That The World May Know link.

This is a killer link. Absolutely amazing what is to be learned in this article. Please read, and see how your faith is strengthened by what you read culturally. 
THATTHEWORLDMAYKNOW

People Call Me Crazy For Believing in GOD When I Am So Sick

I have had many people call me crazy for believing in God because I am so sick. How can a God, that you says loves you, let this bad thing happen to you? Or to other people? How can you continue to follow this God? Don't you know it is a crutch, an emotional crutch?

It is a good grouping of questions. Firstly, I will answer that I have been studying other faiths the last four years of illness. Logically, none make as much sense as the one I am following. This, of course, sounds like great prejudice.
Basically it seems, from all that I have read, that other faiths all ask that the person do good works in an attempt to meet whatever standards are needed to be able to go to a heaven, or to act well regardless of the fact that there is no heaven. The problem being that every faith has different requirements, so how do you know you are walking the right one? The only option I have found that is vastly different in this, is Christianity--wherein a God took human form to die as a perfect sacrifice, covering every sin ever done by those who are WILLING to believe in Him. Then, it is expected that the followers will enter Heaven. The believer is expected, as an honor to his God, to act in holiness. Even Atheism is not unusual, as there are some faiths that ask for works and promise nothing after death.
Again, I was raised in a Christian home, but it just seems so much simpler to have a God who will save you if you ask Him to, and then He asks that in honor of Him, we act respectful to what He said in His Word. There is no doubt then. No wondering if I did enough to get to Heaven. 
What could I do to earn Heaven, if that were my only chance? I am too ill to get out of bed many days, too ill to move much, or cannot stand the light if it is a good day. Would that be fair, if the other faiths were right, that I needed to earn my way to Heaven (if the faith thought it existed) when I cannot do much? What of those who are mentally never beyond a 2 year old? Or less? In my faith, it is understood that there is an age of accountability, when a person is innocent (unknowing of sinful ways) but not sinless. It is at this age that children or mentally disabled adults are likely accepted in Heaven. They cannot know and make a choice. 
What of this God, then, that allows such awful, terrible things to happen? What words can you come up with now? 
I will be the first to admit that being ill is EXTREMELY difficult, for me, for my family, for my friends. I will also add that I know there are people worse off than me. So how can God allow it? I will ask another question: When you get into your car, do you make decisions on whether or not to text while driving? Do you get into the car intoxicated? You make a choice at that moment. We make choices every single day that may lead to our deaths, our disability, or other things. It is that freedom of choice that introduced trouble into our paths. That sounds crazy, you say.
How much freedom does an animal have? All birds make the kind of nest that that variety of bird makes. All beavers that I ever heard of make log jams for homes and protection. But they do it the same way. We, on the other hand, can make an enormous variety of homes, and, as far as I know, are the only beings on this planet that do so. It may leak, it may fall down on our heads, but we made it. We are just a bit different that the other creatures on this planet. It was choices many, many years ago that made astronomical changes in our DNA, etc., and as science points out, we add more issues to our DNA with each passing year. I thoroughly believe that we made the choice to do exactly what we wanted, much as a child, given the chance, will sneak and eat an entire cookie jar. Our judgement is not always the best. And we made the choice, and continue to make the choices, that go against what God said He commanded as acceptable behavior.
The God I know granted us free will. I can decide to text and drive down the freeway. I might be fine. I might hit and kill someone with my car. I might be killed. I might just get a ticket. But I can make that choice. There was a choice made a long time ago, and we tend to continue to make bad choices, because it seems like a fun idea. God gave us free will that we might love Him for Himself, not because we were forced to. Ever see a parent who attempts to force the child to love? It does not work. 
Then why doesn't God just stop us from making bad choices? He sometimes does, with guilt beforehand. Or, if you have read the Bible, and paid close attention, often the things He told His prophets (teachers) to write down will prevent some heartaches. The problem is we live with so many independent beings, all making good and bad choices, that the effects spill out in all directions. If I am hit by a drunk driver, it was not I, like as not, who made the bad choices. The other drive was drinking. And it was up to the other driver, in general, to make a good choice. The weird narrow shaves we all have? Maybe God is stepping in at that moment, but if you don't believe in a God, you would see it as fate.. 
Why doesn't God stop bad health? As I said, there are so many genetic quirks, and they are finding out more and more, scientifically, that the genetic errors we have come from way, way back. He could stop it. And I think He does at times. But we still have our free will, and we chose a long time ago to walk the path of a broken world over a pure one. We always want our own way. How often do we really spend time doing exactly what someone else wants----no matter how much we love them? We might do a few things, but we don't handle doing exactly what we are told minute after minute for years. If I chose to smoke, knowing its ill effects, was it my fault that I got cancer or my spouse's? It was mine. It does not make sense to blame God. In the cases of diseases such as mine, where the cause is not even certain, how do I know if I am causing the disease? Either way, I get great comfort from God which no one who does not know God will understand, so I shall not even speak of it. I will not be mocked for the love I have with my God, and that He gives me and those who believe in Him and that He came to provide salvation if we will but ask and believe. 
I believe in God more so now that before. And it is still considered a psychological crutch to many. So be it. He is a great psychological crutch, because this is the Being who created the mind I think with. Of course He would be a good crutch. I am not angry with Him that I am ill, purely because without Him I would loose my mind. He is the perfect crutch, and I am grateful that He is Someone I am beginning to know a bit more all the time. He is the strongest crutch. He says as much, by saying His yoke was easy. Anything is easier with God....sorrow with hope, versus without hope.  

Sorrow With Hope

"There is a difference between sorrow without hope, and sorrow with hope." Dr. David Jeremiah. 

What a indescribable difference there is between these two types of sorrow. Have you seen people who have no hope at all? The face of defeat? The sorrow that is so incredibly deep that it seems that the person might perish from the weight of the sorrow. I have seen that a few times with patients, and it is so hard to give those patients hope. Life is so miserable that they cannot see hope regardless of what might be said. 
The only hope we can have with sorrow is when we have faith in God. It is rather like the parable of the house built on rock--though I have always thought of that in more of a spiritual sense, our life is so connected to our spiritual health. ( Matt 7.24-27 ) If our spirit is well fed, the hardest paths are bearable, for we have the resources that those without God do not have; namely, God. We have the Creator to ask for strength and peace, and we know that He will never leave us. 
I have so often faced crushing sorrow with my health and the things I want to do and cannot do. I rarely have sorrow so deep that there is not a candle guttering in the wind of my sadness--but still burning brightly. That fire that stops the sorrow from entering that sorrow of unbearable pain is having the Holy Spirit with me. I have the access to the strength that I need...and the world is not as dark as it might have seemed earlier. 
Having that backing in this world is so important, for we can know that whatever happens to us will end up, eventually, with us being with our God. Paul was torn between longing for Heaven and staying on earth. ( Phil 1.23 ). Either way, we have God with us, it just is less noticeable when we are here on earth, and so easily distracted. 
Nothing can heal sorrow as well as God. He understands sorrow, after all, He wept for His friend Lazarus, even though He would raise him from the dead. He understands what it means to have such great hurts. It is so much better to be sorrowful with hope than without.

Iritis Post: Up and Down Pressures

I had good news at the optometrist today. My eye pressure went back down to normal. That was a huge relief. It is quite stressful to have that higher pressure floating over you. 
I am so weary of carrying the load that has been given to me.
I am so blessed. But I am still so weary.

A Deeper Look into John 4.1-26

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— ² although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. ³ So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

⁴ Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^[a])

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4 ( NIV )

It is suggested by the opening verse that Christ left the area because the Pharisees had shifted their eyes from John the Baptist to Himself, yet the time was not now. John the Baptist was, by this point, in jail at Herod's orders. (1)
It is not actually required in traveling to go through Samaria. The verb in verse 4 means that He had to go, in the sense that it was God's Will, not that He had to physically go through that countryside to reach the end goal. (1) It was, however, more dangerous to go through Samaria over the religious difficulties.(2) Of some interest is the notation that Joseph's grave was near Shechem, which is the nearby village. (Josh 24.32) (2)
Christ then stops at Jacob's Well, with the village about 1 mile away, considered to be beneath Mt Gerzim. Many have discussed the time (noon), and suggestions state that it may be related to Christ's thirst at His crucifixion, or, it may point to the unusual time to draw water, related to the woman's shunning from the other women based on her sins.. The heat at midday was an unpleasant thing. (1)(2) Christ engages in conversation with one, a women, second, a Samaritan, and third, a sinner. Samaritans are a group mixed with two people--the remains of the fallen Northern Kingdom and various peoples that wandered in from Media and Babylon. They called themselves the Bnei Israel, the Sons of Israel. It is believed that there were many more Samaritans than Jews. These people were disliked by the Jews based on theological thoughts, as Samaritans believed they were the true line of Israel, and lead more holy and correct lives than the Jews. The Samaritans refused to worship only in Jerusalem, believing that Mt Gerizim was the correct place to worship instead based on Dt 27.4, nd various skirmishes had broken out over this issue. (1)(2).

 He even asks for water, which would have been considered unclean from a Samarian cup. This opens up a can of worms for us, when we dislike speaking to people not in our social circle, below or above, "weird", or any other descriptor. I think it is wise to take care, utilizing careful words, when speaking to various kinds of people. We do not have the skill of knowing the inside and outside of man's heart, which makes speaking to anyone more difficult than it might have been otherwise. Still, it is not us who works in the hearts of others, it is the Messiah. (1)
There is great confusion over the difference of water with the Woman of the Well. She thinks that Christ is speaking of regular water, while Christ is speaking of spiritual things--the Holy Spirit in particular. There is a big difference between the use of water words, with the Well and regular water being "cistern" and the rest of the water (Holy Spirit) being a true, free flowing water source. (Flowing water was what was used to purify in OT rituals). (1)
It is noteworthy to notice the following: "On the meaning of the living water we need to examine the phrase aJllomevnou eij" zwhVn aijwvnion. The verb is used of quick movement (like jumping) on the part of living beings. This is the only instance of its being applied to the action of water. However, in the LXX it is used to describe the “Spirit of God” as it falls on Samson and Saul [Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; I Kingdoms 10:2, 10 LXX (= I Sam 10:6, 10 English text); and Isa 35:6 (note context)]." ( Bible.Org ). Also, it is a sign of the age of the Messiah, Ezk 39.29 (1).
At this point the woman has figured out that this Man is not an average Man, He said as much--and clarifies that it matters not where the people worship God, it matters more how the worship is done. (1)
The most important point is to note that Christ obviously cared for all types of people. This is the first foray into "unliked" people, such as the tax collectors and others. Christ was willing that all might hear and come to Him--not just one group of people. (3)

Insight from (( 1) Bible.Org ), (2  ) (   Israel Bible Institute ), (3) ( Jay Mack)

RA Post: A Few Good Days

The weather is finally nice. The sunshine soothes my aching joints and bones, soothes my sore muscles. I wish that I lived in an area that had sunshine nearly all the time, as it helps so very much. Yesterday I went to see the local tulip farm, enjoyed the flowers and the fresh, sunny air. Today I went to see a dear young woman's home--though we spent more time looking at her gorgeous garden, plants, animals and future plans. And, of course, seeing her adorable baby. Then we stopped at the same tulip farm, I got some new plants, and ran into my mother in law. 
I love good days. But they always have a tinge of melancholy with them. I always wait for the hammer to fall. When will I be sick again? Later today? Tomorrow? 
I am so riddled with jealousy over other young adults' actions. I so desperately want to do what other young women are doing--they are all gardening, canning, cleaning, raising and teaching children, raising animals. But as yet, it does not seem to be an option for me. 
Anyway, at least I have gotten a few good days. I hope they last. I hope I get healed. I hope the illnesses that have me go back into their corners and cry, licking their wounds, and leave me alone. 

A Deeper Look Into John 3.22-35

 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”^[h]31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God^[i] gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. John 3 ( NIV )

John the Baptist continued his work of baptizing the people, but his overarching goal had been met. He had begun a work to prepare the way for the Lord, and the Lord had arrived and was beginning to make His huge splash. 

3 

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord^[a];
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.^[b]

4 

Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.

5 

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Is 40 ( NIV )

John makes another statement about calling this Man the Messiah, by stating that he was sent before the Messiah, and that he must become lesser. He seems to be clarifying, by saying his disciples can testify themselves that he is not the Messiah, that he, John, has already claimed he is not the Messiah. 

People tend, overall, to be loyal to their groups, which can be good and it can be bad. If people have joined up with cults, or gang style groups, it is nearly impossible to convince people to change their minds. However, being in a cohesive group is considered healthy behavior. We are socially minded people, even the most introverted of us. Therefore, naturally, John the Baptist's followers had a deep connection to him, and felt irritation at this interloper who was drawing people away from John.
John, however, knowing as he did that he must vanish from the scene, while Christ filled the spotlight--became the spotlight.
John the Baptist chastises his followers, and yet, in Matthew, Christ Himself calls John the greatest man ever on earth, all while stating those least in Heaven will be greater.[¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11 ( NIV )] John's job was incredibly important, calling the lost of Israel (and the Gentile world) to God. He is very reminiscent of Elijah, speaking to the lost of Israel.
There are 400 years between the last book of the OT and the NT. The same length of time the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt. A new salvation from the slavery of sin was now being introduced.  This silence from God was finished with the arrival of Elijah, as is suggested by Jay Mack...though this also sounds like the second coming of Christ. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse" Mal 4.5-6.
 It is interesting to note that at the start of the New Testament, Herod the Great, a descendant of Esau, was ruling. It explains some of the dislike of him, though any who had stepped onto the side of the Romans was disliked, since they were generally dishonest. Consider, for example, the hatred of tax collectors. The Sanhedrin was run more of a political mind than a religious, showing some of the darkness that had entered into human hearts once again. ( GotQuestions )

John the Baptist was not insulted that Christ was pulling more converts (as it seems to suggest), but rather continues working as he had before. He continued teaching and baptizing, to point evermore in the direction of Christ. This is a good reminder to continue to work at whatever is before us.
John refers to himself as the friend of the groom (Messiah), while waiting for the time to go and see the Bride (Israel/Believers). The friend of the groom, as we might know as being groomsmen or bridesmaids, are delights for the Bride and Groom, and happy for them and what they are doing. Yet there is that faint sadness that we might find in the wedding as well. In Jewish cultures, this one man is the liaison between bridge and groom. He will only let the right man, the Groom, into the Bridal chamber, to ensure the Bride is not molested, and stands guard before the bridal chamber. He ensures all goes right with the wedding from the very start. He, too, gradually faded out of this picture, as he certainly had no other part to play in the marriage of his friend.
Now that Christ was beginning to work, John was more than willing to step back. He had started the marriage process between Christ and Israel--and would help as needed. In a marriage, though, it is all down to the Bride and Groom.
John then moves on to pointing out that Christ is more powerful and important that he is--or, really, he is pointing out that Christ is of God, from God and is God, if only those listening will listen. He reiterates in several ways the way of salvation, if only the people will listen. John also says that He gives the Spirit without limit, which is unique, as before this time, the Spirit did not remain with the People for the length of time that we are blessed to be able to carry with us.
I have to say verse 33 is a bit terrifying. It states that "Whoever has accepted it has certified God is truthful"--which means that those who will not believe that Christ is the Messiah are stating boldly that God is a liar. The thought sours in my mind, and my heart shudders at the idea of calling God Himself a liar. 

A Deeper Look at John 3.1-21

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^{[e] 14} Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^{[f] 15} that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^[g]

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3 NIV

As we learned last time, Christ had been going about and attending to various miraculous activities, and had the populous in a bit of a state; it was Passover, and there were enormous crowds of people. He had trashed the Temple, clearing out the animals and money changers, making a great spectacle of excitement--and He spoke out to the Leaders, mimicking many thought the people had, but were too afraid of being removed from synagogue to say it.
He had begun claiming that He was the Son of God. Among the Jewish faith, this was a statement of heresy. The Greek and Roman leaders were all supposedly sons and daughters of the Roman and Greek gods--so they likely would not have batted an eye at any man stating that he was born of godly descent. Either the man meant it or he was insane in the Jewish faith, there was no middle ground. If he meant it, it would mean trouble coming.  

Jay Mack states that it was common at the time for those of Hebrew descent to have a Hebrew name as well as a Gentile name. We see that now in various cultures--many people will have English nicknames, as it is easier to spell an English name in an English speaking country than a Polish name. ( Mack ) Nicodemus' name would come from two Greek words, one meaning to conquer, the other meaning the people: in other words, to conquer over the people. Since he was a Pharisee, it was an interesting name for him to have, as the Pharisees expected the people to follow their traditions and laws as well as the law of Moses. Since Nicodemus preferred his Greek name in Jerusalem over his Hebrew (Nakdimon) name , it suggests a possible leaning toward the Greek cultural influences. It also suggests that he may have been a Hellenistic Jew, and one with a great deal of power and importance to be able to withstand the great dislike of Hellenistic Jews. There is a Nicodemus listed with the Talmud, and it is considered that these two men are one and the same--therefore, a man of high standing in the Jewish community has come to see this Man from Nazareth.

Jews believed that those who were born to Israel were already accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven (hence the great delight in stating that they were Abraham's children), while those who were born outside the race had to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The rabbis extracted this idea from Is 60.21 ( NIV )
Christ attacks this notion in Matthew, directly speaking to the leaders, attempting to point out to Israel's teachers that all are doomed, and that being of Abraham's blood is not important:

9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. Matt 3 ( NIV ) 

This thought of  an instant entrance to Heaven was furthered with the belief that any male who was circumcised, regardless of his faith, would skip gehenna and go straight to the Kingdom of Heaven. Ironically after Christianity took off, and the rabbis had to deal with the fact many were circumcised, they began to teach that after death an angel would reattach the skin and the person would be sent to hell anyway. Many faiths today believe that a baptism, whether the person wants it or not, seals their fate of salvation. If it was not the case that God's chosen people were automatically saved, that one act cannot be key either. It is the person's heart that is key, not the actions or race.  

Abraham is the insurance policy of the Jews. If God accidently sends a man to Hell, Abraham will snatch the man back to his true place. God makes no mistakes. If we can believe God makes a mistake, we have not chosen the right God. It is illogical to think that a God as powerful as ours is can possibly make such a mistake in a simple thing as judgement: you did not believe, there is only one answer.  You did not want a white covering placed over the dripping scarlet sin, there is only one answer.
Christ follows this notion through when speaking of Lazarus (not the raised from the dead Lazarus) and the rich man, and clarifies that it does not matter who you are or where you were born. It matters what you did and believed. (   Luke 16.19-31 NIV) In this passage, the rich man goes to Hell and begs Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water on his hand. Abraham refuses, stating the man already had his comforts. He also refuses to go and tell the world of the horrors awaiting those lost--they have the Prophets, they can see if they try, and no one returning from the dead could convince them. Abraham is not a scapegoat to save us, nothing can save us from Judgement when we have passed from this life to the next. Only making a choice NOW will affect the future we will live in.

It is fascinating to note that the rabbis had written down exclusions to being automatically accepted into Heaven for the seeds of Abraham, that being not believing in the Resurrection, not believing that Torah is true and holy, any Epikoros (sexually and deeply into luxury), reading uncanonical  books [Apocrapha style books--though this was likely in response to the rise of the New Testament], and any who speak over a wound “I will bring none of these diseases upon thee, which I brought against the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”  [or, in other words, a faith healer--likely those who do so in falsehood or for the love of money] Finally, speaking the Holy Name, and three Kings and four commoners: Jeroboam, Ahab and Manasseh. The four commoners: Balaam, Doeg, Ahitophel and Gehazi.  

*As a notation, you can look into the Apocrapha.  Any book that does not line up with the rest of Scripture cannot be trusted. God means what He says, so double check everything against the Word of God. He cannot make a mistake. 

The author John writes with great amounts of repetition, which you will note if you are paying attention as you read. The previous post has him re-writing how Christ would not trust Himself to the people, for He knew man and man's heart. "Repetition  is the Jewish form of emphasis" ( Hadavar ) You will find repetition used extensively throughout scripture--and to be honest, often in secular writings. We repeat what we find important, and what we hope will then stick in the reader's mind. 

Since there is repetition in 2.32, we find clear statements about Christ being God. Only God can know what is in a man's heart and mind. How often do we honestly know what someone else is thinking and why? What steps they will take--is unknown. We like to pretend we know people, but do we really? How many people cannot believe it when a friend turns out to be a murderer? How many people clamored over Ted Bundy, that he was innocent and not a serial killer--that there was no way he had a wicked bone in his body? Women wrote dozens of letters to him in prison even! Obviously we fail miserably at understanding the human heart---and it is incredibly common to hear, especially from teenagers and young adults, "I don't know who I am", which leads to a great deal of trouble for those youths. 

I hate chapter breaks in the Word. As Hadavar points out, if you consider the words of the end of Chapter 2 with the conversation of John 3, it makes so much more sense. Here is Christ, knowing what is in a man, and then speaking heart to heart with him. 

Nicodemus is identified as a teacher and a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jewish people. It was here that court offenses were heard, usually before the people turned anyone in to the Roman legal system--at least when dealing with offences against Jewish law. It is estimated that he was about 50 years old. 

Nicodemus came to Christ at night, in possible fear of the issue of being seen with this man who was possibly insane. People were excommunicated from the synagogue just as effectively as a Roman Catholic who marries outside the faith. Family members were not to speak to those removed from synagogue, at least not without facing the same social outcast status. It was a serious event to speak with such people as Christ. Being night also had the advantage of more free time to speak with Christ. Also, as I have written before, after observing any man who might be the Messiah, the Sanhedrin was also to question the man and see what his answers were. It is also suggested that, being night, it was cooler, but also that the stonework of the area reflected any light greatly, so it was easy to see at night anyway.
Nicodemus is obviously interested in what this Man has to say, and is likely uncertain as to whether his own salvation is actually met.  

Christ immediately jumps past what Nicodemus says and points out that he, like many others, are in danger of the fires of hell--though He puts it more that Nicodemus is, too, falling short of the Kingdom of Heaven. Nicodemus, being so certain that he belongs to the Kingdom, cannot fathom the need to be born again. 

Poor Nicodemus was utterly befuddled. There are several types of being "born again" according to the Jewish faith. When a man converted to the faith as a Gentile, when he became a King, at bar mitzvah, when a Jew married,  repentance, and to become head of rabbinic academy. None of these applied to Nicodemus, excepting the ones that he would have already attended to, and so this statement made even less sense. The only other option of being born that Nicodemus was aware of was the other physical act of birth, when a child begins his life outside the womb. Nicodemus was, as we have said before, a Pharisee, which meant he was fanatical about following the ritual cleanliness that Torah outlined, and that included the full immersions symbolizing "new life" when stepping into various roles as listed above.  

This leads to the question that we Englishers find so confusing. Why would anyone think Christ could have meant be born again from his mother? Yet it makes sense when consider the other options that we are now aware of. 

Since Nicodemus was not understanding the idea of born again in a spiritual sense, Christ retells HIs information, pushing the fact of spiritual rebirth. In other words, too, Christ states more firmly that it is not enough to be born of Abraham's people, each must make a choice to become one of God's people, and allow for that Spiritual change to occur. Strange, in a way, that Nicodemus would be so confused with the use of water, as water was used to symbolize purity so often in the Old Testament--but that just goes to show that without God's influence in our spirit, we miss too much. 

Christ then questions Nicodemus, who was still befuddled, putting the title Israel's teacher, (HaRav--meaning he was a teacher of teachers, a leader of yeshiva) Nicodemus was responsible for knowing what Jesus was speaking about, but also to understand and teach other teachers--a huge responsibility! He would have had an enormous understanding of Torah, with large amounts of the Word memorized. Christ expects him to know and understand. We are expected to know and understand the Word, that we might not be tripped up by this fallen world. The Old Testament was written so that the people might understand the Messiah age, and the New Testament has enormous roots in the OT. If we do not understand the OT, we will miss an indescribable amount in the NT.
We must understand, too, that Christ is not speaking of baptism with the birth--the term Born of Water was a reference to the amniotic fluid surrounding an infant before birth. It is the Born of Spirit that is important. Christ was making the point again that physically there is nothing that leads to salvation--it doesn't matter who your parents are, where you are, it matters what you believe, and Who you believe in.  If physical existence was proof of salvation, our bodies would not disintegrate. We would be healthy and strong, yet for millions of people, health is not available. Our crippled bodies are a huge sign that not all is well with the world. 

Christ clarifies His having come from Heaven, His being Divine, that He has the authority to say and do these things because of His right as the Messiah. He describes the process of salvation, that it requires belief in the One and Only Son of God. Christ still pushes that where you are born does not matter, that we stand condemned already unless we take action.
Rabbis to this day expect two Messiahs, based on their teachings and understanding; the first, Messiah ben Joseph, will be of lowly descent and life a terrible life. The second, Messiah ben David, will come with great power and set up His Kingdom. They are right, in a way. Christ came as a lowly Man with great power, yet He has not set up His ruling power on earth yet--but soon will. There was a contradiction to the rabbis--supposedly if Israel was worthy, the Christ would have come in great power to begin with. If they were unworthy, He would come lowly, riding on a donkey, and then come secondly in great power. How interesting. As an aside, every time Christ states Himself to be the Son of Man, He is calling Himself Messiah. Do not be fooled by those who will say Christ never claimed to be God, for you are being poisoned. 
In the words of Bible.org: Several years ago a certain educator was appointed to the presidency of a well-known university which has a theological school known for its extremely liberal theological position. When this president was asked to speak to a group of local businessmen, he told them a story which he considered quite amusing. While the president was downtown, he passed by a Salvation Army kettle and stopped to put in a contribution. The elderly volunteer who stood by confronted this dignitary with the question, “Are you saved?” He replied that he supposed that he was, but she pursued, “I mean, have you ever given your full life to the Lord?” It was at this point that the president said he thought that he should inform this persistent woman with his identity. He said, “I am the president of such and such university, and as such I am also president of its school of theology.” The lady gave that a moment’s thought and then replied, “It doesn’t matter wherever you’ve been, or whatever you are, you can still be saved.”  (  Bible.org )
It doesn't matter who we are, what we've done. It only matters that we believe in the One true Son of God. That is what makes the difference. Everything else, as Solomon said, is useless. 
The rest of the passage sends a clear message about Christ and who He is. that He is the One and Only Son of God, why He was sent, and that without the belief in this One, the cost is death.  The snake lifted up in the wilderness by Moses was a statue that removed illness from those who looked upon it. Christ, when lifted up on the cross, removed all our marks of sin and death. Nicodemus would have known what the snake in the wilderness meant, though perhaps was puzzled as to the lifting up of the Son of Man. 
We are living in such darkness. It seems so obvious with the terrible stories on the news, on social media. There has been darkness for so very long. Yet we adore the darkness, we revel in the dim light that allows us to sin, to sneak peaks into the darker side of life. Christ spoke of this, utilizing the terms of darkness and light to symbolize evil and good, condemnation and salvation.  It is interesting to see that when people take the step away from darkness, though it still holds sway over them, they begin to adore the light, and things in the light. There is such a great difference between the two realities, and it is so desperately important to understand them. Christ speaks in a repetitive manner here, claiming to be the One, putting it out there in various manners that salvation is not earned, nor handed out based on race--it is a belief that leads to Heaven and salvation.  
Above texts referenced from: (  Born Again )(  Mack ) (  Hadavar )