Why do we read the Gospel story of Jesus teaching about being “born again” not of mother’s womb but from above – being born of water and the Holy Spirit, when we continue to celebrate and rejoice over the Resurrection of the Lord during Paschaltide? A student of mine asked me.
A good question! This kind of question indicates the student's engagement to the Word of God. And I responded and explained to it as below:
Being born of the Holy Spirit refers to Pentecost
transformation and Jesus being lifted as the serpent as lifted by Moses
indicates not only the Crucifixion of Jesus but also the Resurrection, as well
as, the Ascension of Jesus.
We read this Johannine Gospel narrative because we
are now on the spectrum of the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension of Jesus, and
Pentecost to be born of the Holy Spirit, having died to our sins,
having old selves crucified with Jesus on the Cross – being transformed to live
to God a new life through the Holy Spirit.
With this in mind, let us engage in the Word of God for today.
We started reading and reflecting Rabbi Jesus's "Late Night Catechism" to Nicodemus in yesterday's Gospel Reading (John 3:1-8). In this “Late Night Catechism” of Rabbi Jesus to
Nicodemus, who is a respected teacher of the Israelites, we see Trinity – the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and how each being in the hypostatic
union as one God functions systematically and harmonically (John 3:1-21). We
read and reflect on this “Late Night Catechism” for 3 consecutive days: Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday of the Second Week of Paschaltide.
In today’s segment (John 3:7-15), we see how
Nicodemus’ learning curve will go in response to the catechesis of Rabbi Jesus
on salvation through the Holy Spirit.
We have learned from yesterday’s Gospel Reading
(John 3:1-8), Jesus taught Nicodemus of the necessity of being born from above –
born of water and of the Holy Spirit. To this, Nicodemus was puzzled as he
wondered how he, as an old man, could ever go back to his mother’s womb and be
born again. Nicodemus was thinking like humans. But, Jesus’ teaching demands us
to think outside the box – beyond typical human thinking.
A key in Rabbi Jesus’ “Late Night Catechism” to Nicodemus
on the way to the Kingdom of God is the Holy Spirit, of which we are to be
born. So, we cannot be confined to flesh, human thinking, but need to transcend
this. But, Jesus does not demand us to fully understand. Instead, he wants us
to believe what he teaches and actually experience what the Holy Spirit does to
us, as God the Father wills. To make this point, Rabbi Jesus juxtaposed the Holy
Spirit to wind.
Wind blows regardless of our will and we cannot have
control over wind. Though we may not fully understand how wind blows (based on
science of Jesus’ time), we sure know and recognize wind – though wind per se
is invisible. Wind can move objects and our bodies can sense its presence. And,
Jesus makes point that we can certainly recognize and experience the unfathomable,
invisible and uncontrollable Holy Spirit, likewise. And this Holy Spirit is what we need to
experience and be born of.
This was the end of yesterday’s segment. So, in
today’s segment, it is like Nicodemus responding:
“Ok, Rabbi Jesus, although I do not quite understand
what you said about being born from above, being born of water and the Holy
Spirit”.
Nicodemus tried to accept what Jesus said about a new
birth in the Holy Spirit – the truth in spiritual birth. And he also tried to
accept the fact that the Holy Spirit comes and goes, regardless of our will,
just as wind blows so.
Now, Nicodemus wants to know the mechanics of this
truth. So, he asked Jesus, “How can this
happen?”(John 3:9).
It was like Mary asked Gabriel, at the time of
Annunciation, “How can this be?” (Luke
1:34 ) – How could it be that a virgin can become pregnant – become pregnant
without having intercourse?
Mary asked this question because she was thinking
like human – her thinking was confined to the domain of flesh – human physiology.
Gabriel explained to Mary that because it was by the
power of the Holy Spirit as God wills (Luke 1:35).
Remember, a key in this catechesis of Rabbi Jesus to
Nicodemus is the Holy Spirit
By God’s will and the power, Mary, the blessed
virgin and Immaculate Conception, was made pregnant with the Son of God by the
power of the Holy Spirit. This is far beyond what science can explain. And this
domain beyond what science, which can explain the physical reality and flesh,
is where Jesus’ teaching was leading Nicodemus and is inviting us.
This is why Jesus speaks of heaven, where nobody had
ever gone to, except for Jesus himself, who is the Son of Man (so he called
himself) – who is, indeed, the Son of God (John 3:13).
We can see a bit of Jesus’ frustration with how
people in general, including educated Pharisees, failed to follow his teaching,
because if he explained through earthly and tangible things, which they were
familiar with, they did not accept and believe the teaching, making him wonder
whether they would believe if he explain heavenly things as they are (John
3:11-12).
But, it seems that Rabbi Jesus wanted to push
Nicodemus to climb up the learning curve, as he began directly spoke of heaven
to indicate that it is where he came from, while suggesting the presence of the
one, who sent him to the earth, in heaven, referring to the Father (John 3:13).
So, Jesus has already brought all three, who are in the Trinitarian hypostatic
union: the Father in heaven, who sent the Son, who teaches to be born of the Holy
Spirit to Nicodemus, an earthly man, to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3) and
to be entitled to eternal life (John 3:15).
In this “Late Night Catechism”, Jesus is indicating
that there are two beings that connect Nicodemus to heaven, where the Father ,
who sent Jesus the Son, is: Jesus, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. And,
here on earth, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit work to save humans as the Son
is lifted up so that the Holy Spirit can come to let humans, like Nicodemus, be
born of.
The same Holy Spirit that incarnated the Theos-Logos (John 1;1, 14) in Mary’s
womb has lifted up the Son of God to save us
upon our penance, as the serpent that Moses lifted upon on his pole
saved who repented in the desert (John 3:14; cf. John 8:28; 12:32, 34; Numbers
21:4–9). And the same Holy Spirit will give us new spiritual birth to us for
our deep conversion and transformation.
The Son to be lifted up (John 3:14), first on the
Cross to die (John 12:22), so that he is lifted up from the tomb by the power
of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), and lifted up to heavenly Father so that the
Holy Spirit will come down upon us on Pentecost (John 16:7) to give us new
spiritual birth.
This is a point of Rabbi Jesus’ catechesis to
Nicodemus so far (John 3:1-15).
So, you can see how this Gospel Reading today (John
3:7-15), together with the Gospel Reading yesterday (John 3:1-8), teaches us to
understand that the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus are in
one spectrum with Pentecost, which marks being born of the Holy Spirit from
above.
And, as the Acts of the Apostles from 2:14 on describe, our new spiritual birth on Pentecost really make transcendental inner conversion and transformation, as so happed to the disciples being transformed into the apostles.
In today’s First Reading (Acts 4:32-37), we can see
how the apostles have formed the growing Ekklesia
(the community of believers) as a result of being born of the Holy Spirit from
above on Pentecost. In this Ekklesia,
there is no “me” but just “us”. They do not possess anything to themselves.
Anything they get, they bring it to Ekklesia
to be distributed as necessary. No egocentric desire here.
Remember, egocentric disposition always drives us to
fall, as sense of ego consciousness is an immediate consequence of violating
God’s promise in Eden (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-8, 10-11, 12-13). Adam and Eve,
upon violating God, became self-concerned. And, this was a sign back in Eden
that unity was lost. But, as the disciples, who struggled with their own
selfishness when they were with Jesus, were born of the Holy Spirit and became
the apostles to be on mission. And they had formed this community of the faithful,
characterized with unity, because their old ego-centric disposition was
crucified ( cf. Galatians 2:20a) as they were dead to sin (Romans 6:11a), when
the Son of God was lifted up on the Cross (John 3:14). This is why they were
born spiritually anew (cf. John 3:3,5) to assure of living to God (Romans
6:11b), having Christ living within (Galatians 2:20b).
Stay tuned for tomorrow, as we will be reading the 3rd
segment of Rabbi Jesus’ “Late Night Catechism” (John 3:16-21).
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