Contemplative Bible Reading

John 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

These statements are from the famous conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. This conversation leads to John 3:16, which is one of the most famous statements in the Bible.

At this point in the conversation, we see something that occurs many times in John’s telling of the life of Jesus: Jesus mentions a common occurrence in life, but Jesus is speaking about something else, something far more significant. In this case, Jesus isn’t speaking of physical birth, but of the gracious gift of spiritual birth and salvation.

Jesus “gets into trouble” many times in John’s telling of the life of Jesus by doing this type of thing, i.e., speaking about high concepts using words about basic things in everyday life. I wish Jesus wouldn’t do that. Just speak plainly; say what you mean, and mean what you say. Right? Come on, Jesus, use some common sense. Right? Doesn’t Jesus understand these things?

Well, here I go again, telling Jesus how to do things. How stupid is that? Jesus knew what to do and how to speak and how to touch the hearts and minds of people then and ever since then. Should I speak and write like Jesus? Will that work for me as I attempt to share the Gospel? Perhaps. Please God, grant me wisdom.