John 3:1-7
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
I recently came across the statement, “Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness”, and immediately thought how appropriate a theme that is to close out our Black History Month observance. It resonates with me on several levels. So, let me open by telling you a story of when I unwittingly became the liberator of a poor imprisoned bird held captive by my dear old grandmother.
My grandma (Mom Bee) had a prized bird she kept in a cage in her apartment. The bird seemed totally at peace in her custom made cage. She had all the comforts a bird could ask for; including periodic flights around the apartment. Mom had her trained. She use to let her fly from room to room to get some exercise and then fly back into the cage. She always came back to the cage.
But one day I came in, accidentally left the door open and the bird fly outside. I thought for sure she would fly for a while and then come back like she always did. But after a longtime it was obvious she was never coming back. When I asked Mom Bee, (after all she had done to feed, care for and make the bird comfortable) why she didn’t return, Mom simply replied, “cause she has wings”. It took me a lot of years to truly understand the power of that statement.
This morning we read the account of Jesus and his encounter with a religious leader named Nicodemus. Given his credentials, education and pedigree, in most cases, Nicodemus would be the teacher, and a common person like Jesus the student. But Jesus flipped the script and taught the teacher a few things. While Nicodemus was focused with the miracles and signs that he saw Jesus do, Jesus was concerned with his soul. While Nicodemus was focused on the cage, Jesus gave him the key to true religious freedom. Nicodemus’ condition could not be fixed with his old way of thinking. No amount of theology, training, education, liturgy or religious exercise could fix the yearning in his heart. In order to escape the prison of an incarcerated mind, Jesus declared, ‘You must be born again.’
Apostle Paul in his second letter to the saints living in Corinth reemphasizes the contention of Christ with, Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. The Amplified Bible 2 Corinthians 5:17
This powerful statement not only supports the words of Christ, but outlines for each of us a clear pathway from carnality to spirituality. The new birth entails being grafted into the Body and being reborn by the agent of the Holy Spirit. Only then can we truly experience freedom in Christ Jesus. You can’t plan it, plot it, fake it, or otherwise reinvent it. You must be born again.
In the case of my grandmother’s bird, Mom thought she could compromise freedom by allowing the bird to fly in the narrow confines of her apartment. And while that was much larger than her cage, it was still a far cry from true freedom. The bird needed a liberator. And the liberator was me.
Dear Child of God, we too have a liberator. Our liberator is Jesus. When you’re born of the water and Spirit you won’t be satisfied, happy or content with spiritual confinement for long. You can only go through the motions for so long before you desire to break free and be everything God purposed you to become. You were made for Kingdom glory. You were born to fly.
God Bless
