3.5 Watch Your Step
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Seeing with a Bit More Depth
Early in the decade of the Swingin’ 60s, I was swinging a baseball bat, playing Little League baseball.
I loved to play the game and tried to emulate my heroes, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Tony, Kubek, and most of the New York Yankees.
My playing career was cut short because, beyond Little League, there was no organized baseball in my hometown, no junior high or high school teams. Still, we could have pick-up games, and I could watch the Yankees in black and white on Saturdays.
I thought I understood the game until my insurance career put me alongside a former minor-league catcher. It was fascinating to hear him explain the complexities of the game within the game, such as the pitcher throwing a brushback pitch to assert his dominance over the plate.
Additionally, he described how sometimes a pitcher would intentionally hit a batter to teach them a lesson for showing off in a previous game. Before that, I thought every pitch was supposed to be a strike.
It felt like we were watching two different games, but we weren't. Both of us witnessed the same action, but he perceived it with a bit more depth than I did. I was watching from outside the game; he was watching from within the game.
Our versions of the game were accurate; he was just more detailed. I feel the same when studying John’s account of Jesus’ life. When I make space for detailed contemplation, my understanding seems different from my earlier one. But it's not-it’s only deeper. Both understandings may be accurate, but one is slightly more detailed. Remember this as we review some familiar parts of the story, looking for new insights. And remember, familiarity breeds apathy, according to William Bernbach.
“Come In. Let’s Discuss This.”
As we saw in our last segment, Jesus differentiates between seeing and entering the Kingdom and seeing and hearing testimony versus receiving it. Remember the example of someone knocking on my door? If I only want to see and hear them, I open the door, listen, and say goodbye. However, if I want to receive them, I welcome them in, offer them a comfortable seat, ask if they would like something to drink, and engage in a conversation with them.
Jesus speaks about “heavenly things” that he has seen and heard in his consciousness. He would like Nicodemus to invite them in, engage with them, believe them, and eventually incorporate their truth into his daily actions.
The same is true for me. I must actively engage with any “flashes of insight” during solitude, investigate any new, more detailed understanding, and eventually incorporate it into my life.
I love what Jesus does next. He pulls out an Old Testament reference that Nicodemus could easily comprehend to explain the concept of “believing in him.”
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?* 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.Remember, first-century Jews, especially Pharisees, had to memorize the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, so Nicodemus knew this story verbatim. Jesus only had to mention “Moses and the lifted-up serpent” for the entire story- every word- to flash in Nicodemus's mind. Maybe they discussed it in great detail.
Nicodemus was also clear about referencing the "Son of Man,” but I wasn’t. I was still operating on those Sunday school explanations that the “Son of Man” equals Jesus, “eternal life” means going to heaven, and “lifted up” foreshadows the crucifixion.
Not Either-Or but Both-And.
While true, this understanding is not complete – and certainly not in line with Nicodemus’ understanding. Let me “think out loud” for a minute and share with you what I'm thinking, but first, I have to put on the correct thinking cap.
Not the snug one that says "either–or" but the larger thinking cap that says “both-and.” The two understandings need not be mutually exclusive.
First, I can't just use these two verses; I must recall the entire hushed conversation. Jesus says that Nicodemus must be born from above, born of the Spirit. This awakened consciousness would allow Nicodemus to see and enter the kingdom of God, making him a “human being” with births from water and Spirit, from below and above. As Larry Munson used to say, "Get the picture," he finds himself on earth but has been born from above. Therefore, he must have descended from heaven, making him, in Jesus’ words, "son of man.”
In the Old Testament, Daniel dreamed of the Son of Man. He interpreted dreams and lived his life according to the truth in his consciousness - even though it caused him to be thrown into the lion's den. The prophet Ezekiel, who heard the word in his consciousness and proclaimed it to his people, called himself "the son of man.” Jesus was undoubtedly the "Son of Man,” constantly turning divine insights into actions. Perhaps the "Son of Man" is the title for the one who has learned to operate on earth from his spiritual consciousness, taking heavenly insights and converting them into earthly actions.
“Who, Me?”
The "cold water in the face moment" came when I realized that Jesus teaches that Nicodemus and others can also know this awakened state. (“So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.")
What about you and me? Here again is when I had to stop and ask, "Why not?” Don’t think of it as impossible but rather the divine inheritance for all human beings - not angels, but not just animals either. If this is even remotely true, why aren't we constantly discussing it?
It gets even better as Jesus says, "Whoever believes in him (the Son of Man) may have eternal life.” Regardless of my understanding of eternal life, it has to be a good thing, agreed? It may not be walking on streets of gold and fried chicken every Sunday, but it has to be a good thing, right?
But what might believing in him mean if it doesn't just mean saying the "sinners prayer" and getting a ticket to Heaven?
After considerable thought, I began to sense an alternate interpretation, not better or worse, just different, more detailed, and more immediately useful.
As I watched through John's eyes, I began to see how much of a "man of action” Jesus was. When he said come, follow me, he meant now. He then turned and started walking. Just look at his teaching; he taught about truth that could be instantly employed.
Knowing the Backstory Helps
This is where Nicodemus has the advantage of knowing the full extent of the Old Testament reference. He knows that Jesus is talking about "how to believe" and the effect of that belief on his daily life. He must believe in the “son of man” concept – that Jesus was the Son of Man, Daniel was a son of man, Ezekiel was a son of man, and everyone who receives divine insights and practices them is also. This is not just a “What to Believe,” but also “How to Believe.” It is the process, the practice, that John would like us to see.
What does the serpent have to do with this? Well, the Israelites were having a problem with snakes in the desert. Let's look at that Old Testament reference from Numbers, chapter 24. The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then, he lived when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake.
This reference also reminds me of the serpent story in the garden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, who said to Adam and Eve, “Think for yourself. You can figure it all out.” If I rely solely on my reasoning to determine right and wrong and not the divine intelligence, I am prone to making mistakes. Watch this! These mistakes, like snakebites, can be fatal. However, I can avoid being bitten by following the Son of Man's example, aligning myself with spiritual consciousness, and believing HOW he does. And even if I do make a mistake, my spiritual consciousness will provide a remedy so that the bite is not fatal. Watch how Jesus referred to this process in his action-oriented teachings with real-life examples, I.e., leaving the offering table and asking forgiveness, agreeing on the way to court, and evaluating the size of the enemy’s army before the battle. These were a few “snake bite” remedies.
The Same Process as the Son of Man
To believe is to trust the Son of Man completely, follow his guidance, and live by his teachings, just as the Israelites followed another son of man, Moses. It’s more than just accepting his beliefs; it’s lifting up the Son of Man in my consciousness, making the same mindset and consciousness my #1 priority. This is how to achieve a fulfilling spiritual life that endures for eternity.
Don't be astonished that I tell you the following:
You can be born from above, from the spirit
You can see and enter the kingdom of God
You can be a descendent of heaven
You can understand heavenly things, like a son of man
You can “lift up” this process to the top of your priorities, avoid the serpents of daily life, and attain spiritual or eternal life.
Key Takeaways
You can be in direct communion and communication with the creator of this universe. Every day, you can know what you were created to do, have the energy to do it, and see the results.
As you do, your spiritual eyes will mature, and you can see more of the works of the invisible in your visible world.
And when the physical body dies, your spirit will merely lay it down and continue its invisible life.
Who’s Got It Better Than Us?
This is when I began to hear a crucial question: “Alan, can anything be more exciting, fulfilling, or meaningful? Or would you rather go through life dodging the snakes?”
