John 3:7-8 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus must have been both amazed and confused by what Jesus told him that night. People still wonder what it means to be born again. Sometimes, this phrase is put in a bad light or criticized by outsiders, but for those who have experienced the newness that faith in Jesus brings, it is a wonderful and deeply personal experience. Nicodemus should have understood the idea better the longer he talked with Jesus, but it seems he was stuck too much thinking from a literal or fleshly perspective. The text makes a signficant shift in verse 7 with the plural of you (hymas). Jesus is offering a universal truth for all people that Nicodemus could participate in. New birth is the way for all to enter God’s kingdom.
Jesus uses a short parabolic saying to illustrate his point about being born again by the Spirit. The word wind in both Hebrew (rûaḥ) and Greek (pneuma) can also be translated as “spirit.” The sentence structure and context will determine which word to use in English. The word occurs twice in verse 8, at the beginning and at the end. The first usage is the illustration of wind and the second is the application of Spirit, referring to the Holy Spirit of God. The sentence structure and words at the beginning of the verse indicate something physical, with the movement of air and the sound it makes. We do not know where wind comes from, although modern scientists have determined many causes such as heat, the sun, ocean currents, and other factors. We cannot see the wind yet we can see its affects, such as blowing dust or moving branches or grass.
The Holy Spirit is similar. We cannot see the Spirit but we can see what the Spirit does if we look with the eyes of faith. We cannot control the Spirit, who will bring special movements and spiritual encounters according to the sovereign will of God. We cannot put the Spirit into a box but are invited to experience the mysteries of the Spirit through faith. Those without the Spirit cannot understand those who have the Spirit with them. Ezekiel 36:25-27 brings the image of cleansing water and Spirit together to express the hope of the new covenant God would someday bring. This new covenant is the hope of new birth about which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus on that night. To be born of the Spirit means to be brought into God’s eternal kingdom and experience this kingdom as new life, purpose, hope, and love.
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