Nicodemus appears three times in John's gospel but is nowhere mentioned in the synoptic gospels (3:1-13,7:50, 19:39). He was apparently sincere in his approach to Jesus but may have feared the other Pharisees because he went to Jesus after dark; 3:3 indicates that he was still outside the Kingdom of God, but was looking for it. He had seen the miracles which Jesus had done in Jerusalem (2:23).

Jesus' first statement to Nicodemus presents the theme of the discourse which follows, which relates to Christian baptism and its connection with God's Judgement, although the word 'baptism' is not actually used in the discourse. The writer looks back from the faith of the first century Church to the meeting between Jesus and a Jewish teacher who was looking for God's Kingdom. The discourse can best be understood against the belief of the Church and Christian experience of life in the power of the Holy Spirit. From the New Testament letters and Acts, we have seen the great significance of Christian baptism from the beginning of the Church, and this lies behind this discourse. The words of John and the understanding of the Church merge together, as in 3: 11 where 'we' means the Church.

The idea of spiritual rebirth was not new to the Jews; for example, Ezekiel 36 :25-27 refers to the spiritual rebirth of Israel after the exile, but Nicodemus' misunderstanding of what Jesus said (3:4) opens the way to the teaching which follows. Everyone who seeks for the Kingdom of God must be prepared for a 'second' birth. Physical birth enables each person to enter the physical world but spiritual birth or birth from above is required before anyone can enter the realm of the Spirit, the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus, learned representative of orthodox Judaism, could not understand that the new age of the Holy Spirit, of the new People of God, was about to begin. In 3:7-8 there is a reflection of what happened on the Day of Pentecost. Nicodemus is challenged in 3: 1 0, 12; if he did not understand when Jesus spoke of spiritual experience in this world, how would he understand when Jesus spoke of the things of heaven?

In 3:14-15 the Old Testament reference is to Numbers 21:4-9, which describes how the Israelites were saved from poisonous serpents. Christ's death on the cross is the means by which the new Israel will be given life.

One of the great affirmations of this gospel is in 3: 16. The world is separated from God by sin but God has not abandoned the world. The word 'world' here means sinful mankind.

The purpose of the Incarnation is to save the world, not to condemn sinful mankind. The coming of the Saviour, however, divides mankind into those who accept the Son of God and those who reject him, those who love the light and those who love the dark, deliberately turning away from the light. In this division there is judgement (3: 17-21). Those who hate the light and hide from it bring God's Judgement on themselves, in fact, judge themselves. According to the teaching of this gospel, the baptismal day of the Christian may be understood as a first Judgement Day, for a choice has been made. The Christian has chosen to live in the light and provided he remains in the light, will not be condemned for his sin on the final Day of Judgement (6:40). He will be brought through the final Judgement into the fullness of eternal life, which he begins to experience here and now in the world, through Jesus Christ.

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