Nicodemuses

A deeper understanding.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.'
8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?"
10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."-John3:7-15

The Nicodemuses of this world seek for something, for knowledge or for truth that can be tangibly seen, heard or touched. Sometimes, if an answer is given to them but contrary to their expectations, either they turn away or go deeper down 'the rabbit hole.' Jesus is inviting us all to accept one truth - He is the Lord and Savior. Why, then, is this truth so difficult for some? What are they seeking exactly?

Image courtesy: dreamstime

Foolishness and Wisdom

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.

13 [a]Since the Passover[b] of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 [c]He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,[d] as well as the money-changers seated there. 15 He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” 17 [e]His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them,[f] “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,[g] and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.23 While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 25 and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.-John2:13-25

Perhaps it may seem absurd for some to hear, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." A fallen house cannot be rebuilt in just 3 days, how much more a temple. But who can possibly understand or know that Jesus was referring to His body as the true Temple? With our knowledge, wisdom and advancement, it is is still not enough to match even the foolishness of God. For God's foolishness is still wisdom. Our life may seem to be topsy turvy, or full of misfortunes, or full of tragedies. But God can make it straight, and He will do it at the right time and place.

Image courtesy: Dreamstime

God the True Giver

God is the greatest Provider there is.

1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 [b]He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people.He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.-Mark8:1-10

This is the second miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. It is sad to note that the disciples' answer to Jesus, 'Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?' is still very humanistic. I cannot blame the disciples because, indeed, where will one go to buy food for a multitude in the middle of nowhere? But if this is the second multiplication of the loaves and fish already, then, they should have known what Jesus would most likely do.

We, too, are like the disciples. Sometimes, we believe in ourselves so much. We believe that we have all the right answers. We believe we know better how to ran our lives. We think we are the better captain and commander of our 'ship.' But the truth is, we do not know what is good for ourselves without God. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Although their eyes were opened, they were still far from being a god, far from truly knowing, far from wisdom, and far from truly knowing good and evil. Yes, we inherited the stain of sin, but we never inherited the benefits of what the fruit truly stands for. God continues to pour upon us His favors and graces. These gifts are overflowing. All we have to do is open ourselves to His invitation.

Image courtesy: Dreamstime