M11 is a beautiful cluster of stars about half way between the star called Altair and the upper part of the Saggitarius constellation but a little to west. It lies in an interesting section of the Milky Way (our galaxy). You can have fun observing this section of sky with a low power binocular, which is all that was used to develop a little pencil sketch. I inverted the sketch (this reverses black and white). One way for me to remember a part of the sky is to name features that I see in the scene, so you will see names in sections of the sketch and one line showing a ‘hook’ shape of stars. On a clear night in a decent sky that does not have a lot light or industrial pollution, the sketch shows what can be reasonably seen. Notice some of the detail, then go to the story that follows to learn something interesting about what we can see or not see.
We had a gathering of people at our home recently to introduce them to the heavens. A Chinese gentleman made a comment that the sky was entirely different in China (he lived in Shanghai). I told him that the sky was essentially the same except for a difference in latitude, which gave him a more southerly view. He insisted, however, that he could see nothing of what we were seeing, and was highly doubtful that the skies were the same. This is not an uncommon observation from a someone from a large metropolis that has a lot of industrial and light pollution but also has limited knowledge of observational astronomy. After all, this man was very intelligent and was an observer of things around him. He looked at the sky from home but saw nothing that resembled what he saw from my home. After explaining to him the effects of pollution and how the sky “moves” he understood, but I could still see the doubt in his eyes–because the views he remembers at home were seen, interpreted, and logged over and over again.
What people can see or not see is filtered by their experience. God does something similar when it comes to the Kingdom of God. In this case, the filter is a spiritual one. If a person is not born again by the Spirit, the person cannot see the Kingdom. It remains untouchable, unable to be reached, and unable to be understood — except in academic terms. It is no wonder that in Nicodemus’s visit to Jesus that Nicodemus would ask questions about being “born again”, because he wanted to know the Kingdom of God but could not figure how to be physically born all over again. Jesus explained to him what happens when a person believes and what God does spiritually to cause a rebirth, because without that birth again, a person will not see or enter the kingdom. Therein lies a great filter that keeps people from seeing, just like a city dweller who is unfamiliar with the sky may insist that the sky looks a certain way but it really does not look that way. Something is hiding it.
The Kingdom is hidden yet open to be received. Therefore, it cannot be obtained by working, achievement, academic excellence, or close observation. One can learn about it, debate it, and even argue about it, but without a spiritual rebirth, all the talk will be from the outside will not cause an entrance to be gained. The door is deliberately low: one must bow to enter, so to speak. One must believe that God is, come to him through Jesus Christ, and be willing to let God be Lord rather than sit on the throne themselves. For the hungry in heart, the door seems big. For those convinced of their own abilities and command of life, it seems extremely hard to find–like finding the beauty of the heavens in a heavily polluted and city light-filled sky.
Reference: John 3 (the story of the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus)
