It started with a question in the form of a statement. It ended with the most memorable words in the Bible. In between, there were many mysteries, not the least of which was the declarative statement by Jesus about rebirth and the kingdom of God. I'm talking about the story of the nocturnal meeting of Nicodemus, the member of the Jewish supreme court, with Jesus, who according to John's gospel was the dynamic and unpredictable messianic ruler of the universe, the word of God become flesh and blood who came to teach us about the kingdom of God.

The implied question of Nicodemus hid behind his statement: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him" (John 3:2). The implied question was "a powerful tea…