Jesus replied, “I assure you,
no one can enter the Kingdom of God without
being born of water and the Spirit.
Humans can reproduce only human life,
but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
So don’t be surprised when I say,
‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows wherever it wants.
Just as you can hear the wind
but can’t tell where it comes from
or where it is going,
so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
He came into the very world he created,
but the world didn’t recognize him.
But to all who believed him and accepted him,
he gave the right to become children of God.
They are reborn—not with physical birth
resulting from human passion or plan,
but a birth that comes from God.
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
“Why are you frightened?” he asked?
Why are your hearts filled with doubt?
Look a my hands. Look at my feet.
You can see that it’s really me.
Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost,
because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”
as he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Still they stood there in disbelief,
filled with joy and wonder…
Then Jesus said to them,
“You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe
all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.
Wasn’t it clearly predicted
that the Messiah would have to suffer
all these things before entering his glory?”
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses
and all the prophets,
explaining from all the Scriptures
the things concerning himself.
…but the angel said,
“Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified.
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!
Look, this is where they laid his body.
Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter,
that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee.
You will see him there,
just as he told you before he died.
After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning,
the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene,
the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
The next day, on the Sabbath,
the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate.
They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said
while he was still alive:
‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’
So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day.
This will prevent his disciples from coming
and stealing his body
and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead!
If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
Pilate replied,
“Take guards and secure it the best you can.”
So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple
was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened.
The bodies of many godly men and women who had died
were raised from the dead.
They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection,
went into the holy city of Jerusalem,
and appeared to many people.
The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion
were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened.
They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
By this time it was about noon,
and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
The light from the sun was gone.
And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple
was torn down the middle.
Then Jesus shouted,
“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”
And with those words he breathed his last.
