THE TWO QUESTIONS OF NICODEMUS STATED

THE PROBLEM OF NICODEMUS STATED IN TWO QUESTIONS

John 3:4

"Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”

The first question is both an admission and a question. Let us consider for a moment the admission of wonder, and then proceed to the question.

You will note that the question begins with the word "how". The presence of this word does not deny the fact, but it does raise the issue of method or pro­cedure. I think that the very weight of Christ’s declaration, with its finality, has convinced Nicodemus. But still, there is some room for debate. What about the problem of procedure. "How can a man be born when he is old?" If another birth is the solution, how can this experience be brought about?

The wonder of this thought flashes through the mind of Nicodemus. Would not this be wonderful to start life all over again? If one could only move the clock of time back and begin life all over again. Or if one could start where he is today, and live his life all over again. Life is so brief. There is so much to do. There is so little time to change. Nicodemus is now old and he approaches this problem from the perspective of age. Like all as they grow older, he was given to retrospect. No doubt in these closing years he had many times reviewed his past life, and with few excep­tions found reasons for regret. If only the past could be erased, or one could begin all over again.

His psychology was as up-to-date as ours. He knew the facts of personality. He knew that what he was today was the result of all his yesterdays. All those exper­iences of infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, and manhood added up to make him what he was in old age. He knew that the evil and unfortunate experiences have their issue in life. He knew that the good and blessed experiences also have their issue in later life. No thinking man dare shut his eyes to these realities, and in some cases almost brutal realities. But if there were only some way to prevent them before they occur, or once they have happened to undo them. A repetition of birth, or perhaps a new birth could solve the problem.

Now let us turn to the question. I cannot deny to Nicodemus the wonder of the thought that has so lately flashed through his consciousness. It is wonderful. Even we ourselves have had our hearts warmed with the wonder of this thought. But “how can a man be born when he is old?” Procedure poses the problem that at first thought seems to be insurmountable, and it was infinitely so to Nicodemus. Still, the wonder of the thought leads to the appeal concerning method or procedure. As wonderful as the thought may be, one cannot dream forever. He must come to grips with reality. So Nicodemus asks the question "How?"

How is it possible for a man to be born when he is old? This question lays em­phasis upon process, procedure, method, and manner. Is it possible to turn the wheel of nature back to the beginning, or to start new at the time of old age? Others have no doubt thought of this before Nicodemus. The doctrine of reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism is perhaps an attempt to answer this question. But it is a miserable attempt.

The second question is an attempt to answer the first question on the human and natural level. “Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

Nicodemus is thinking in terms of what he knows. Is it possible for one to enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? The obvious answer is No. This is indicated by the way the question is stated in the Greek text. To put it the way the Greek text puts it, it would read, “it is not possible to enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born, is it?” Of course not. Nicodemus knows that he is the result of processes. He knows that at this moment he is the result of what he was an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, all the years of his life. Can he now be turned back into embryonic form in his mother's womb and be born again? Certainly that is impossible. And if impossible on the physical level, then how much more im­possible on the spiritual level.

But the wonder of the thought still lingers with him. It is only the process that throws a shadow across his path. How is it possible? How? That is what he wants to know.