Sunday before Theophany

Nobody takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just like Aaron was. ⁵So also Christ didn’t glorify himself to be made a high priest, but it was he who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father.”

⁶As he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, ⁸though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. ⁹Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation, ¹⁰named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

³Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must all be born anew.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? ¹¹Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. ¹²If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. ¹⁴As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.