John 3:6-8
Stop.
If it’s windy, get out in the wind for just a bit. Or, watch out your window to see the way any breeze affects the trees, buildings, and objects outside. If it’s not blowing at all, try to find a video of the wind. Think about the force of something you can’t see. Take some time to breathe and thank God for the air that blows through your lungs.
Listen.
[Jesus said,] “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 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.” – John 3:6-8
Reflect.
In this passage from John 3, it helps to know that whether Jesus says Spirit, spirit, or wind, it’s all the same word: pneuma. It’s the root of where we get a word like pneumatic. It means air or wind, but it also means spirit, like a life force, whether human or divine; or it can mean breath, a combination of moving air and active life.
So which one does Jesus mean, here? And why does our Bible translate one word as three different things?
Translation is interpretation. Any time you read a Bible, you read one translator’s (or translation group’s) perspective on what that particular word might mean in context. Here, the translator chose to make it sound like Jesus meant to refer to the Holy Spirit moving through human spirituality as being like a wind that blows. It’s a reasonable assumption. But it’s not the only way this passage could be read.
Perhaps more than trying to figure out what Jesus meant, we can identify that we don’t always know exactly what Jesus means. In other words, Jesus intentionally chose an example with multiple meanings. That means we might not always really understand what Jesus said or did. Sometimes, we have to recognize that our faith life has some element of confusion, mystery, and surrender.
When we see the wind blow, we don’t actually see the wind. We see the effect of the wind on the world around it. Sometimes, we need to understand God’s action in the same way. We might not always see what God is doing, but we can see its effect. We might not always understand exactly how being born from above words, but we see its effect on our lives.
We want to understand everything, but today, make some space for the mystery of faith.
Pray.
God, I want answers to all my questions. I want to know exactly how and why you do what you do. Help me to learn what I can, but also, to accept that you are God and I am not. Guide me in the way you would have me go, even if I can’t understand that it’s you guiding me. Let your Spirit blow around me like wind. Amen.
Carry On.
How do you think about the Spirit? About your spirit? What do you think is the difference? Spend some time reflecting on these questions this week.