"No one has ascended into heaven  except the one who descended from heaven,

the Son of man."

The central theme of the entire gospel of John is the depiction of Jesus

Christ as a citizen of heaven come down to earth, bringing spiritual truths

which will give eternal life to those who believe. In Hebrew, the phrase "son

of man" is used to denote a representative human being, such as a prophet who

speaks with God on humanity's behalf. Given this background, one finds it is

no wonder that all four gospels use the "son of man" title to describe Jesus

as our representative or mediator with God.

The story of Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, a narrative unique to John's

gospel, is one of the most artful renderings of Jesus' gospel teachings. A

leader of the Pharisees, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, representing all

unbelievers by literally walking in darkness to reach Jesus, who then shines

the true light of his teaching upon him---a light which, Scripture tells us,

no darkness can overcome (John 1:5, 9).

Nicodemus comes calling Jesus "Rabbi," and appears to speak for a larger

group that has acknowledged Jesus' heavenly origin on the basis of his

miracles or "signs." However, when Jesus agrees that no one except one of

heavenly origin (born "from above") can see the kingdom, Nicodemus

misunderstands the reference and thinks that Jesus is telling him that, if he

expects to go to heaven, he must be physically born a second time.

What makes this morning's text from the 3rd chapter of John a theological

masterpiece, is its play upon words and their many meanings. Jesus explains

that the rebirth he is talking about is a co-mingling of  "earthly birth" and

"spiritual birth;" but Nicodemus still doesn't quite get it. Jesus is

surprised that a teacher of Israel does not already know these things.

Someone has said that there are four stages of life:

Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood and then "Gee you look good!"

We know how old we are, but our age in years, from "birth" to "Gee you look

good," may not relate very closely to our spiritual age.  Some among us who

are very young are older spiritually speaking and, vice versa, some who are

very old are just beginning to grow spiritually.

Spiritual age aside for just a moment---just as your actual age in years may

not be your true spiritual age---did you know you that your actual age in

years may not be your biological age either?  Several new studies suggest

that real age is not the same as chronological age.  For instance, if you eat

more than 10 servings of tomato paste per week, you may be younger than you

think you are. If you brush and floss daily, you may be as much as 6.4 years

younger than you think you are!

How can this be?  One's age is one's age, isn't it?  Well, according to

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., author of the best selling book Real Age, there is a

provable difference between our calendar age and our biologic age and the

explanation goes beyond simply genetic make up.

Do you recall the surprise you felt when you learned that a coworker whom you

assumed was in his 50s was really only 43; and, when you discovered that the

neighbor who looked as if she was in her early 40s, was really 65. "Some

people are young for their age," observes Dr. Roizen. "They are

physiologically and mentally as active and vibrant as someone much younger."

The youthful 65-year-old woman has what Roizen calls a "RealAge" of 45

because she has learned how to slow the pace of aging. By making simple but

critical decisions about her lifestyle and behavior, by taking care of her

body, she slows the pace of biologic aging and is able to live life more

fully, longer.

Roizen's Real Age program, splashed across a full-page ad in The New York

Times, and now available in the form of  an audio cassette, a computer

program and a Web site, gives you a measurement system to calculate the

biologic age of your body. Once you discover your Real Age, you can learn to

evaluate health care decisions as diverse as putting tomato sauce on

spaghetti, or taking a jog, and then, make informed decisions about each

habit. 

While I don't endorce the following Roisen illustrations they very well could

be answers to aging:

- Eat breakfast every day and gain 1.1 years.

- Get a good night's sleep regularly and gain 3 years.

- Maintain a constant desirable weight and gain 6 years.

- Own a dog, walk it at least once a day, and gain 1 year.

- Build social networks and gain 2 to 30 years.

Dr. Roizen has found that close friends and family members can help you avoid

excessive stress and thereby slow your aging. On the other hand, if you want

to age more quickly, your best bet is to live beyond your financial means,

continue to work at a job you hate, argue with other family members and

neighbors, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol to excess, and abuse drugs. In

other words, the key to looking and feeling older than your birth certificate

usually comes down to self-abuse!

Unfortunately, not everyone "gets it"---Nicodemus didn't "get it!" Nicodemus'

imagination did not stretch far enough to grasp Jesus' offer.  In the 3rd

chapter of John, Jesus gives Nicodemus some hints about "Spiritual Real Age"

when he insists, "You must be born from above." Actually, he uses the Greek

word, "anothen," which has a dual meaning. What he really says is, "You must

be born both 'from above' and 'again'."  To be born "anothen" speaks both of

a TIME of birth---"again," and the PLACE from which the new birth is

generated---"from above."

So what does a person who is spiritually young look like? Well, it could very

well be that a person with a young and vibrant "spiritual real age" looks

just like - you! Like you, when you attend worship, listen to God's Word, and

when you build prayer and service to others into your daily routine.

 

Actually, scientific studies are unanimous in this regard: people of faith,

those we can assume are "born again from above," appear more alive, more

engaged, and younger than their birth certificate says they are. And, unlike

Nicodemus, they are open to surprises from God---willing to let the Spirit of

God blow where it chooses. Not knowing where the Spirit comes from or where

it goes, they simply believe that Jesus is the one who brings heaven and

earth together. And, they are right!

"Born again" speaks, then, to the new ways we relate to others---how we

speak, act and think toward those who are around us; while being "born from

above" identifies the source of this regeneration---our new way of living in

relationship with God and with other human beings---family, friends and

neighbors.   AMEN!