Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
2He 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 these signs
that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3
Jesus answered him, “Very
truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born
from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after
having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb
and be born?” 5
Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter
the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is
born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not
be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The
wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do
not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone
who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these
things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet
you do not understand these things? 11Very truly, I tell you, we speak of
what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive
our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not
believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No
one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from
heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes
in him may have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but
may have eternal life. 17Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world
to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through
him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do
not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the
name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light
has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do
not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those
who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that
their deeds have been done in God.”
3
6
Reader: These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is
the Messiah, the Son of God,
All: and that through believing, we may have life in his name.