In the center of our reading this week is dear Nicodemus’ question, “How can these things be?”
Remember Nicodemus? He, a Pharisee, wandered out at night to find Jesus to ask him about his identity (a key theme in John) and how Jesus was able to do such remarkable things. Jesus responded to Nicodemus’ inquiry, saying that no one can understand such things “without being born from above.”
What followed was a conversation about womb and water, flesh and spirit, and things visible and invisible.
Nicodemus went out to meet Jesus to gain insight and understanding about his relationship with God, and poor Nicodemus walked away more confused than ever, asking about how one returns to the womb and concludes with that marvelous question, “How can these things be?”
Nicodemus’ great question set the stage for Jesus to make one of Scripture’s most well-known and most beloved statements. It is a statement that opened the world to God’s love and all the possibilities made known to us through Jesus Christ. In just a few words, Jesus rewired the world’s thinking about the depth and breadth of God’s love, for not just the people of Israel, but for all people:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
In this season of Lent and as we continue thinking about Common Elements of Home, Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus reminds us that God made a home here for all creatures and all creation with a love and embrace that reaches far beyond what we can possibly imagine.
See you in church,
Pastor Stephanie