Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.” 3 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.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 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.”
John places this meeting in Jerusalem after Jesus’ signs at Passover, that is, the miraculous works Jesus performed there which led many to believe in him (cf. Jn. 2:23). Nicodemus comes to Jesus because he has seen enough to know that God is at work in Him (vv. 1-2). He is a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, and likely a member of the Sanhedrin. He is not hostile in this scene. He comes with respect and calls Jesus “Rabbi.” Yet he still does not understand who Jesus is or what is required to enter God’s kingdom.
Nicodemus comes at night (v. 2). That detail may suggest discretion, since open association with Jesus could bring criticism or risk from other religious leaders. It also fits Nicodemus’s spiritual condition at this point. He is moving toward Jesus, but he does not yet understand fully. He sees enough to know that God is at work in Jesus, yet he has not yet come fully into the light of faith.
Jesus does not begin by discussing the signs. He goes directly to the central issue: ‘no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above’ (v. 3). Here Jesus means that without this new birth from God, a person cannot recognize, share in, or enter the saving life and rule of God. The expression translated ‘from above’ can also mean ‘again.’ Nicodemus hears it in the ordinary sense of being born again physically, and so he asks how a grown person could return to his mother’s womb (v. 4). Jesus, however, is speaking about a new birth that comes from God.
This misunderstanding opens the way for deeper teaching. Jesus then states the same truth more explicitly: ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit’ (v. 5). In the Church’s understanding, this refers to one birth, not two separate births. It points to the new life God gives in Baptism, where water and the Holy Spirit are joined in one saving work. Jesus is teaching that entry into God’s kingdom requires more than natural birth, more than knowledge, and more than admiration for His miracles. A person must receive new life from God.
The words “water and Spirit” would not have been empty words to someone who knew the Scriptures well. The prophets had already spoken of a time when God would cleanse His people with pure water and give them a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:25-27). They had also spoken of God pouring out His Spirit in the time of fulfillment (Joel 3:1-2 [2:28-29 in some translations]; Is. 44:3). Jesus is declaring that what God had promised is now being brought to fulfillment.
Jesus continues, “What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit” (v. 6). Here “flesh” means human life in its natural condition. Human birth gives human life. It cannot by itself give divine life. The new birth Jesus speaks about is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is why natural intelligence, religious position, and sincere interest are not enough. Nicodemus is an educated and serious man, but he still needs what only God can give.
Then Jesus says, “Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above’” (v. 7). The “you” here becomes plural. Jesus is no longer speaking only to Nicodemus. His words reach beyond him to others, including the readers of the Gospel. This new birth is not an unusual requirement for one man. It is necessary for all.
Jesus then uses the image of the wind: “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” (v. 8). In both Greek and Hebrew, the same word can mean wind or spirit. Jesus uses that double meaning to explain the Spirit’s action. We do not see the wind itself, but we know it is real because we hear it and see its effects. So too with the Holy Spirit. His action is real, powerful, and life-giving, even though it is not controlled or reduced to ordinary human categories.
This passage therefore teaches something basic and necessary. It is not enough to say that Jesus is a teacher from God. It is not enough to be impressed by His signs. A person must be changed by God. One must be born of water and the Holy Spirit. This is why the Church has always seen John 3:5 as one of the clearest passages on the necessity and meaning of Baptism. Through that new birth, God gives the life that natural birth cannot give.
Nicodemus begins with respect, interest, and partial faith. Jesus leads him from signs to the kingdom, from natural thinking to spiritual truth, and from human birth to the new life that comes from above. The passage calls the reader to make the same movement.
Lord Jesus Christ, you teach us that no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Holy Spirit. Give us light to receive your words with faith, humility to accept what comes from above, and gratitude for the new life you give through the Holy Spirit. Keep us faithful to the grace of our Baptism and lead us always in the life that comes from you. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. John 3:1-8 and notes.
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 166.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed., The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 272-73.
- Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 955, pars. 48-51.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu, et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1126-27.
- John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, 3rd fully revised ed. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022, 1392-93.
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