March 6 -- John 3:1-21

“The 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.” –John 3:8 (NIV)

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council made up of rabbis). Pharisees were zealous in their dedication to the Law. Jesus called him “the teacher of Israel” (literal translation from the Greek of v. 10), which means Nicodemus held a high religious office that involved the authoritative interpretation of Scripture. So, Nicodemus ranked fairly high among the religious leaders of Israel, yet he showed more humility than other Pharisees because he acknowledged that Jesus’ miracles proved He comes from God (v. 2b).

Still, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night because he was afraid of what his colleagues would think if they found out (see John 7:45-52). He mentioned the miracles as he began his discussion with Jesus, but before he could ask the questions weighing on him, Jesus said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (v. 3). In other words, “You won’t really understand the miracles or the reason for them until you are born of God, Nicodemus.”

Even after Jesus explained that this birth is different from physical birth, Nicodemus remained confused. Jesus wondered at Nicodemus’s inability to understand because of Nicodemus’s knowledge of Scripture. (The rebirth Jesus spoke of is prophesied in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 11:19, the LORD says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”)

This rebirth comes through “water” (the repentance signified by water baptism) and “the Spirit” (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which comes with belief in Christ). When Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases…so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (v. 8), He was using a play on words to illustrate the mysterious gift of this rebirth. In Greek, “wind” and “Spirit” are the same word—pneuma. The Spirit, like the wind, is beyond our control, and we cannot predict His movements. So, the rebirth Jesus’ spoke of is not something we control; it is something we surrender to in faith, and when we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit begins transforming us.

As our Savior, Jesus compared Himself to the bronze snake Moses lifted up in the desert (Numbers 21:9). The Israelites had sinned against God and, consequently, were attacked by poisonous snakes. When they confessed their sin and cried out for help, God told Moses to make a bronze snake (the symbol of the people’s judgment), put it on a pole, and lift it up. Anyone who looked on the snake would live. Likewise, Jesus was lifted up on the cross, and we can look to Him to be saved from the consequences of our sin in order to live spiritually and eternally.

Jesus went on to speak one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). (Note: The most recent NIV translation does not include verses 16-21 in quotation marks as part of Jesus’ teaching, but every other major translation does.) Jesus is speaking of the cost of our eternal life. He paid a high price for you and me, but He did it out of love. The Greek word translated as “love” in John 3:16 is agapao (agape love). This kind of love is a choice. It is self-sacrificial. God chose to love sinners, and He expressed His love through self-sacrifice. The fact that God loves us in this way is amazing! And comforting.

Jesus added that He didn’t come to “condemn” but to save (v. 17). He didn’t need to condemn because we are all lost (“condemned already”) until we put our trust in Him. Yet people still refuse to come to His light because they do not want their sin exposed (v. 20). But when we know the truth—that Jesus came to save and not to condemn—we can have the courage to step into the light, trusting in Him to cleanse our sin, clothe us in His righteousness, and make us whole.

Consider: What evidence do I see of the Holy Spirit working in me to give me new life and an “undivided heart”? (Being conformed to the image of Christ is a lifelong process—see Romans 8:29.)

Talk to God about anything that came up in your heart during today’s reading and reflection. Ask Him to reveal how His Spirit is at work in your transformation so that you can better cooperate with the work He is doing in you and ask Him to give you courage to tell others about your relationship with Him.