What is necessary for salvation? This question is faced by all of us, including the Jewish Pharisee Nicodemus. Today’s Gospel begins not with Nicodemus asking this question but acknowledging the authority of Jesus: “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. “Rabbi Jesus” responds to this Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews” and “the teacher of Israel” with a teaching on salvation. It is a gift and grace from God: one must be “born again” or “born from above,” that is from God to enter the Kingdom of God. The Evangelist has already announced this theme in his Prologue:
“But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.” (1:12-13).
Nicodemus’ journey of faith like that of the Samaritan woman and the man born blind begins with misunderstanding or a too literal or earthly interpretation of Jesus’ words.
Jesus goes on to teach that to be born again or to be born from above means to “born of water and Spirit.” We are all born again or born from above in Baptism where we are “born of water and the Spirit.” In baptism we become a “new creation.” We were created in God’s image and likeness and in baptism we are born again and become children of God.
The Evangelist wants us to see our own journey of faith in the journey of faith of the different characters in this Gospel. This journey often involves not understanding or misunderstanding or taking Jesus words too literally. We are invited to look beyond the literal or the earthly to the spiritual or the heavenly. We have been born again through baptism and been invited to enter the Kingdom of God. This message was proclaimed to us in the 2nd reading on Easter, right before we renewed our baptismal promises.
“Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3).
Image: “The Chosen – Nicodemus and Jesus” by The Chosen press photos (press.thechosen.tv) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.