At first glance this section on Jesus and the new birth seems to consist of two disparate parts: the dialogue with Nicodemus (3:1–21) and the critical comparison of Jesus and the Baptist (3:22–36). Note, for instance, how in 3:22 Jesus moves “into the land of Judea” (NASB, NKJV) when he has just been in Jerusalem, a city of Judea (2:13, 23). While numerous plausible theories have offered to relocate 3:22–36 (generally after 1:19–34), they are difficult to support. In fact, a connecting thread may unite the chapter. On a literary level, Jesus now dislocates yet another office in Judaism, the rabbinate. Nicodemus’s ability as a teacher is faulty (3:10), while Jesus is addressed as “rabbi” (3:2). On another level, the subject the teacher Nicodemus cannot penetrate (rebirth, 3:3) is really ce…