John 3:7-8

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

We mostly marvel as Jesus tells Nicodemus "Marvel not." How could he not marvel at the marvelous, challenging, and deep teaching of these wonderful words of Jesus?

Nicodemus was a very important figure in Israel and, no doubt, a great and good teacher of the Jews; but he could not grasp the mystery of the new birth. That mystery brought him to Jesus by night.

Jesus commands him "Ye must be born again." These words are difficult for us to explain, though the explanation came easily for the Lord. Jesus gives an illustration of wind in verse 8.

The wind blows where it "listeth." This means that the wind blows where its intention is to blow, where the natural laws of God will guide it. We can hear the wind, but we cannot understand the wind. Even scientists, who know many particular things about wind, cannot give a full explanation of it.

Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he has no effort, direction, or intention concerning his own spiritual birth. He is without ability to birth himself. The wind (the new birth) comes to us, as the natural wind does. We cannot bring it or control it.

Remember this hard verse for some:  John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. This verse is so hard that in the next verse we find that many disciples went back and did not follow Jesus after that.

To reach a little beyond our text, we see in verse 12 that men cannot comprehend heavenly things, so the wind must blow. The only way it will blow, according to God's own restriction, is through the preaching of the Gospel.

1 Cor. 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Rom. 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.So, let us preach the Gospel to every creature, since it is the Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation -- Romans 1:16.