That is what Paul means when he says crisply, “I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” The Gospel of John says the same thing in a different way: “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God … born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of human beings, but of God” (John 1:12–13). Just as the Crucifixion has always been problematic, so too has