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? John 3:9-10
It seems like every time I speak to Mormon missionaries, they have an answer to every question I have; a response to every theological statement I make. I am always amazed by how certain they are about their Church, their lifestyle and their destination.
When I was in college, my Christian theology was the same way. I was certain of many things but now, I can’t say I am as certain as those Mormon missionaries. I used to approach my Christianity through very simple black and white theology and now, having lived a little, I consider myself very grey. I have learned that this world can be very murky with a lot of confusing situations and events to challenge any certainty I once had.
I believe Nicodemus was confronted with the same dilemma. He was a learned and kind man. He wanted to follow all the tenets of his Jewish faith and have all the knowledge he could learn. Then, one day, Jesus changed that perspective for him. From the moment he met Jesus, his life was not so clear anymore. He didn’t understand this new idea of “being born of the Spirit.” He didn’t understand how one could live in the Spirit. In fact, he asks Jesus, “…but how could this be?” Somewhere between that first night meeting and when Jesus died on the cross, Nicodemus did learn that he could be certain that a life devoted others in Christ was what God wanted. After Christ died on that cross, Nicodemus offered resources to bury him. He even defended Jesus to his fellow Sanhedrin colleagues during the trial.
In today’s text, Jesus invites us to be certain of one thing in this world; it a life committed to Christ. Once we commit our lives to Christ, we are free to not worry about the future but to devote our lives to Christ by serving those around us. You may ask of this invitation, “how could this be?” Let your faith in Christ reveal that answer to you like He revealed himself to Nicodemus.
Dear Lord, help us to live a life of faith where we are guided by the working of the Spirit and not by the world. Amen.
