teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like yours unless God is with him.”
Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again from above.”
Nicodemus said, “How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to
his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you: No one
can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of
the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Because of this, don’t be
surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again from above.’
The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it
comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Reflect
Any mother can tell you that no birth comes without pain. New life and new hope emerge
from struggle. Peter and John, along with the other disciples gathered with them, know
this. Having faced imprisonment for speaking out about Jesus, they were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak out even more boldly.
Nicodemus was less brave in the beginning, coming to Jesus under the cover of darkness.
He learned that he would need to be born in the Spirit in order to become a faithful witness
and enter the Kingdom of God. John’s Gospel later recounts Nicodemus’ advocacy for
Jesus and his accompaniment of Jesus’ body to the tomb.
Those of us who are disciples in this day also face the challenge of being born
in the Spirit so that we may boldly witness to the Gospel by our words and actions. This
new life in the Spirit will come at a cost though. We will have to die to self so that we
may live in the Spirit.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023