April 21 2020
Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15
Tuesday of the Second Week in Easter
Weekday prayer service at St. Catherine of Siena church
Early in John’s Gospel, Jesus encounters Nicodemus, a good and pious Pharisee—so somebody like us—and also a religious leader who speaks for his fellow religious leaders. Today’s Gospel passage continues the story of their meeting, which was begun in yesterday’s reading. In fact, it begins by repeating an exchange from yesterday’s episode, when Jesus talks about the Spirit and about being born from above.
The Greek word for “from above” also means “again,” which is why many evangelicals talk about being born again. Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth, being born from above. He’s talking to Nicodemus—and other good and pious people—about a change of mind and heart, which usually means forgetting a lot of stuff you think you know.
Nicodemus knows a lot. He’s a leader of the people and an expert in how to be good. And he is a very good man. But Jesus is saying that knowledge and being good are not enough. What is needed is new life in God. Jesus called this “the kingdom of God” in yesterday’s reading; in today’s he calls it “eternal life.” By either name, eternal life is utterly dependent on God and shaped by God’s Spirit. The Kingdom of God is not just going to heaven after you die but God’s reign. By accepting God’s gift of eternal life, a person enters into God’s reign already now and becomes a citizen in God’s kingdom; they depend on God and submit to the guidance of the Spirit. As Jesus says to Nicodemus,
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.
I’d point out here that in Greek the words for wind and Spirit are the same. Jesus is taking advantage of this fact to help Nicodemus “get” the Spirit. Knowledge and standard practices are not much good in predicting how the wind will blow. You have to sense the wind. And you have to sense the promptings of the Spirit; the law of Moses, excellent as it is, is not enough.
A lot of young people these days say that they are “spiritual but not religious.” Nicodemus is religious but not spiritual. He is very learned, but he has not personally experienced giving in to the spirit of God. He has not experienced faith, that is, trust in God, a willingness to let God guide his actions. What is really needed is faith in Jesus—that is, trust that Jesus’ way of selflessness is the right way.
This encounter ends with Nicodemus still mystified. He disappears for a while from the story, but reappears later to warn the Pharisees against judging Jesus without listening to him. And he is there after the crucifixion, when he helps Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus, at some risk to himself. So it seems that he did “get” Jesus in the end. Nicodemus is honored as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
Today’s first reading gives an example of a change of mind and heart in the early Christian community. Private property is basic in almost all societies, and attempts to create communist societies have typically not worked out well. Nevertheless, according to Acts, the early Christians rejected the notion that one person or family had an absolute right to property in the face of other people’s needs. Acts tells us that people who joined the fledgling Christian community voluntarily gave up their rights to their own property.
America is not about to create a society with communal ownership of all goods. But the present time is bringing home to us with increased urgency the plight of our brothers and sisters in need. Many people are ill. Others have lost jobs, income, and health insurance. We need to do all that we can to share the burden with them, in the spirit of those early Christians. We are all in this together.