5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youc must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
Thoughts: Jesus broaches the subject of the Spirit here. without the Spirit we cannot enter the kingdom of God. The Spirit gives birth to spirit- in other words the Holy Spirit gives us a spirit of life. The Holy Spirit regenerates, awakens in us a spirit of life. The birth Jesus is talking about is not a physical one of re-entering the mother's womb (as Nicodemus asked), but a spiritual rebirth- a transformation of our soul. Rebirth of the Spirit is not concrete, it is mysterious and uncontrollable. So Jesus compared it to the wind. The word "wind" and "Spirit" are the same word ("pnuema" in Greek- like pneumonia). We can predict the physics of things, but we cannot predict the wind so well. People who are transformed add surprise and mystery to life. Our hopes are to depend on the Holy Spirit, opening our hearts to Him.
Prayer: Holy Spirit move me and use me- shape me and take me after your will.
(Nicodemus-Cijn Hendricks 1616-1645)
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