. But is is often the pride of my intellect that blinds me to what God is wanting to use to transform and teach me. The real barrier between me and God is not intellectual but spiritual. The transformation God wants to make in us, and the transformation we truly need in order to accurately and truly see God is so fundamentally radical that Jesus calls it “being born again.” Do I want God to do that with me? Am I willing to let Him do that with me? All He requires is that we believe Him and ask.
Read "The Gospel?"
John 3:9–10 The Context: A Pharisee (one group of Jewish religious rulers), named Nicodemus, came to visit Jesus after dark in order to not be seen by any other Pharisees who would be very critical of the visit. Nicodemus had been watching and listening to Jesus interaction with the crowds of people. He recognized that Jesus was indeed uniquely blessed by God. Jesus confounded Nicodemus when He said that in order to truly see the Kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” Taking the phrase literally Nicodemus was confused. Jesus explained that the issue was spiritual and should be understood by one who claimed to really know and teach the Old Testament Scriptures.
God Asks Us: Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
JNE: It is not primarily my intellect that God uses to introduce me to Himself and His Truth. But is is often the pride of my intellect that blinds me to what God is wanting to use to transform and teach me. The real barrier between me and God is not intellectual but spiritual. The transformation God wants to make in us, and the transformation we truly need in order to accurately and truly see God is so fundamentally radical that Jesus calls it “being born again.” Do I want God to do that with me? Am I willing to let Him do that with me? All He requires is that we believe Him and ask.
Read "The Gospel?"