Gospel: Jn 3:1-8
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THERE was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “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.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
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The Gospel is taken from Jesus’ night encounter with Nicodemus during which Jesus explains “birth” to the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus is first identified as a “Pharisee,” belonging to the group of Torah-observant Jews. He is “a ruler of the Jews,” which probably means that he is a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court of the time.
As a Pharisee, he holds on to the traditional view that one’s relationship with God is based on birthright, i.e., on being an Israelite. But Jesus tells him that one must be born “from above,” that is, the relationship with God is primarily through birth in the Spirit.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
