Homily on the Conversation of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus
By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea
(Delivered on August 17, 1948 - Tuesday of the 8th week of Pentecost)
(Delivered on August 17, 1948 - Tuesday of the 8th week of Pentecost)
I am asked to explain the conversation of the Lord Jesus Christ with Nicodemus. The conversation is mysterious, the conversation is extremely important and not understandable to everyone. Let's delve into it.
“Among the Pharisees there was a certain man named Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to Him: 'Rabbi! we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do such miracles as You do unless God is with him'” (John 3:1–2).
One of the prominent members of the Sanhedrin, pure in heart, struck by the depth of His teaching and believing in Him, came to Him for a conversation. But how did he come? At night, secretly, so that other members of the Sanhedrin would not find out. This, of course, is not good, this is cowardice; this confuses us, for we know that he was a pure man, that together with Joseph of Arimathea he buried the Body of Christ taken from the Cross.
Why did he come at night, why didn’t he openly confess his faith in Christ? It was due to fear for the sake of the Jews: he was afraid of other members of the Sanhedrin, he was afraid of excommunication from the synagogue. Do we dare to condemn him for this, we who have so much fear that is no longer of the Jews? We, Christians, baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, we, who have received the Body and Blood of Christ many times, don’t we often act like Nicodemus, don’t we hide our faith in Christ, don’t we secretly confess Him, even reaching such shame that we keep icons in the closet, and open only during prayer. This is a shame, a deep shame. It’s better to completely remove the icons than to hide them. It will be better, more honest, than keeping them in the closet.
Nicodemus came to Jesus and said to Him: “We know that You are a Teacher come from God.” He did not speak on his own behalf: “We know,” - all the people know and understand. And undoubtedly, many of his fellow Pharisees also knew that He was a Teacher who came from God: “For no one can do such miracles unless God is with him.” This was a great truth: of course, only with God, of course, only with God is it possible to perform such miracles.
“Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'” (John 3:3). It’s like an unexpected answer, an answer that’s not to the point. It would seem that He should have answered: “Yes, you were not mistaken: yes, I came from God, I am the Messiah.” He doesn’t say this, He gives a completely, completely different answer: “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Why did He answer like that?
You are looking for the Kingdom of God, you see in Me a Prophet, a Wonderworker, so you need to know what the path to the Kingdom of God is. Isn’t this the right answer, isn’t it the most necessary one for Nicodemus? Of course yes. What is the power of this answer? One must be born again. This is completely incomprehensible to Nicodemus, these words are inaccessible to him, for he answered like this: “How can a person be born when he is old? Can he really enter his mother’s womb another time and be born?”
He did not understand Christ’s words at all. Why didn't he understand? Why didn’t he understand that Christ was not talking about a physical birth, which is impossible a second time, but about a spiritual birth? Why didn't he understand this?
Because he, like all the Pharisees, considered himself the son of Abraham, pleasing to God; believed that he knew all the laws of Moses, perceived the complete and deep truth; considered himself righteous. What other new spiritual birth could there be for him? He is spiritually born, enlightened by the true knowledge of God. That’s why he answered so strangely, because he didn’t understand that the Lord was speaking about a completely different birth, about a new birth, a spiritual one.
Jesus answered: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The Lord explains what He was talking about: about the new birth from water and the Holy Spirit, in the Mystery of Holy Baptism. Without this, without being born again in this mysterious way, it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). What is born of the flesh is only flesh, not spirit. “And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” And a person must be born of the Spirit in order to be not only fleshly, but also spiritual. “The Spirit breathes where it wills, and you hear His voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes: so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Understand these words of Christ! Who are these people born of water and the Spirit? Those who in this new birth have gained spiritual strength to follow the path of Christ have gained the ability to become friends of Christ. They, the saints, understood these words of Christ well, for they often, often felt the breath of the Spirit in their hearts. They clearly felt the action of God's grace. And they heard the voice of God - they truly heard it, believe it. Believe me, you can hear the voice of God not in the same way as we hear the people around us, but differently, completely differently. The voice of God unexpectedly, as if suddenly born, resounds in the hearts of the saints, words form themselves, and whole phrases are formed from words. And in this way a person hears God’s answer to his prayer.
This is known to all the saints, they heard the Holy Spirit, not knowing where He comes from and where He goes, for He will come and go. This happens to everyone born of the Holy Spirit, to all saints.
Nicodemus did not understand this, he lived by the mind of the Old Testament, the teaching of Christ was unknown to him, incomprehensible. He didn't understand how this could be.
“You are the teacher of Israel, and don’t you know this? Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness” (John 3:10–11).
“We speak” - this is how He spoke about Himself, speaking in the plural, for even the kings of the earth in their decrees refer to themselves not with the pronoun “I”, but with the pronoun “We”. So Christ, in this sublime, deeply solemn speech, called Himself “We” - “We speak...”
I know an infinite amount. I, the Omniscient God, testify to what I saw with My Father, what I saw before the creation of the world. But you, Pharisees, do not accept this testimony.
High words, extraordinary words, holy words.
You are looking for the Kingdom of God, you see in Me a Prophet, a Wonderworker, so you need to know what the path to the Kingdom of God is. Isn’t this the right answer, isn’t it the most necessary one for Nicodemus? Of course yes. What is the power of this answer? One must be born again. This is completely incomprehensible to Nicodemus, these words are inaccessible to him, for he answered like this: “How can a person be born when he is old? Can he really enter his mother’s womb another time and be born?”
He did not understand Christ’s words at all. Why didn't he understand? Why didn’t he understand that Christ was not talking about a physical birth, which is impossible a second time, but about a spiritual birth? Why didn't he understand this?
Because he, like all the Pharisees, considered himself the son of Abraham, pleasing to God; believed that he knew all the laws of Moses, perceived the complete and deep truth; considered himself righteous. What other new spiritual birth could there be for him? He is spiritually born, enlightened by the true knowledge of God. That’s why he answered so strangely, because he didn’t understand that the Lord was speaking about a completely different birth, about a new birth, a spiritual one.
Jesus answered: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The Lord explains what He was talking about: about the new birth from water and the Holy Spirit, in the Mystery of Holy Baptism. Without this, without being born again in this mysterious way, it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). What is born of the flesh is only flesh, not spirit. “And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” And a person must be born of the Spirit in order to be not only fleshly, but also spiritual. “The Spirit breathes where it wills, and you hear His voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes: so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Understand these words of Christ! Who are these people born of water and the Spirit? Those who in this new birth have gained spiritual strength to follow the path of Christ have gained the ability to become friends of Christ. They, the saints, understood these words of Christ well, for they often, often felt the breath of the Spirit in their hearts. They clearly felt the action of God's grace. And they heard the voice of God - they truly heard it, believe it. Believe me, you can hear the voice of God not in the same way as we hear the people around us, but differently, completely differently. The voice of God unexpectedly, as if suddenly born, resounds in the hearts of the saints, words form themselves, and whole phrases are formed from words. And in this way a person hears God’s answer to his prayer.
This is known to all the saints, they heard the Holy Spirit, not knowing where He comes from and where He goes, for He will come and go. This happens to everyone born of the Holy Spirit, to all saints.
Nicodemus did not understand this, he lived by the mind of the Old Testament, the teaching of Christ was unknown to him, incomprehensible. He didn't understand how this could be.
“You are the teacher of Israel, and don’t you know this? Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness” (John 3:10–11).
“We speak” - this is how He spoke about Himself, speaking in the plural, for even the kings of the earth in their decrees refer to themselves not with the pronoun “I”, but with the pronoun “We”. So Christ, in this sublime, deeply solemn speech, called Himself “We” - “We speak...”
I know an infinite amount. I, the Omniscient God, testify to what I saw with My Father, what I saw before the creation of the world. But you, Pharisees, do not accept this testimony.
High words, extraordinary words, holy words.
“If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:12–13).
He is the One Son of Man, Who Descended from Heaven and Exists in Heaven, who continues to dwell in Heaven, living in human form on earth, He alone ascended into heaven, He alone ascended into heaven after His resurrection.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). This is how He should be lifted up on the Cross. “That whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). This is why Christ was lifted to the Cross, so that all who believe in Him would not perish (John 3:16).
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17–18). Remember this: non-believers condemn themselves. “This is the judgment, that light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
The only good ones, are those whose souls are pure and kind, who love the light. And those who do evil deeds love darkness, because evil deeds require darkness, the cover of night. “For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil; but he who does righteousness comes to the light, so that his deeds may be revealed, because they are done in God” (John 3:20–21).
This is the conversation with Nicodemus. And you see, in this conversation, our Lord Jesus Christ reveals to Nicodemus all the deepest, all the most important things that he needed to know: He revealed that there is a birth from above, a birth by water and the Spirit; that it is impossible without this to enter the Kingdom of God.
The Lord also revealed to him the great secret of the salvation of the world, saying that God loved the world so much that he gave his Only Begotten Son to save the sinful world. Prophetically He revealed the secret of His suffering on the Cross, the secret of the redemption of the human race.
Let us give glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who so enlightened the Pharisee Nicodemus who came to him secretly, and through him all of us. Let us give glory to God the Father, who did not spare His Only Begotten Son for the salvation of the world.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
He is the One Son of Man, Who Descended from Heaven and Exists in Heaven, who continues to dwell in Heaven, living in human form on earth, He alone ascended into heaven, He alone ascended into heaven after His resurrection.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). This is how He should be lifted up on the Cross. “That whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). This is why Christ was lifted to the Cross, so that all who believe in Him would not perish (John 3:16).
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17–18). Remember this: non-believers condemn themselves. “This is the judgment, that light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
The only good ones, are those whose souls are pure and kind, who love the light. And those who do evil deeds love darkness, because evil deeds require darkness, the cover of night. “For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil; but he who does righteousness comes to the light, so that his deeds may be revealed, because they are done in God” (John 3:20–21).
This is the conversation with Nicodemus. And you see, in this conversation, our Lord Jesus Christ reveals to Nicodemus all the deepest, all the most important things that he needed to know: He revealed that there is a birth from above, a birth by water and the Spirit; that it is impossible without this to enter the Kingdom of God.
The Lord also revealed to him the great secret of the salvation of the world, saying that God loved the world so much that he gave his Only Begotten Son to save the sinful world. Prophetically He revealed the secret of His suffering on the Cross, the secret of the redemption of the human race.
Let us give glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who so enlightened the Pharisee Nicodemus who came to him secretly, and through him all of us. Let us give glory to God the Father, who did not spare His Only Begotten Son for the salvation of the world.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.