Nicodemus was a Jewish leader and teacher who recognized that Jesus was sent by God. But Nicodemus still couldn’t surrender what he thought he knew to accept what Jesus was teaching him. He wouldn’t understand what it meant to be born again. “How can these things be?” he asked. The root of Nicodemus’ problem was not accepting Jesus’ greater authority and wisdom. What Jesus told him needed to sync with what he thought he knew. Jesus told him that we talk about things we have seen and know. Jesus told Nicodemus that He knew about things on Earth and in Heaven because He had been there, that He had descended from Heaven. Jesus then went on to tell Nicodemus His mission – that God loved the world by sending His son to save the world. He is the light, and the key for everyone, even learned scholars, is to love the light rather than stay in the darkness.
Do you accept Jesus’ greater wisdom and authority? Or do His words have to match what you already think for you to accept them? We all have ideas or attitudes we have to throw out because they don’t match what Jesus says.
What attitude or idea do you have that you must reject to bring yourself more in line with Jesus?