The story of Nicodemus' visiting Jesus is an invitation to believe. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, is curious about Jesus. Unlike other religious leaders of the day, Nicodemus comes to Jesus with an open mind. He thinks Jesus is a teacher come from God, so he is not seeking to persecute Jesus.

Even though Nicodemus wants to know who Jesus is, he comes to visit under the cover of night. Though Nicodemus is a wise man schooled in traditional religious teaching, he is bound by darkness. He does not believe in the Son of God, and he does not understand the liberating power of the Holy Spirit.

In a beautiful poetic response to Nicodemus' questions, Jesus explains His own relationship to God and the Kingdom of God. Weaving concepts of birth, water, Spirit, wind, and light, Jesus creates a fabric of belief for the confused Nicodemus. Birth or rebirth is mentioned seven times; Spirit four times; light five times. The word believe is used seven times, almost like a heart beat.

Simply put, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he will not be able to see the Kingdom of God until he really sees God's son. He must be born again through belief in the Son of Man. The idea of being born again confuses Nicodemus. But Jesus once again stresses that "no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

We might roughly paraphrase the explanation like this: Only belief in Jesus can bring spiritual birth and the gift of an indwelling Holy Spirit. If we experience the baptism by water, we must likewise experience the baptism of the Spirit to become new creatures walking in newness of life. It is an inner spiritual process much like the movements of the wind: There is some outer evidence, but the process is still something of a mystery. While there is only one baptism, it is completed by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Nicodemus, still confused, questions, "How can this be?" He does not yet understand the earthly examples or the heavenly insights.

Jesus, without directly identifying Himself, points to the Son of Man, God's one and only Son as the key to eternal life. Belief in God's Son brings salvation and freedom from evil, freedom from sin and death, and freedom from the old sin-bound self.

While we are not certain whether Nicodemus understands the message or not, we know Jesus is the Light to the world. He and His followers live by truth, and Jesus does His deeds plainly in the light so that all may see that He comes from God. In this way, He confirms Nicodemus' original ideas the He, Jesus, is from God and also gives him much to ponder.

Jesus seems to have revealed His true nature in gradual stages to His followers, perhaps as His own humanity adjusted to and fulfilled His divine role. As Christians, we may learn from the story that Jesus' relationship to God and to us is never quite clear until the Holy Spirit creates a new life in us. The process is a spiritual rebirth, a gift of God to those who believe.