Ever Been Afraid to Ask?

Math has never been my forte, partly because embarrassment kept me from asking how the quadratic equation worked, or why division by zero wouldn’t work. After all, if you divide something zero times, it should equal the same number, right? I suppose I was turned off forever to math when in Algebra II Mrs. Womble embarrassed me in class by saying, “You look confused, Gary. Why don’t you just ask your question instead of sitting there with that silly look on your face?”

Flustered, I lied defensively, “I understand, I was just thinking hard.”

Truth was I was too afraid to ask what I thought was a stupid question. Have you ever been there?

I suppose Jesus’ disciples were in that position occasionally. Especially that time in John 3 when a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus under cover of the night to talk about faith. Nicodemus sincerely flattered Jesus saying, “I know you’re from God because nobody else could do what you’ve done.”

Jesus answers like he frequently does – in such a way as to evoke a question. “Truly, no one could see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

But Nicodemus doesn’t get it. That’s because in Greek there’s a word anothen that can mean three different things, based on context. It can mean “from God/from above” or it can mean “again/second time” or it can mean “radically.” You can see how this would create some confusion, so Nicodemus the Pharisee thinks Jesus means “again” or “second time.” So he asks the “stupid” question.

Nicodemus says, “How can I be born a second time? Can I return to my mother’s womb?”

I like to imagine the disciples who followed Jesus around in this scene listening in. They probably let out a sigh of relief when Nicodemus asked for clarification. Can you see Peter looking at John with a smug look, nodding pensively as if to say, “Isn’t this deep?” When really on the inside Peter is saying, “Born of spirit and water? What the heck?”

And Matthew the tax collector is thinking, “Now if you are born again is that the same tax rate? Or can you now take two deductions on your 1040 return?”

And fishermen James and John are wondering, “Can sea creatures can do that?”

Fortunately, Jesus clarifies their crude interpretations. What follows is a teaching time that ends with the famous Bible verse, John 3.16. I bet you know it.

Nicodemus shows us the beauty of honest inquiry. He’s not afraid to say, “I don’t get it, could you tell me more?” I am thankful that “Nick at Night” was courageous enough to ask the “stupid” question when he could have just nodded knowingly. As a result of his inquiry we get to hear Jesus tell us that

• We are more than just physical beings,
• God is very much interested in all parts of us,
• That whole “For God so loved the world” thing, and
• Honest inquiry is the most important part of nurturing our spiritual being.

So I’m now wondering what you’re wondering? What questions have you locked inside because you’ve been too afraid to ask?

We’ll discuss this more in a sermon this Sunday at Willow Meadows Baptist Church. We gather to study the scripture in small groups at 9:30 and we worship corporately at 10:45. I hope you can join us if you’re in town.

From confidence to questioning, and back again,
Pastor Gary

Not a Sermon – Just a Thought is a weekly email that I’ve been writing almost every Friday of the year since 2005. If you’d like to be added to or deleted from this mailing list, let me know by telling me at glong@wmbc.org.

John 3.1-17 – NRSV (I usually use NIV, but they didn’t do a good job translating anothen and catching the word-play between Jesus and Nicodemus. Even Eugene Peterson gets it better in his paraphrase The Message.)

3Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus* by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ 3Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’* 4Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ 5Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.* 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You* must be born from above.”* 8The wind* blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ 9Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ 10Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 ‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you* do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.* 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.*
16 ‘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.
17 ‘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.