Jesus Speaks to a Rabbi at Midnight
John 3Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, no one can see the Empire of God unless they are born again.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a human be born when they are old? They can’t enter into their mother’s womb to be born a second time!”
Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, no one can enter into the Empire of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh. What is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘Y’all must be born again.’ The wind+3:8 The same Greek word (πνεῦμα) means wind, breath, and spirit. blows where it wants to. You hear its sound but don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answered him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you don’t understand these things? Truly, I tell you, we speak what we know and testify to what we have seen, but y’all don’t accept our testimony. If I speak to y’all about earthly things and y’all don’t believe, how will y’all believe if I speak to y’all about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Humanity. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Humanity be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Jesus Contrasts Light and Darkness
For God so loved the world, that ʜᴇ gave ʜɪꜱ only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send ʜɪꜱ Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world would be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned. Whoever doesn’t believe has been condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, but humans loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come into the light, so that their deeds won’t be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that their deeds may be revealed as being done in God.”
John’s Final Testimony About Jesus
After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there. People were coming and being baptized, since John had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew about purification. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the man who was with you beyond the Jordan, of whom you have testified—Look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
John answered, “No human can receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. Y’all can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must grow, but I must lessen.
“The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one receives his testimony. Whoever has received his testimony has marked their seal to this, that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on them.”