Ye Must Be Born Again

I was listening to a sermon yesterday on the story of Nicodemus (John 3) and I have been thinking since hearing that story again about the cliches that Christians throw around without much thought to their actual meaning. In this particular passage, a term is introduced that is a part of Western Christianity in ways that I don't think Jesus ever intended. That term, the one many have grown to love and many others have grown to hate, is "Born Again"

In this story, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, emphasis mine). And so, Christians are 'born again'. Nicodemus' response is classic in that he is kind of grossed out by the whole womb re-entry picture. See, Nicodemus takes Jesus literally, at his word, while Jesus is speaking metaphorically (although Jesus never actually tells Nicodemus that he's not referring to a literal rebirth, I don't think it would require too much biblical scholarship to recognize Jesus' figurative language).

Here's what struck me: Nicodemus was one of the religious guys. He went to church every week and was an overall good guy. Most Christians today are like Nicodemus. Not only are many Christians religious like Nicodemus, many Christians take Jesus literally here. So we talk about being 'born again' and we post billboards and placards that tell the sinners and pagans that they 'must be born again'. And, like Nicodemus, they stand there and say, "No thanks."

While this phrase is part of our Christian lexicon, we have forgotten that it was a metaphor used in a one-off conversation that Jesus had with a particular individual. Just like when he told Peter that he would become a "fisher of men" (ooh, another entry in the Born Again lexicon). Jesus wasn't dropping taglines or cool catchphrases, he was simply relating the eternal truth to people in a specific setting at a specific time.

Jesus never intended for these statements to be what they are today. Jesus was being relevant at a particular time and place. And that's what Jesus is calling us to today. Jesus wants us to follow his lead to proclaim that truth in ways that are relevant in our particular time and place