Heaven Is For Those Who Understand

𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟐𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐜 𝟒:𝟑𝟐-𝟑𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟑:𝟏-𝟐, 𝟓 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟑:𝟕-𝟏𝟓

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “…𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟓)

          When we talk of misunderstanding in the way when Jesus questioned the capacity of Nicodemus to understand (𝐯.𝟏𝟎) there are two things that immediately come to mind – one is a person can have difficulty understanding certain things if he has does not have any knowledge or first-hand experience of that which is before him.

         The other is also the case of a person who does not understand because he or she simply doesn’t want to understand which means that a person in this state of mind can literally close his perception, his thoughts, his ability to digest and understand by just shutting off his mind.

         Take for example the issues related to the questionable use of the so-called pork barrel system of the legislature which has been rebranded as AYUDA, AICS, TUPAD and what not. I wonder what the incoming Congress will think of. Even more perplexing is why the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on these scandalous expenditures when it ruled before on the illegality of the PDAF. For those who have been linked to the highly anomalous disbursement of these public funds, is it difficult for those involved to understand that what they are accused of doing was wrong?

        Which is why it is necessary for everyone who has been baptized with water and spirit to nourish their faith with prayer and a diligent reflection of the Word of God because the Scriptures will eventually serve as our manual of Christian living.

        When Nicodemus heard about Jesus' miracles and extraordinary teaching, he decided to meet with him privately, away from the crowds and the public spotlight because Nicodemus was nor just an ordinary Jew. He was a religious ruler and a member of the Sanhedrin, which at that time was regarded as the supreme court of the Jewish nation.

        Nicodemus was also a teacher of Israel (𝐉𝐧 𝟑:𝟏𝟎) and he lived a devout life as a Pharisee who sought to perfectly follow the law of Moses, as prescribed in the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers) and he sustained his faith through his faithful observance of the numerous scribal laws, recorded in the Mishnah and the Talmud.

        Thus, Nicodemus met with Jesus at night, and this could have been prompted by two possibilities – that he doesn’t want to be seen as publicly associating himself with Jesus since many Pharisees were opposed to the teachings of Jesus and, because nighttime was the best time to meet with Jesus in private away from the noise of the maddening crowd.

        It was also customary for teachers of the Law and the rabbis to study the law at night after the day's work was completed and the household was at rest. When Nicodemus saw Jesus, he addressed him as Rabbi which meant that he acknowledged Jesus to be a prophet and teacher of the Law whose teachings came from God.

         Not wasting any time Jesus immediately struck up a conversation with Nicodemus that touched on the essence of the Mosaic law, the question of how one can get right with God and enter God's kingdom and the response of Jesus was brief yet shocking for Nicodemus: “𝑼𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒘, 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅.” (𝒗.3)

        It was hard for Nicodemus as it is hard for many of us to understand what Jesus meant because the new birth that Jesus spoke of was not a physical birth but the beginning of a spiritual birth that is something completely new and radical, and from above, namely from God himself.

       Jesus said that this rebirth was necessary if one was to enter God's kingdom. Nicodemus thought that to be born again, even spiritually, was impossible. He probably knew too well from experience that anyone who wants to be changed can't change himself. Jesus explained that this change could only come about through the work and action of the Holy Spirit.

        For many of us who have experienced being baptized in the Spirit, this rebirth in the Spirit is very real and experiential, like the wind which can be felt and heard while it is visibly unseen to the naked eye. But the question remains – what does it mean to be reborn in the Spirit?

        This new birth that Jesus spoke about is a spiritual birth to a new life and experiential relationship with God as his adopted sons and daughters (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟔) and this is made possible only when one is baptized by dying to your self and accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

        What many of us don’t know especially those who are still in the world is that God wants to renew all his people in the gift of new life in his Holy Spirit but this is contingent in our capacity to understand that the new life which God is offering us by way of the baptism in the Spirit will transport into the heavenly realm and provide us with the privilege to enjoy the heavenly way of life while we are still on this earth.

       What then is the Kingdom of God? Can we experience the joyous atmosphere in God's kingdom even if remain trapped in the worldly environment that we are in? Yes it is possible if we are to reorient our concept of the nature of God’s Kingdom where peace and joy reigns.

        Such is also possible when we can turn the place where we are now into a society of men and women who acknowledge God as their Lord and who live according to his will on earth as it is in heaven (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟔:𝟏𝟎).      

        To be reborn is to live and exist in a society where God is honored and obeyed, to live as citizens of heaven and members of God's family – his sons and daughters, and to enter into possession of that life which comes from God himself, a never-ending life of love, peace, joy, and freedom from sin and the fear of death.

        Many of us are like Nicodemus. Christian Catholics we may be, but we move in the shadows of the night as if we are embarrassed to be identified as Catholics and chances are we cannot even defend our Catholic faith. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith has made it possible for cultic organizations to entice Catholics from leaving their faith even using Scriptures to feast on the selective hearing of Catholics to sustain their arguments against the Catholic Church.

        This leaves us with the question of the kind of faith that we have. Faith is contingent on our belief and the only way we can experience the joy and freedom of a new life in Jesus Christ is by believing. To believe is to obey what Christ teaches and to do what Christ did – to love God and those around us. It may be difficult, but we don’t have any choice if our goal is to be in the company of the angels and saints in heaven. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 29, 2025)