St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans: “The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” All creation expects something, eagerly, in excitement – something great, good and wonderful.

Is this what we feel when we look around us? Or is it rather that the expectation we perceive is borne of fear, some inexplicable premonition that something bad is about to happen? Wars, natural disasters, famine, disease… all this has accompanied the mankind throughout the ages, even when it has sometimes seemed that we have overcome it, have finally learned something, have developed to the point that we no longer depend on the whims of nature.

Saint Augustine said something like this: “Everyone loves exaltation, but the only way to ascend there is by the steps of humility.” In today’s Epistle, Saint Peter also exhorts us to humility, because “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Recently, a politician, speaking about freedom and independence, rightly said that freedom is not something that can be taken for granted and that independence must be fought for and preserved. Unfortunately, the same politician added something that cannot be considered right: that freedom does not come from anyone’s grace.

Peter means “rock”. Apostle Peter might have resembled a rock in terms of his appearance: we don’t know anything about it directly, but since he was a professional fisherman and leaves a rather strong impression in the accounts of the Gospels and the Book of Acts, we can assume that he was a big and strong man.

This may have been his biggest stumbling block in following Jesus: His own self was the “rock” on which he stumbled and fell many times. For example, when he thought he had to rebuke Jesus, who had predicted His suffering and death, and lead Him back to the “right path,” so that Jesus had to admonish him with terrifying severity: “Get behind me, Satan!”

What is fear? Encyclopedias say that fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger or threats.” Fear can also be caused by the possibility of being punished. It is probably the latter that St. John has in mind when he says that “he that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Nicodemus, who came to Jesus under cover of night, said reverently and at first glance even humbly: “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” However, Jesus’ response to Nicodemus was somewhat unexpected, even harsh: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Essentially, this means that Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he only thinks he knows who Jesus is, but in reality he knows nothing and is not capable of knowing or understanding, because “we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.”