Daily Journey Through the Great Fast With the Early ChurchSample

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews but surprisingly, he was a secret follower of Jesus Christ, coming by night to Jesus to ask Him questions on the teachings he heard from Him. What he did was unheard of! By meeting with Jesus and potentially being caught speaking with Him was to tarnish his status, position and reputation as a Pharisee. Not only that but he knew that He was a teacher that came from God and that no one could do such signs, except the One that had God with him. Yet, in spite of potentially being caught, he was hungry for truth, for the spiritual message of Jesus, and wanted to be filled. In this first encounter with Jesus, he was told about the Mystery of Baptism - to be “born again”, the rebirth in baptism.

To make an important note of the Sacrament of Baptism taught by Jesus, to the Apostles, to their successors, to the Early Church and till now, it is important to note that the Gospel of St. John chapter 3 teaches baptismal regeneration and not the Evangelical “born again” experience. The Greek phrase used is “γεννεθη ανωθεν” (gennethe anothen) which has been translated “born from above” or “born again.” The Greek “ανωθεν” (anothen) can be translated either “above” or “again”, thus the reason for this confusion. In Galatians 4:9, St. Paul uses the word “ανωθεν” in the sense of “again”; he asks the Galatians if they wanted to serve their former deitiesagain. Although the English translation of “born again” is not a literal translation of the Greek, it conveys the underlying meaning adequately and agrees with the sense of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus - to be born from above, born again of water.

The next time we read of Nicodemus he moves out and in the light of day, defends Jesus, albeit indirectly - he speaks out upholding the law in a roundabout way to defend Jesus. John 7:50-51 record this for us, “Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’” Nicodemus inches closer to baptism, to being reborn, reborn with a renewed mind, a new way of thinking.

The next, and final, time we read of Nicodemus is John 19:40,42, “Then they (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury...So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” Wow! The renewing of his mind, the words of the Gospel and Baptism, changed him completely! He no longer comes to Jesus hidden in the dark of night, he no longer indirectly defends Jesus, he no longer is worried about his reputation - he now comes during the day, in plain sight of everyone, associating himself with the King of the Jews! That’s the power of the message of Baptism, the power of a rebirth and new life with Jesus!

Nicodemus listened to the words of Jesus and allowed them to take root in his heart, becoming more informed, unlike the rest of the Pharisees who “are destroyed for lack of knowledge” [Hosea 4:6] because they “have rejected knowledge” [Hosea 4:6]. Jesus says to them, “I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” [Hosea 4:6] - He forgets their children, which is the covenant with their father Abraham in the Old Testament, and renews His covenant with all those that will believe in Him, whether they be Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, to those that accept in Him and are baptized in His name.

Nicodemus is made up of two words - the Greek word “νικη” (nike) meaning “victory” or “victorious” and “δημος” (demos) meaning “the people”. Let us step out in faith, as Nicodemus, and be a “victorious people” neither being afraid of what others will think or say of us, nor of what consequences we will face for professing our faith in the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Who is the one who is born of the Spirit and is made Spirit? It is one who is renewed in the Spirit of his mind. It is one who is regenerated by water and the Holy Spirit. We receive the hope of eternal life through the laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. And elsewhere the apostle Peter says: ‘You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ For who is he that is baptized with the Holy Spirit but he who is born again through water and the Holy Spirit? Therefore the Lord said of the Holy Spirit, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born again by water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ And therefore he declared that we are born of him into the kingdom of God by being born again by water and the Spirit.” [St. Ambrose, 4th century Bishop of Milan]

“He says therefore, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God: as if He said, You are not yet born again, i.e. of God, by a spiritual begetting; and therefore your knowledge of Me is not spiritual, but carnal and human. But I say to you, that neither you, nor anyone, except he that is born again of God, shall be able to see the glory which is around me, but shall be out of the kingdom: for it is the begetting by baptism, which enlightens the mind.” [St. John Chrysostom, the 4th century Archbishop of Constantinople and a “doctor of the Church”]