"Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" - John 3:11-12
Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus and giving it to him straight here. After all, Nicodemus is one of the Jewish leaders/teachers and he seems to be a little slow. I can see Jesus sighing when Nicodemus asks how someone can physically be born again. "And these are the leaders of the church... oh boy!" But Nicodemus urges him on, believing Jesus is something special but unsure and wanting to know more. That's when Jesus throws this piece at him in verses 11 and 12 - "I am putting it in your terms and you already don't get it. So how do you expect to see things my way?"
I'm reminded of the parable Jesus tell about the talents (Luke 19), and the importance of stewardship. When Jesus says to Nicodemus, "I have told you earthly things," I can't help but think of God's creation around us. What we see, what we know, what we've grown up with - everything around us. His character and story are testified right before our eyes, everywhere we look in nature. He's telling us about Himself. It's just scratching the surface, but it's a start. We see the beauty in creation, we see greatness and simplicity alike, we witness Life and Death, and we are products ourselves of His grace. We see Him reflected in His work, and He says, "Believe these things about me." Saint Francis of Assisi understood this and embraced "all creatures of our God and King" as images of the Invisible God. In a sense, He makes it so easy for us! And once we accept Him upon these basic principles (which may take a lifetime in themselves to grasp, but all we are asked to do is believe), He entrusts to us further mysteries of Himself.
We saw in Chapter 2 a great deal of focus on understanding the heart of God. Here, at the beginning of Chapter 3, we see the first steps to that - the grassroots. The Lord is seeking a relationship with us, and He's showing us how it's done right here. "I made/gave you the EARTH to enjoy and see me through it. Now delve further." I've been told my whole life that the Bible is God's love-letter to us, and I am beginning to understand that more and more.
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