“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
He was one of the most respected men of the nation; his word was tantamount to being a decree. The multitudes were always attentive to know whatever his opinion was on any matter, and he had the reputation of being a man with a blameless life. He had chosen to walk on the narrow path of Moses’ Law. People constantly wanted to know what his opinion was about Jesus, too. This venerable and respected elder did not know how best to seek out an audience with Jesus and so obtain a more informed viewpoint of who He was. He waited for everyone in the city to fall asleep so that he could come to the Master. Finally, when he had him close, he told him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him” (John 3:2). This man thought he would get to have some kind of intellectual ‘sparring match’ with Jesus. Instead, to his surprise, he found himself with a response that left him practically out of the game. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). He was left confused. All of his theology vanished in an instant, and the biblical passages that emphasized the blessings of obedience to God’s law crossed his mind; but now, he was confronted with a teaching that was not only fresh but also extremely spiritually profound.
This man had never thought that he needed a new birth. Perhaps he thought, “What about all my academic knowledge? What does Jesus mean by new birth? This is like burying my years of study and preparation.” To clear his doubt, Nicodemus asked, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4). Seeing the confusion of this great intellectual, Jesus decided to help him and said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).
Jesus made it clear that it was not a physical birth that gave people access into the kingdom of God, but rather, a spiritual birth that had nothing to do with this world. Also, age was not an obstacle for one to enter the kingdom of God because even the old should experience it. Later the Lord gave Nicodemus the key so that he could enter, saying, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Leonardo da Vinci, a famous painter, was working on one of his most recognized works – the Twelve Apostles. He sought someone who could be his model to paint the Lord Jesus Christ; someone who would express peace, joy, happiness, compassion and mercy. After a long and arduous search, he found a man that met all of the requirements and hired him. He continued to work this way until finishing a great part of his work. He was able to paint the face of Jesus and the face of the other apostles as well. Only one face was missing – the face of Judas. It had taken a long time to find men who had expressions on their faces that manifested peace and joy, and he thought he would have to find a face that symbolized failure, pain, hatred, bitterness and thirst for vengeance. A man who had been painfully beaten by life, in whose eyes hatred and evil were reflected. Many years went by and he couldn’t find such a person but he continued to search. He went through the ‘lowest’ places – through bars, taverns, and jails – until he came across a piece of abandoned ground where he saw a disheveled, emaciated man with a facial expression that expressed everything the artist was looking for. He hired him and dedicated himself to carry on with the work until its completion. However, the moment in which the man saw the painting, he began to cry.
Leonardo asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?”
He told him, “Do you see the face in the center?”
He said, “Yes, it is the face that represents Jesus.”
He responded, “Ironically, I was the one who modeled that face for you so that you could paint Jesus, and today you hired me to model the traitor.”
A life can become so disfigured; a person can become so unrecognizable. This same man, who was one day an example of peace and tenderness, was later an example of vengeance, hatred, perversion and evil.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I am the expression of the love, goodness, faith, and obedience of Jesus Christ Himself.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Nehemiah 12; Proverbs 14:1-18
- New Testament: Luke 18:31-43; Titus 1:1-9
