Nicodemus

While Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, there was also there a man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin (the ruling council of the Jews), and a respected teacher. Like the people, Nicodemus also thought Jesus might be the Messiah foretold in Scripture. He wanted to speak with Jesus, but too many people surrounded Him during the day. So, he came to Jesus at night to have a private conversation with Him. Nicodemus wondered what he must do for the Messiah to save him.

Nicodemus started the conversation gradually. "Rabbi," he said, "we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

At that point, Jesus cut through the conversation and went straight to the question in Nicodemus' mind. He said, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

This surprised Nicodemus. And he tried to understand the process literally. "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?"

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

If I tell you about earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe Me if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what they have done has been accomplished in God.”

(See Numbers 21:7-9; John 3:1-21)

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