Visitor for Night

Jerusalem dey sleep. Di lamps don off. And through di dark streets, one of di teachers wey people respect pass for di city dey waka, e dey go ask one young rabbi from Galilee some questions.

Im name na Nicodemus. E be Pharisee, man wey don use im whole life study di law of God, and John call am ruler of di Jews, one of di leaders of im people. When Nicodemus talk, people dey listen. And still, see am here, e dey come meet Jesus for night. John no tell us why. Maybe e dey careful make people no see am. Maybe e just want one quiet hour without di crowds. Anyhow e be, e don come, and e start with respect. Rabbi, we know say you be teacher wey come from God. Nobody fit do di signs wey you dey do unless God dey with am.

Jesus no stop for di praise at all. True true, I tell you, unless person born again, e no fit see di kingdom of God. Nicodemus look am. Born again? How person go born when e don old? e ask. Grown man fit go back enter im mama womb, make dem born am second time? E dey hear di words of Jesus word for word, and e know say e sound like something wey no possible. Jesus explain. Unless person born from water and from di Spirit, e no fit enter di kingdom of God. Body dey born body. But di Spirit dey born spirit. No surprise say I talk say you must born again.

Outside, maybe, small breeze dey move through di streets. Di wind dey blow anywhere wey e want, Jesus talk. You dey hear im sound, but you no fit know where e from come or where e dey go. Na so e be for everybody wey di Spirit born. Nicodemus still confuse. How dese things fit be? And Jesus answer am gently, but e touch di point. You be di teacher of Israel, and you no understand dese things? Di expert don become student.

Then Jesus reach back to one story wey Nicodemus know well. Long time ago for di wilderness, when snakes bite di people of Israel, Moses lift up one snake wey dem make with bronze for top of pole, and anybody wey look am live. Di same way, Jesus talk, dem must lift up di Son of Man, so dat everybody wey believe am go get eternal life. And then di words wey millions of people don learn by heart. Because God love di world so tey, e give im only Son, so dat whoever believe am no go perish, but e go get eternal life. God no send im Son enter di world to condemn di world, but to save am.

Di passage end with light and darkness. Light don come enter di world, but some people love darkness, because dem no want make people see wetin dem dey do. Whoever dey live by di truth dey come enter di light. Bible scholars no agree whether na still Jesus dey talk for dese last lines, or na John dey reflect on wetin Jesus talk. Anyhow e be, di words hang for di night air. And we no ever hear Nicodemus answer. But John never finish with am. Later, Nicodemus stand up talk for Jesus side before di other leaders. And after di cross, e come again, dis time for daylight, e carry spices to help bury di body of Jesus.

One play on words dey here wey easy to miss. Di Greek word wey John use for born again, anothen, fit mean again, and e fit also mean from above. Nicodemus hear di first meaning, and e dey imagine second ordinary birth. But e be like say Jesus mean di two at di same time: new beginning wey come from God. Plenty English Bibles dey print one meaning for di main text and di other one for footnote, because translators no fit keep di two together.

Visitor for Night. You go find am for John chapter three, verse one to twenty-one. Nicodemus come for darkness with careful questions, and e go back with answer wey big pass wetin e expect. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which question you go bring to Jesus if you fit talk with am dis night?