Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I've been up to London to look at the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what saw you there?
I saw a little mouse under her chair. Miaow, Miaow.
You have to feel sorry for that little cat. Think of all the effort he put in - going all the way to London: the cost, the time, the energy - all for a special purpose. And having put in all that effort, what happens? When confronted by the grandeur of Her Majesty, sitting upon her throne, all he can see is a little mouse, under her chair. What a sad story! It's rather like us going up to London especially to see a show, and standing outside the theatre saying, 'Well the box office looks magnificent.'
Why did that cat fail in its objective? The truth is that cats aren't interested in queens. They are interested in mice, and the cat brought the purpose of his journey down to a level that he could understand. What do you notice when you visit a new town? Inevitably, it's things that you’re interested in. But more than that, cats lack the mental capacity to understand about queens. The concept of royalty is beyond feline reasoning. Although a cat may look at a queen, all he'll see is a woman sitting on a chair - he'll not appreciate the full extent of her position.
So much for cats. What about Nicodemus? Perhaps he is a similar situation? A man of the Pharisees, rich and learned, but like the cat, he's faced with a situation that he can’t understand. He comes to Jesus by night, he meets the King of kings, but all he sees is what interests him: signs and miracles. He doesn’t understand who Jesus is. Jesus immediately grasps Nicodemus’ situation. He tells him that he needs to lift his mind up to a higher plane. 'If you are born of flesh, all you can see is flesh.' Just as if you are born a cat, you can't help your feline feelings. But says Jesus, 'If you want to appreciate the things of the Spirit, you must be born of the Spirit.'
Jesus is the one who offers us transformation. 'You must be born again', he says to Nicodemus. Like the clay on the potter's wheel in the book of Jeremiah, he needs turning, or moulding into a new creation. Nicodemus needs to live, not according to the laws of the earth, but according to the law of the Spirit. If we're to enter God's kingdom, we too must be born of the Spirit.
Born of the Spirit - a new way of living. That implies a willingness to let go of ourselves and allow God to take control of our lives. For Nicodemus that involved the risk of sitting lightly to the books of the Law, no longer asserting infallible religious laws, but being open to the still small voice of God. For us it’s about recognising that we can’t control our own destiny and being willing to hand our destiny over to God. 'Your way, not mine, O Lord'. If we are willing to embark upon that process, and say 'Yes Lord God, I want to be born again’, then we receive back all that we had before, and more besides. No longer will we behave as if we always know best but will be open to the leading and guidance of God, who knows our needs, and longs to bestow upon us the best that life can offer.
The theory sounds great: a new way of living, in peace and harmony with God. No longer anxious or concerned, but able to trust that God will provide us with direction and harmony. But how? How can that be? I want to be born again. How do I do it?
Jesus offers a dilemma. 'No-one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven - the Son of Man.' It seems like a closed circle. The likes of Nicodemus can never do it, because only the One who’s come down can go back. So is Jesus tantalising Nicodemus by saying that he lacks the right qualifications? It's the old Catch 22 situation - you can't get the experience without the qualification; you can't get the qualification without the experience. What hope is there? Let's give up now. But that isn't what Jesus is saying. He proceeds to show Nicodemus that what humans can't do for themselves, God has done for them. The qualification is conferred upon us - we receive the privileges of membership. Back to our cat again, left to himself, he will never understand the significance of the Queen, but it is God who can open the cat's eyes, give him spiritual understanding, in order that he can look up and behold the queen. When we turn to God, he gives us spiritual vision and insight.
'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.' He reminds Nicodemus of the story of Moses, who, at a time when the Israelites were being attacked by poisonous snakes which killed them, made a snake of bronze, and set it up as a standard, so that anyone who was bitten could look at it and recover. He took the thing that was biting them, put it on a pole and said, 'Look at this, and as you look, see your God. See the healing power of God coming to you through the snake.'
And now says Jesus, just as Moses brought healing to the people of his day, I will be lifted up to bring healing to you. Jesus died on the cross for our sakes, so that we may receive forgiveness for our sins and the new life that he offers. By turning to Christ, God offers us a new way of comprehending the world. He gives us a new perspective on life, through faith in him. When we believe that Jesus was lifted up on the cross for our sakes, the Holy Spirit comes to us, giving us new birth.
How often do we behave like that little cat? How easy it is to come to church, and notice the furnishings, the quality of the music, the state of the brasses, but never once to allow our minds to be raised up to consider the glory of God! But Jesus says, 'Don't get side-tracked, fix your eyes upon me. Look at the cross, and consider the offer of life, which I grant to you.’
A new way of living, with God at the centre of our lives, God calling us to see with His eyes. Jesus was lifted up on the cross in order to bring us new life, so that our eyes may be open to the glory of eternal life.
Jesus says, 'Look at me, and live!'
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, so that all those who believe in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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