Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? 11 Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders, was not hostile towards Jesus (Jn. 7:51). He believed that Jesus was sent by God because of the signs and wonders he performed, but he still had doubts. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night but when he encountered Jesus he was brought into the light (Jn. 1:3-5). It was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who buried Jesus’ body after he was crucified (Jn. 19:38-42).
Jesus tried to lead Nicodemus to a deeper understanding. He told Nicodemus what was needed to see (v. 3) and enter (v. 5) the kingdom of God. Belief in Jesus must be born of the Spirit from above which is a mystery whose origin is beyond man’s control (vv. 6-8). Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law, did not understand what Jesus told him even though it should have been revealed to him through the Law and the Prophets (v. 10). The Son of Man, the divine Word (Jn. 1:1-3), is the only one with knowledge of heaven (v. 13). Jesus then pointed to his exaltation on the Cross (v. 14). Believing in Christ crucified leads to eternal life (1 Jn. 5:11).
Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of life and our rebirth through water and the Holy Spirit. We believe in the death and resurrection of your Son, and we live in the hope of our resurrection to new life. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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