King James Bible
"Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?"
Nicodemus, a learned Pharisee, responds to Jesus' teaching about being "born again" with literal confusion. His question reveals both his age-consciousness and his struggle to grasp spiritual metaphor, showing how even religious experts can miss deeper spiritual truths. This rhetorical question demonstrates Nicodemus thinking purely in physical terms about rebirth. His focus on biological impossibility sets up Jesus' forthcoming explanation about spiritual regeneration, highlighting the radical nature of the transformation Jesus describes.