Chapter Three
Jn. 3:1. Among the Pharisees there was a certain man, named Nicodemus, one of the rulers of the Jews.
Such, almost, was Nicodemus as well. He too believed in Jesus and, it seems, spoke to the Jews in the Lord's favor, namely: that they ought to judge Him only after careful investigation (John 7:50–51). And after the crucifixion, at the burial, he likewise showed much care and generosity. Nevertheless, he did not believe as he ought to have.
Jn. 3:2. He came to Jesus by night and said to Him: Rabbi! We know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do such miracles as You do, unless God is with him.
Still clinging to Jewish weakness, he comes to Jesus "at night" out of fear of the Jews (John 19:38–39); he calls Him Teacher, as a mere man, for such was his understanding of Him, which is why he adds that no one can perform such miracles unless God is with him. Do you see, he comes to Jesus as to a prophet and a man beloved by God.
What then does the Lord do? He does not rebuke him in a stern manner, does not say, why do you come at night to a Teacher sent from God, why do you lack boldness? He says nothing of the sort, but graciously converses with him about divine and lofty subjects. Note also that although Christ performed many miracles, the present Evangelist does not recount a single one of them, either because they have been told by the other Evangelists, or because they are beyond detailed narration.
Jn. 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
It seems that the Lord's words to Nicodemus have nothing in common with Nicodemus's words to Him. But to the attentive reader much in common will be revealed. Since Nicodemus had a lowly conception of Christ, namely that He is a Teacher and that God is with Him, the Lord says to him: it is natural for you to have such a conception of Me. For you have not yet been born "from above," that is, from God, by a spiritual birth, but are still fleshly, and the knowledge you have of Me is not spiritual, but natural and human. And I say to you that both you and everyone else will be outside the Kingdom if you are not born from above and from God and do not receive the proper conception of Me. For birth through baptism, bringing light into the soul, gives it the ability to see or to know the Kingdom of God, that is, His only-begotten Son. For the Son can be called both the wisdom of God and the Kingdom of God. But this Kingdom, Nicodemus, no one can see or know unless he is born of God. So you too, because you have not yet been born spiritually, do not see Me — the Kingdom of God — as you ought, but have a lowly conception of Me.
Jn. 3:4. Nicodemus says to Him: how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Nicodemus, hearing teaching higher than human, is amazed and according to the characteristic of weak human nature asks: "How is this possible?" This is a sign of unbelief. For where there is no faith, there arise questions: how is this, why is this? The words of Nicodemus also seem laughable, because he did not think of spiritual birth, but recalled the bodily womb. Having heard that unless one is born "from above," he thought that the word was used instead of "from the beginning," "again," a second time, and understood the speech in this meaning: unless one is born "from the beginning," a second time. Therefore he also says: "How can a man, being old, enter into his mother's womb?"
Jn. 3:5. Jesus answered: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Two things were difficult for him to understand: one – the spiritual birth, the other – the Kingdom. For the Jews had never heard the name of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now he is perplexed about the birth. And Christ reveals to him more clearly the manner of the spiritual birth.
For man, consisting of two parts, soul and body, has a twofold manner of birth as well. The water, visibly received, acts for the cleansing of the body, while the Spirit, invisibly united, acts for the regeneration of the invisible soul. If you ask how water can give birth, then I too will ask how seed, which is itself water-like, can be formed into a human being? Therefore, just as with bodily seed everything is accomplished by the grace of God, so also in baptism water is set before us, but everything is accomplished by the Spirit and the prayerful invocation, and especially by the presence of God. For in this water are performed the signs and image of burial and resurrection. The three immersions are a sign of the three-day burial; then the person rises up (emerges), like the Lord, wearing the bright and pure garment of incorruption, having plunged corruption beneath the water.
Jn. 3:6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The Lord, diverting Nicodemus' attention from fleshly birth, says: "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit," that is, a person who is born through baptism becomes spiritual; for the word "spirit" you should understand as meaning "spiritual." True, the one who is baptized does not become the divine Spirit, but having received through the Spirit the adoption, grace, and honor, he is deemed worthy to be spiritual.
Jn. 3:7. Do not marvel that I said to you: You must be born again.
Seeing that Nicodemus is still troubled, He says: "Do not marvel." Then He attempts to teach by a sensible example.
Jn. 3:8. The Spirit breathes where He wills, and you hear His voice, but you do not know where He comes from and where He goes: so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
"The Spirit," he says, "breathes where it wills, and you hear its voice, yet you do not know its direction, because it is uncontainable and unobstructed, and by the power of its nature has movement in every direction." If he says "breathes where it wills," it is not because the wind has the capacity for free choice and desire, but because he wishes (as I said) to indicate its natural movement and uncontainable force. And if you do not know where and how the wind blows — this spirit subject to the senses — then how do you wish to comprehend rebirth from the Spirit of God? If this spirit cannot be restrained, then all the more will the grace of the Holy Spirit not be subject to the laws of nature.
Let Macedonius the fighter against the Spirit be put to shame, and Eunomius his predecessor. The first reduces the Spirit to a servant, yet here he hears that the wind blows where it wishes, and consequently all the more does the Spirit have self-sovereign movement and acts where and how He wishes. And Eunomius, having first erred in this very same matter and called the Spirit a creature, extended his audacity so far as to claim that he knows God just as well as he knows himself. Let him hear, then, that he does not know the movement and direction of the wind; how then, O transgressor, do you dare to claim for yourself knowledge of the Essence of God?
Jn. 3:9. Nicodemus said to Him in answer: how can this be?
Nicodemus still remains with the Jewish weakness, and therefore again asks: "How can this be?"
Jn. 3:10. Jesus answered and said to him: You are a teacher of Israel, and do you not know this?
Therefore the Lord also, showing him that he asks thus out of simplicity, says: "You are a teacher of Israel. If you recall the glorious miracles performed in the Old Testament, beginning from the creation of man and onward, namely: how he was created (Gen. 2:7), how the woman was made from a rib (Gen. 2:21–22), how signs were performed in Egypt, how at the Red Sea (Exod. 7, 8, 9, 14), how barren women gave birth (1 Sam. 1), and the like — if you consider this, as a teacher of Israel, then you will also believe what I am now saying."
Jn. 3:11. Verily, verily, I say unto thee: We speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and ye receive not our witness.