Commentary on the Gospel of
Any mother can tell you that no birth comes without pain. New life and new hope emerge from struggle. Peter and John, along with the other disciples gathered with them, know this. Having faced imprisonment for speaking out about Jesus, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak out even more boldly.
Nicodemus was less brave in the beginning, coming to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He learned that he would need to be born in the Spirit in order to become a faithful witness and enter the Kingdom of God. John’s Gospel later recounts Nicodemus’ advocacy for Jesus and his accompaniment of Jesus’ body to the tomb.
Those of us who are disciples in this day also face the challenge of being born in the Spirit so that we may boldly witness to the Gospel by our words and actions. This new life in the Spirit will come at a cost though. We will have to die to self so that we may live in the Spirit.
