BORN AGAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Monday after Easter is, “Born Again.”

The word appears here in today’s gospel reading from John 3: 1-8.

It’s a rare phrase in the English translations of our Bible. How many times it appears in the English scriptures - maybe 4 - maybe 3 times - maybe only 1 - or none -  depends on the translation from the Greek that we use. I didn’t find it in English translations of the Jewish or Hebrew Scriptures - but like so many things - theologians will point out that there are glimpses - good glimpses of this theme in the Jewish Scriptures.

For starters I’m saying that “born again” is rare phrase in the scriptures. Yet I’ve noticed it’s a big theme in Evangelical Christian theology and life - here in the United States.

It’s interesting that The New American Bible - the one we use for our readings - uses the phrase “born again.” We heard it today. That’s why I got interested in it for this homily.  In our NAB  translation Jesus does not use it. He says “born from above” as in "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." But Nicodemus says it twice in the next sentence, "How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"

The key Greek word is “ANOTHEN.” Scholars say it can mean “from above” or “again.”  Moreover, it seems that scholars also say it would be better here to use, “from above.” The King James Version - KJV -uses "born again" in John 3:3.  It’s interesting that the RSV* - The Revised Standard Version - a mainly Protestant translation - uses “from above” and the NAB - The New American Bible, the Catholic translation and the JB, The Jerusalem Bible, also Catholic,  uses, “born again” when Nicodemus uses the phrase.

I like what one scholar said: John is trying to point out all through his gospel how people take things one way and Jesus takes them another way - and when they get his way of thinking, they change. So that’s the key to keep in mind.

So “born again” is rare - and can be translated that way or not.

YET

Yet here in the United States - amongst many Evangelical Groups - it’s a main phrase in their thinking. I’ve been asked and I’m sure you’ve been asked at various times, “Are you born again?” Or “Are you a Born Again Christian?”

This morning I spent about two hours on this. I am not satisfied with my grasp of what’s going on when Evangelicals use this phrase big time. I’m sure those of you who are converts or who have been part of some prayer groups or movements, you know very well what the phrase means.

CONCLUSION

Up till now I’m sort of sorting things out with what I’ve said till. Let me try to be practical and present  5 “first draft” things hit me this morning? What hits you this afternoon?

1) People can be ministers, priests, deacons, lectors, what have you in Church and they might never have had a specific Christ experience - or a born again experience. So we can be baptized as babies or teens or adults, and we still might not have consciously - oftentimes emotionally - given ourselves over to Christ as the Lord of our life.

2) Some use this as a put down on Infant Baptism - because like Nicodemus you need to be older to accept Christ in Baptism. How old - how young - does a person need to be to be reborn again? [Check out the "Born Again" baptismal pictures on the You Tube video on the top of this homily]

3) Some stress the date of their personal “born again” moment. It’s like a birthday - or a wedding day. Then some sort of imply:  if you don’t have such a specific, particular moment, when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,  something is lacking.

4) Many point out what is stressed in the difference between a wedding and a marriage. We’ve all heard the saying, “A wedding is a day; a marriage is a lifetime.” Well, a baptism or a “born again” experience is a moment; a lifetime is where one must grow and develop. Don't just talk the talk; walk the walk.

5) What I didn’t see much of in my reading about "being Born Again" - [I only spent 2 hours on this today] - was the lack of stress on many rebirths - or being born again and then again and then again. If there is any thing they stress in AA or any 12 step program, it’s that life is a one day at a time process - and to grow one needs to take a step at a time and if you slip - then start again, and again, and again.

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*RSV - said by many to be the best scripture translation.