Sometimes things are not what they seem. Jesus and Nicodemus are speaking about being born. Peter is recognizing all his power comes from above. Just what is Jesus trying to teach Nicodemus about the word "from above." Readings for today.
From Above
Today's gospel is one of those gospels that is easier to understand with a little background. Both Jesus and Nicodemus use the Greek word ἄνωθεν (anothen). And the word can have two meanings in Greek. It can be, as Jesus says, "from above", but Nicodemus could have understood its second meaning, "again."
We see this word, anothen, used in other places, where the more common, "from above" is used. In the passion accounts, Matthew and Mark used the word to describe how the curtain in the temple is torn. While there are some translations that suggest "torn in two", it is more accurate to say that the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, or from above to below.
But the word can also mean again. It can also mean something that starts at the beginning, or can be translated "top." So in using this word, whose meaning can be ambiguous, what is the point?
First, it was a common teaching technique for Jewish rabbis to propose something impossible to make a point and to challenge a deeper understanding of a concept. So when Nicodemus suggests as an old man going back into his mother's womb, he knows this is impossible.
In this example, Jesus is obviously trying to get at a new type of birth. It is not simply that we need to be born physically again, which is impossible. By translating this word "from above", there is an understanding that there is something spiritual in mind. Jesus goes on to talk about "spirit" and "flesh".
And by setting out water and spirit as a condition for entering the Kingdom of God, there is a clear and direct reference that to be born "from above" it means to be baptized and to live the life of one who is baptized.
Being baptized means that we take seriously the need to imitate Jesus in the way we live. And there are many times where it only makes sense for us to do this because we are born "from above."
This life "from above" can be a difficult one at times, especially if we forget that to live "from above" means the constant awareness that we live out of our relationship with Jesus, and the need to be open to the Spirit.
Moreover, we do not always know where the Spirit of God will lead us. Jesus tells us "The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." This life requires us to trust in God.
And we know that to have such trust is not always easy. Peter realizes this in the first reading today. Peter's prayer is one of trust in God. "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
For in referencing a prayer of David, Peter recognizes that for many of the prophets, their lives did not end well. Often they were killed for preaching the very words that God told them to preach. But they did so because they recognized that to live "from above" meant trusting in God, who would deliver and save.
This trust in God allowed Peter and the other apostles to speak the word of God with all boldness. They did not shy away from the demands of preaching, and they lived as those who like Jesus, were raised to a new way of life. Today, recognize that you too need to be born "from above" so that you may receive new life through water and the spirit, and live as one "born in the Holy Spirit."
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