Spiritual Mechanics

“Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?”” John 3:4

How – Nicodemus asked the wrong question.  Oh, he asked the question that all of us would have asked.  But it was the wrong one.  Nicodemus heard Jesus say that a man must be born from above if he is to be a child of God.  But instead of asking why this is so, Nicodemus asked the question about spiritual mechanics.  How can I make this happen?

Pos, that simple Greek word, is the word that describes the human pathway to God.  How can I do what is necessary to get into God’s good graces?  How do I get what Jesus is describing?  We play the same Nicodemus game today.  How can I have that extra blessing?  How can I make this prayer effective?  How can I manage the situation so that God will do what I want Him to do?  The human way is always about the mechanics.  “God, just tell me the steps and I’ll take it from here.”

Next time you go to the bookstore, walk the self-help aisles and notice the titles.  How many religious (or non-religious) books offer you step-by-step solutions to problems?  Better prayer.  Better programs.  Better growth.  Better outreach.  Better marriages.  Every one with a new (or old) formula for success.  Every one of them published by Nicodemus Press.  Do you really think that God intended to give us an answer book so that we could take the test without Him?  Does God ask for aggressive independence or for humble dependence?  If He wants dependence, do you think how is the most important question?

Read a little more of this midnight story and you will find that Jesus never answers Nicodemus’ question.  Since it was the wrong question, it wasn’t worthy of an answer.  Jesus steers the conversation to something completely different.  Jesus essentially says, “Foolish man.  It’s not about what you can do.  It’s about what God will do.  And God can and will do whatever He wishes (the Spirit is just like the wind).”  The answer to the real question, why must a man be born from above, is far more important than the how.  God knows how.  What we need to know is why.

And just in case you haven’t caught the answer, read John 3:16.  That’s why!