November 20, 2022
Gospel – April 21, 2020 – John 3:7B-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
The thing that jumps out here is once again that Nicodemus is in the dark. He’s a well educated man. He has a lot of knowledge – especially about the law, the crutch of the Pharisees.
What is Nicodemus lacking? What most well educated people are lacking – wisdom. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you lack the wisdom to employ the knowledge – you’re lost.
Jesus uses a simple explanation of wisdom vs knowledge. We hear the wind and see it’s effects but we can’t see the wind. Nicodemus doesn’t understand the Holy Spirit. He can see its effect on people but can’t see it so he doesn’t – or can’t – accept what Jesus teaches.
Jesus lightly rebukes him saying if he, the teacher of Israel, can’t accept things of this world how could he possibly understand things of Heaven.
Basically, knowledge lacks if all you have is knowledge. Knowledge is a tool. Wisdom is knowing how to use the tool.
We need to get ourselves some Wisdom.
At least that’s what I heard Him say…
What I Heard Him Say 