“‘You must be born from
above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
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 answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
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 answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
It’s rather unusual for our lectionary to repeat a passage we
have heard just the day before. Today’s repetition of John 3:7b-8 is the only
instance I know of. Jesus insists, and the Church reminds us, “You must be born
from above.”
The winds blow from above. That’s clear enough. They might
be easterly or westerly but they’re clearly from the sky. That wind generates
life. The ancients knew that well enough because their life was more agrarian
than ours. We understand it as we observe the ocean winds that carry moisture
to the land, minerals from sea waves, dust, seed, birds and bugs. Without the
wind there would be no life on Earth. Even urbanites can appreciate the vitality
of an April breeze or the stimulation of a January blast.
Knowing its creative power, ancient Hebrews described the
wind as the breath of God; in Hebrew, ruah;
in Greek, pneuma. The breath of God brought
the seasons from north, south, east and west, bringing rain and drought, sunshine
and storm.
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of spiritual matters with
precision and clarity, using the metaphor of wind, the old man was confused. It
sounded suspiciously like poetry and he understood only rules, laws,
ordinances, statutes and decrees. There are Catholics today who understand only
rules, rubrics and catechism definitions; and doctors who understand only
scientific facts; and engineers who see nothing but systems. Hearing of rebirth
by the Holy Spirit they ask, “How can this happen?”
Jesus and his
disciples insist, “We speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen….”
Being born of the Spirit is certainly mysterious but not incomprehensible. It’s
not even rare. Anyone who has experienced a changed attitude born of prayer and
surrender, or a healing of relationships, can appreciate the meaning of
rebirth. At one moment life seemed dreary; a few minutes later it was rich and
beautiful. We felt condemned and then vindicated; lost and then found; despised
and then cherished by the One who made us.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.