Mar 26, 2015

Nico Finally Gets It

Pastor Scott Hausrath

North Loup SDB Church, NE

Was it because I was without the Spirit, and therefore unable to understand what Jesus was saying to me that night? [1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:3-4] I must have been blind, because he was spelling it out so clearly for me, but I still didn’t understand. He told me that I must be “born again.” He said that he must be “lifted up” [John 3:14-15], so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. He even said that the world would be “saved” through him. [John 3:17] But all I could think of was “How?” How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t crawl into his mother’s womb a second time. It just didn’t make sense to me.

On the last day of the Feast, Jesus invited us to come to him and drink. He said that

“living water” would flow from within anyone who believed in him. [John 7:37-38] Has anyone ever heard of living water? I didn’t know it at the time, but as I look back on it now, I think he was talking about the Holy Spirit.

Then he was nailed to that cross, and all his efforts, all his teaching, preaching and healing, seemed to amount to nothing. As Joseph and I took his body away from that awful place, we were absolutely stunned. How could a man with such amazing potential just die, right there before our very eyes? We had fully put our trust in him, and then we found ourselves burying his dead body. What an incredible waste, we thought. One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done was to lay Jesus’ body in that dark tomb. [John 19:38-42] It was like I was surrendering myself to that darkness, laying myself in that tomb. What hope did I have now? I was crushed.

But then, just days later, everything changed. Somehow the tomb was now empty. What?!? The ladies said that they had seen Jesus alive. He had been resurrected from the dead! Then for a number of weeks Jesus appeared to different people in different locations. Nobody could deny that this man, who had been killed on that cross, was now alive.

I guess that’s when it finally started sinking in to me. I had lived my whole life thinking that death was the end, but then this guy named Jesus showed me that death is not the end. It’s the beginning. I already knew that death follows life, but Jesus showed me that life follows death. [1 John 5:11-13]

For years, as a Pharisee, I had been seeking righteousness by trying to obey the law. Then Jesus appeared and started telling me that there is another way. He told me about a way to receive righteousness from God, not from law. [Romans 3:21-22] Little did I realize at the time that Jesus was talking about himself. Jesus is the way. [John 14:6]

I’m still scratching my head as I recall the things that happened during that three-year period. What a time it was. I saw things I had never seen before. I experienced feelings I had never felt before. I believed in someone I had never met before.

Do you believe in Him too?

Sharing the journey,

Nicodemus