Today I want to go a little out of my comfort zone and want to write about what might be called the first Christian commentary on Genesis--the New Testament Book of John. While I call it a commentary on Genesis, I do so to point out its nature, not to degrade it to something less than the inspired Word of God. John 1 clearly parallels Genesis 1 by starting with “In the beginning,” and proceeding to focus on the identity of That Which Was in the beginning and the forming of a man in the Image of God. While there is plenty of material in John (and indeed the major focus of John) regarding the nature of the incarnation, I want to focus today on our identity again, so I will turn to John 3 and the famous story of Nicodemus.
The story goes that Nicodemus was a righteous man, a Pharisee. While today the word “Pharisee” tends to have negative connotations, the term in Jesus’ day was a religious position and referred to a group of people who tried to stick to their religious values while still being active in their cultural society. This Pharisee Nicodemus came to Jesus and wanted to know who Jesus was, as Jesus had been somewhat masking his identity (reference chapter 2). Rather than answering directly, Jesus addressed the question that was really on Nicodemus’ mind: “I know you’re truly a Prophet of God; you might even be the Messiah; How do we bring about the Kingdom of God?”
Jesus cryptically replies, “You want to know the true Truth? I’ll tell it to you: no one will ever perceive the reality of the Kingdom of God unless he or she is born again.” Nicodemus, in more polite terms, says, “What the heck do you mean by that?!” By all means, he had a very legitimate question.
In the mind of the First Century Jew, the Kingdom of God was an immanent, physical reality. They had relatively recently returned from exile physically but were living under a puppet King under Roman rule. The Kingdom of God, in the mind of the First Century Jew, was to be ushered in by the Messiah, a King in the line of David who would overthrow the Roman tyranny and bring Israel back from their spiritual and political exile, restoring their identity as an everlasting, holy nation. So when Nicodemus asks, “Who are you?” he is really asking, “Are you the Messiah who will usher in this political Kingdom of God?”
Jesus responds in kind, saying, “The Kingdom of God isn’t what you think it is. The Kingdom of God is one of rebirth.” What does this rebirth look like? It is a complete transformation of identity. This is stressed in the Greek passage by literally being “born from the top down,” using a separate adverb that is emphatic to the typical word used in the New Testament for being reborn. It is a revoking of the identity of flesh. Flesh comes from dust, and to dust shall the flesh return, because flesh identifies with the change of identity in Genesis 3. If one is to be reborn, he must accept the birth of the Spirit, the original identity that was breathed into dry flesh in Genesis 2--the identity of being the Image of God in Genesis 1.
What does this look like practically? Jesus continues by paralleling Genesis 1 in John 3:19. He identifies Himself as the Light of the World. During the Creation cycle, creation occurred during the day, during the light. It is a symbol of empowerment of inviting those who wish to actualise the immanent, physical Kingdom of God. (Although Jesus makes no reference to a political kingdom.) Jesus vocation as Messiah was to usher in the Kingdom of God by giving humanity back their identity as the Image of God, a partner in creation and restoration.
To those who embrace the Light, to those who accept their identity as Image Bearers of God, to those who choose to partner with God in the acts of re-creation and restoration, those are the ones who will manifest and perceive the present actuality of the Kingdom of God (3:21). To those who live in darkness, the period of inactivity and complacency to the world around them, they are the ones whose deeds are defined as “evil.” They continually live in the sin of Genesis 3 of believing the lie that they are less than the very Image of God and can be (or are) greater. To those, they have already been judged, and as long as they persist to live the lie, they will never perceive the present reality Kingdom of God.
While this passage may have potential implications for both the nature of Jesus and eschatological implications regarding salvation, my concern does not lie there. My concern lies with the question implied by Nicodemus and Jesus’ response. Nicodemus asked a practical question: “Are you going to usher in the Kingdom of God, and how can I participate in it?” Jesus gave a practical answer: “Within My Lifetime, the Kingdom of God will be a present reality for those who choose to define themselves as Image Bearers of God and partner with Me in the acts of Re-creation and Restoration.”
Believe, perceive, and act; or live in the lie of less-than. The choice is yours. As for me and my house, we are serving as present-day Image Bearers of YHWH in an ever-present Kingdom of God.
