Breaking the Word

Now 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." (Jn 3:1-8)

Jesus chose his disciples and taught them the values of the kingdom. There were also disciples who wanted to follow him as we see in the gospel of John. We also see in this gospel of John that there are persons who are of the members of the leading men of the society and still they want to be follower of Jesus. At least there were interested in knowing the teachings of Jesus.

‘Being born from above’ or ‘being born of water and spirit’ are the terms we find in today’s reading. Jesus goes to say that ordinary birth is not sufficient for the movement that he has begun. God is beginning a new family through Jesus. To be a member of this family one has to be born from above. This would mean that the initiative is from God.

‘Water and spirit’ would mean the double baptism: baptism in water, which brings people into the kingdom-movement begun by John the Baptist and continued by the disciples of Jesus, and the baptism in the spirit which Jesus offers. The two are closely linked. The early church did not see these two to be distinct from one another in stead both are interlinked. Both were required for the membership of the kingdom of God.  

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.  (Jn 20:19-31)

Belief in the resurrection is God given. It is a revelation. Every time it Jesus who makes a move to reveal himself to his disciples and communicates to them that he is the one who is risen from the dead. Disciples have forgotten all what they have heard which Jesus had preached while he was on the earth. This belief cannot be derived from anything other than an experience.

Jesus gives this experience to individuals and the experiences are personal. We see this with Mary of Magdala, Peter, the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. Even when he appears to the group of disciples he does not neglect the individual as in the case of Thomas in today’s story. Jesus wants his disciples to be individually convinced of his resurrection.

Belief in the resurrection does not come only from experience alone. There will be people who come to believe without having an experience. They come to this belief from hearing of the narration of experiences. All what Jesus has said and done are not written down. But what is written down is to bring the reader to faith. There are people who begin to believe because of experiences and there are others who come to faith by listening to the narration of these experiences and there are still others who believe of what they read from the scriptures.