John 3:3, Born Again
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
//Here’s a conversation in the book of John that probably didn’t really happen. Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus how to enter the kingdom of God. But scholars doubt the conversation’s historicity on linguistic grounds.
It’s predicated on a play of words, a double entendre. The Gospel was written in Greek, and the Greek word for “again” in verse three carries two meanings: It can mean born a second time, or it can mean born from above. So the conversation continues:
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? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus assumes the first meaning, and Jesus corrects him to convey the second meaning. Problem is, Jesus didn’t speak in Greek; he spoke in Aramaic.
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Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
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Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
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About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
What do you think he meant by saying “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit” ? .. And, what does it mean.. “be born of water and of the spirit” ?
Hi Michelle! This quote comes from John’s Gospel, and John puts an emphasis on a Spirit-led congregation. Baptism by water is not a new thing, Jews immersed themselves in ritual cleansing baths long before Christianity took hold, but when Christians came along, they claimed the presence of the Spirit. This was an astounding claim, since the arrival of the Spirit was not expected by the Jews until the age of the Messiah…so you can see that Christians were claiming Jesus as the world’s Messiah, claiming the age of God’s rule had begun. So, while there are lots of opinions about just what it means to be “born of the Spirit,” in its oldest form, it just means to come under the rule of the governing Spirit (what most call the Holy Spirit) and become a part of the new age of God’s rule.
“Problem is, Jesus didn’t speak in Greek; he spoke in Aramaic.” This is debated. ABout 8 miles from Nazareth was a Greco-Roman city, whose name escapes me at the moment, and Joseph and his son(s?), as a TEKTON, could have worked there and been exposed to Greek and Latin. It is possible jesus was at least bilingual, and what do I know? I wasn’t there.
Yes, it’s possible Tiberias had an influence and that Jesus grew up bilingual, but I also think it an unlikely conversation, being with a Pharisee and being witnessed (presumably) by Galileans. But I wasn’t there either. 😉