Seeking A Good Word

There is the story of an elderly gentleman who lived in a mid-western town. One day as he

sat on his porch a stranger walk up and said, “Could you tell me about the people who live

in this town? I’m thinking of moving here and want to know if this is a good place to

live.” The elderly gentleman stopped his rocking and asked, “Well first tell me what type

of people are there where you live now?” With a frown on his face the stranger said,

“Well, the children are always making noise and running up and down the streets. The

neighbors are always sticking their noses in other people’s business. And they never leave

you alone.” “Then I’m afraid you would be disappointed here young man,” said the

elderly gentleman, “for the people in this town are just like that.” With a huff the stranger

walked away. Later in the afternoon another stranger approached the elderly gentleman

and said, “Excuse me sir, but could you tell me about the people who live in this town?

My company is moving me here and want to know if this is a good place to live.” The

elderly gentleman stopped his rocking and asked, “Well tell me first what type of people

are there where you live now?” A wide grin appeared on the stranger’s lips and he said,

“Well, the children are great, they are always laughing and having fun as they run up and

down the streets. The neighbors are compassionate and caring and nothing happens that

they don’t know about. And they will never leave you alone.” “Then I’m glad to say that

you would be happy here young man,” said the elderly gentleman, “for the people in this

town are just like that.” And so with a joy filled heart the stranger walked away.

Expectations, we all have them. Expectations make all the difference in the world. Or put

another way, what you expect to see is ultimately what you will get. Expectations can be

good and expectations can be bad. They can help, or they can get in the way. Our

preconceived expectations can cloud our eyes from seeing what is really there. John 3:16 -

Nicodemus - You must be born again. We know the story. We know what to expect.

Nicodemus - sneaking in at night, lest his fellow Pharisees learn of what he has done.

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these miracles

except by the power of God.” Brown nosing it are we Nicodemus! Trying to butter up

the teacher? Don’t you need an apple for that? So Jesus blasts this weaselly Pharisee.

“You must be born again!!!” Ha, Ha - Got Ya! In this version of the story Nicodemus

gets a bad rap. He is not a person. He is a two dimensional bit player who is used to

display Jesus’ obvious superiority. He is seen as a cowardly fool, sneaking around under

cover of darkness. A Pharisee ready to betray his brothers, to the delight of Christians

near and far. We assume that his pharisaic training has trapped him in the letter of the

law. And we can never seem to decide whether he is too learned for his own good, or too

dimwitted to understand about being born again?

That is what the story says isn’t it? Or is it? While it’s often said that Nicodemus meets

Jesus at night to avoid being seen in this unauthorized interview, there is another

interpretation you can make. The rabbis of Nicodemus’s day taught that the Torah was

best studied at night when it was quiet and the distractions of the day had subsided. In

this account of the story, Nicodemus uses his precious study time to expand his search

beyond the standard rabbinical texts. In this view, Jesus himself becomes the book which

Nicodemus willingly explores, mining every word for wisdom and understanding.

Ah expectations, they certainly can cloud our eyes from seeing what is really there. But

I’m not talking about Nicodemus the Jew, I am talking about me and you, the Christian.

What if Necodemus has come to Jesus as a true seeker? Well, that changes everything. If

this is the truth, then Nicodemus recognizes Jesus as coming from God and he seeks out

the one who can reveal to him the true nature of the God of Israel. And, in receiving this

genuine seeker of truth, Jesus doesn’t’ blast him but lays out the ground rules for his

search. To talk about the heavenly father, says Jesus, you must first be born again. To

discuss spiritual things you must first be spiritually alive, born, that is, from above. But

what does born again mean? We know what it means, we know what to expect. A