Do Over
“Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
John 3:3
When I was a kid, before the age of hyper-competitive children’s sports, it was not uncommon to call for a “do-over” on the ball field. What that meant in T-Ball was that when the batter might have tapped the ball without intending to hit it, it did not count against him as an attempt to smack it out of the park. He got to do it over. I rarely smacked it out of the park, but I was always grateful for a “do-over”— a chance to give it another try without having my past mistakes count against me.
In a well-known scene from John’s Gospel, Jesus met with a major religious leader named Nicodemus, who was a good and godly man. He knew his Scriptures, practiced his religion and was not afraid to spar with someone like Jesus. He was also spiritually hungry. All his attention to the rules of religion did not scratch his deeper spiritual itch. Jesus hit the nail on the head: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Jesus wanted Nicodemus to see that his eyes and heart were focused on the Law and not the Lawgiver. Jesus told Nicodemus he needed a “do-over.”
He needed not just greater understanding, but new eyes, a new mind, a new heart and a new self, which required a kind of internal, global shift in the tectonic plates of his being. He needed to be born again, as some biblical translations put it.
As I wrote in the previous meditation, don’t let those two words frighten you. If you think about it long enough, who wouldn’t want a “do-over” in some area of life? The husband who has betrayed his wife? The employee who has stolen or the employer who has treated workers harshly? The mother who has spent more time disciplining her children than loving and accepting them? The teenager caught in a web of alcohol or drug addiction? The criminal who acted in haste and without forethought? The friend who has been neglected?
The opportunity for a “do-over” is not limited to one event, but to our entire way of seeing things and, perhaps, even our entire lives. The invitation Jesus issues to Nicodemus, and to each of us, is that new life finds its origin — its birthplace, if you will — not in religion, but in relationship. True religion is an expression of our relationship to God. Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that “[a]ll who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life.”[1] John Newton once said, “Christianity is not a system of doctrine but a new creature.”
We all know we cannot change the past, but what Jesus always offers us is the opportunity to start afresh. The invitation to be born anew is more powerful than the simple permission for a “do-over.” It is the opportunity to have a whole new life — a life grounded not in stifling expectations of perfection, but in giving room for another try with God as our companion along the way.
Another Step…
What area of your life, past mistake, sin or relationship would you like to do over? Can you offer that into the care of Christ who offers you new birth? Can you accept that gift?
Prayer
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
William Reed Huntingdon, d. 1909[2]
[1] John 6:40.
[2] “The Book of Common Prayer” (New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1979) 56
