Article July 17, 2000 Issue

Take it from the top

Where to look for a real makeover

By Elaine R. Follis

The teachings of the Bible run very deep. Often, even the most familiar narratives include far more than what appears on the surface, and yield surprising insights when closely examined.

A good example of this is found in the third chapter of John's Gospel in the Bible. Here John relates the visit Christ Jesus received from Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish leader. Nicodemus came to Jesus under cover of darkness, perhaps to protect his reputation. But darkness may also represent the state of his thinking, enshrouded perhaps in tradition, pride, and intellectualism. In either case, something within Nicodemus must have wanted enlightenment. The light of the Christ—the healing and saving power of God—drew him to Jesus. Without waiting for Nicodemus to frame a question, Jesus announced to him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Exploring the Greek word ’anothen, translated here as "again," reveals some of the deeper significance of this narrative. ’Anothen has within it the preposition ana, which means "above." So the word literally means "from above." By extension it comes to mean "from the first," or "from the beginning"—and hence, "again."