Monday 22 June 2026
- Bible Book:
- John
"The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (v. 8)
Background
Nicodemus is an intriguing figure. John names him as a Pharisee, a Jewish leader. Pharisees get a bad press in the gospels, but other evidence from the time identifies them as scholars who were eager to find ways of shaping the law of the Old Testament so that it made sense for people of their own time. Against this background, we can see why Nicodemus might be interested in Jesus’ teachings – though we note too that he comes ‘by night’ in a secret approach.
Although he fades from this conversation after verse 10, Nicodemus stands up for Jesus when he is later under attack (John 7:50) and he assists in burying Jesus (John 19:39). Perhaps he is John’s model for those who seek but have not yet found full discipleship – and he hears Jesus explain what this means.
Jesus speaks first of being born ‘from above’ (v. 3). This resonates with the prologue to John's Gospel, where those who believe in Jesus' name are given power to become children of God, born of God (1:13). This new birth realigns people’s place in the world and shapes alternative perspectives, setting them alongside Jesus, the first to be born from above, and thus setting them apart from others.
Jesus develops this sense of a new beginning by linking ‘born from above’ to ‘born of water and the Spirit’. Ezekiel had promised the restorative gift of clean water and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-26), and Jesus builds on this by likening the Spirit to a wildly blowing wind. The Greek word pneuma can mean breath, wind or spirit, and John may want us to hold all three meanings in mind. Life-giving breath, sweeping wind, creative Spirit – all become part of the new life from above, which is Christ’s gift to us. Those baptised into faith, whose lives are realigned to flow alongside Jesus, find themselves filled with God’s gifts of cleansing water and renewing, unpredictable Spirit.
To Ponder:
- This passage gives us images for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals. Are they also useful for understanding the Spirit in the life of the Church?
- There are many images used for the Spirit in and beyond the Scriptures – a dove, a flame, falling rain, a whispering voice, a brooding, swooping bird. What images inspire you to reach out to the Spirit to change your life?
- ‘Born from above’, ‘born of water and the Spirit’ – do these phrases describe a one-off event, a lifetime’s journey, or both?
Prayer
God of rushing wind and flowing water, come to us to refresh our weary hearts, to restore and renew the tired life within us, to make us fully alive to your kingdom in our midst. Make us open to your promise of eternal life shared with Christ, the one born from above. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Caroline Wickens
The Revd Dr Caroline Wickens is the Superintendent of the West Hertfordshire & Borders Methodist Circuit and Deputy Chair of the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Methodist District.