Understanding Truth

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. John 3:4

Nicodemus was a teacher in the synagogue in Jerusalem. He had grown used to having the answers and liked being the expert. He had taught hundreds of people the truths from the Scriptures.

But Jesus’ teaching confused him.

Nicodemus was not accustomed to being stumped. It was highly unusual for him not to understand a simple statement about God. But Jesus’ words “Unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God” puzzled him. As soon as Jesus said it, Nicodemus knew it was true, even though he didn’t fully understand what it meant. He was in a crisis of faith, the kind where you can’t fully understand what you know to be true.

Nicodemus longed to be able to explain Jesus’ words, but he just couldn’t grasp them. It was at once humiliating and stimulating for him. So he decided to simply ask Jesus what he meant, then just listen.

Jesus began to describe the words of life. Nicodemus’s heart stirred while Jesus talked. For the first time in his life, he began to understand what knowing God really meant. It was no longer about the Law and “getting it right.” It was now about life and loving God. He didn’t know all the implications of following Jesus, but he knew that he needed to follow him from this day forward. His heart was ignited with the desire to know the things Jesus knew and to tell them as simply as Jesus told them.

What do you do when God shows you a truth that you don’t understand? Do you run away from his truth, or do you run to it?

Lord, show me your truth in a way that is simple enough for me to understand it.