John 3:3 --- Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Yesterday we watched as Nicodemus came by night to Jesus. He didn't come asking for signs or miracles, instead he comes to talk to Jesus about who He is. Jesus' day had just been filled with crowds of people believing in His name because of the signs he did. He knew their hearts though and knew their belief was in the miracles. Now He has Nicodemus before Him, addressing Him as rabbi/teacher.
So, how does Jesus respond? Does he throw His arms around Nicodemus and welcome Him to team Jesus? Does He pat him on the shoulder and congratulate him for finding the good portion? NOPE… Jesus does something we've seen Him do with every person that's come directly to Him so far in the book of John. He confronts him.
Nicodemus shows up and says, "Rabbi, Teacher, we know you're from God because no one can do what you've done apart from God.". Again, Jesus doesn't reply how we'd expect, but instead with a deep truth that immediately confronts Nicodemus' idea of who Jesus is and other things.
"Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus approached Jesus as "Rabbi" one who taught about God and the scriptures. Now keep in mind Nicodemus was a teacher, he was a pharisee, he was a religious ruler as part of the Sanhedrin. This guy had the scriptures memorized, inside and out. So, what does "Rabbi" Jesus teach Nicodemus? That the whole thing is based around new life!
Now keep in mind during this time it was well believed that just being born as a Jew meant you were locked in, good to go, heaven bound because your family tree connected back to Abraham. Now here Jesus stands before this religious leader and talks of being "Born Again" or "Born Anew" or "Born from Above". The word used in the Greek expresses all three of these, which they say the same thing, your old birth, the life you have now, it isn't enough, there is new life that must come for this to work.
When I tell you that Jesus would be asked to leave most of our churches today because of how he confronted people with His truth, I mean they'd just short of throw Him out the door. He hasn't done one single thing that was rude, wrong, or hateful, but according to our ways today many would say someone responding in this manner was rude, wrong, or even hateful. He might push people away. He might offend someone. He may make someone uncomfortable.
Let me tell you this, you CANNOT separate Jesus from the Truth. He IS the WORD! He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIGHT.
The heart of God is that no one, not one single person would perish. Real love requires the truth, the WHOLE truth.
2 Peter 3:9 -- The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Jesus' love for those who come after Him is so great and He is the Word and Truth, so it is only natural He would confront people who are coming after Him. What do I mean here? One of the single most dangerous things that exists is "self-deception".
Something that jumped to my mind here. If you were invited to someone's house to play Texas Hold'em and you have never played, have no clue how it works, no idea what's involved, would it be rude or unloving for the host to explain the game fully to you first? I doubt many would be offended by being told what it means to shout, "All In!" and push those colorful chips to the center. If the host didn't like you and didn't have a heart for you, he could easily let you play and watch you get cleaned out.
Now, think about all those people who believed in Jesus because of the miracles He did. If they stopped there at the miracles, do they truly know Jesus? Now, it's not our place to judge anyone unto condemnation. Only the Lord knows a person's heart and status of salvation, but when we look at how hard Jesus has worked to confront people in the beginning, you can easily see He wants us to really look at why we're coming after Him, to really see the TRUTH of what we're getting into, what is fully required.
It takes a big perfect love for Jesus to look someone in the eye who has come to Him, the Living Water, the Way, the Truth, the Life, they are there in front of Him, at the doorstep, and He loves them so much He makes sure they KNOW the whole truth, so they do not fall into self-deception. It's not just saying a quick prayer, show up on Sunday, give your tithe and bam you're in the Alpha Omega Royal Country Club. Now it's easy street and blessings until I pass and then I'm moving into that mansion on Gold Street, right across from Peter's place.
Beloved, if Jesus directly confronted people with the whole truth of who He was, of what it takes to follow Him, to see Heaven, why do we shy away from doing the same? Why do we hesitate and see it as unloving or potentially offensive? Why do we fear it'll push someone away by speaking God's truth, in the same way Jesus did?
In 1 John 2:6 we're told whoever claims to live in Christ Jesus owes a debt to live as He lived, walk as He walked, act as he acted. I'm two and a half chapters into John and so far, I see Jesus lovingly confronting everyone, everywhere He goes. Not rude and confrontational, but loving, direct, truth.
So, it's on me to close out with these lovingly confrontational words of Jesus. Hear Him speak it with love and compassion, from a heart that does not wish any to perish, but to come to repentance, to be born again, and to really see with eyes open wide the truth, so that none will be self-deceived into thinking they're okay, when really, they stopped at the miracles and never truly KNEW Jesus.
Luke 14:25-33 --- 25 Now large crowds were going along with Jesus; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple.
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple.
28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a watchtower [for his guards], does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to finish it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is unable to finish [the building], all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one who is coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else [if he feels he is not powerful enough], while the other [king] is still a far distance away, he sends an envoy and asks for terms of peace.
33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not [carefully consider the cost and then for My sake] give up all his own possessions [discipleship doesn't require poverty, but a willingness and commitment to do so if necessary].
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