Have you ever found yourself confronted with a question that seems to have no answer, or the explanation given seems to fall outside the realm of human logic? Nicodemus found himself in such a predicament when Jesus told him if he wanted to go to heaven, he must be born again. All Nicodemus could fathom was a natural birth where he somehow reentered his mother’s womb to await a second birth. His mind could not conceive what Jesus was saying.

Life often presents us with what is often referred to as rhetorical questions. Questions such as, “If practice makes perfect, and no one is perfect, why practice?” How many of you remember this one: “How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.”

Some of you probably know where the title for this devotion came from. In the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music,” there was a song entitled, “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” The question is answered with other questions: “How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?” “How do you keep a wave upon the sand?” “How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?” You get the idea that a problem like Maria cannot be solved.

When Jesus initially responded to the question, I imagine Nicodemus felt that way. You have given me an answer that is not possible. For people with little to no Biblical knowledge, many subjects seem to present them with questions that, in their minds, have no answer. In particular if they are dealing with the struggle between the Bible and science. Where did man come from? Why did sin bring the death penalty to all of humanity? Is there a heaven? How can I go there? Is there a hell? How do I avoid going there?

For those of us raised in church, the answer to these questions seems elementary, but it can be confusing for someone who knows little to nothing about God and the Bible. Sometimes, we use language they don’t even understand. How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? Can we be born twice? (Stay Tuned For Part 2)