NICODEMUS COMES TO JESUS BY NIGHT
THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that
thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles
that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man
be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's
womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto
thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus
answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest
not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do
know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which
is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
[Sidenote: St. John 3]
After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of
Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was
baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there:
and they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into
prison.