H- Highlight:

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

John 3:8-13

E- Explain

Jesus uses another illustration for salvation.  He moves from the illustration of birth to show the necessity of salvation, to wind, illustrating the mystery of salvation.  

Nicodemus was part of a class of religious leaders that were consumed with defining the law.  They spoke on behalf of God, and were very concerned about their own reputation and authority.  He had come in saying that He recognized that Jesus was come from God, but that was not far enough.

Jesus uses the same word twice in verse 8.  The Greek word is “pneuma” and is translated as “wind” and as “Spirit”.    Nicodemus would have had theology that tried to quantify God and salvation.  Jesus was pointing to salvation as a spiritual thing.  It is an invisible thing that happens in the heart.  Nicodemus couldn’t explain what happens.  Jesus could.

Nicodemus is learning something about himself and about Jesus in this moment.  He asks the question, “How can these things be?”.  This was new information to him.  This whole conversation would have been very strange to Nicodemus.  Salvation is an important topic.  He is an authoritative teacher in Israel.  Yet this information was very new to him.  Jesus points this out.  “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”

These next few verses give the clear point to the section.  

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Teachers can only teach what they know.  If they don’t know what they are talking about, how can they teach it?  Jesus understood the mysteries of salvation and had the authority to teach on this very important topic.  Nicodemus did not.  What was keeping Nicodemus from being saved himself was that He did not yet believe what Jesus knew about salvation.  

Jesus has the authority and the information to teach us about the mystery of salvation.  Why? Because of He is.  Because of where He is from.  

Jesus uses a very interesting term that Nicodemus would have picked up on in verse 13.

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The term is “Son of man”.  The term is used in the Old Testament many times in Ezekiel.  It’s also used in Daniel 7, and in this context I believe that Jesus is referring to Himself as the same person spoken of in Daniel 7.  Listen to what Daniel says about the “Son of man” in Daniel 7:13-14.

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Jesus is leading Nicodemus to an understanding of who He is. Salvation is not just a concept. It’s a person. He that hath the Son, hath life. He that does not have the Son, does not have life.

While we don’t undertand everything about the mysteries of salvation, Jesus does. He is the Son of God, the coming King, the ancient of Days, and the ruler of a kingdom that shall not be destroyed.

A- Apply

By saying that salvation is a mystery is not to say that you can’t know if you have eternal life. John tells us this in His epistle.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1 John 5:11-13 

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 20:30-31 

Jesus has the authority to teach us about the mysteries of salvation. It is in Him alone that we can understand, believe, and be saved. 

We should declare this to every person that we possibly can. The world needs to be saved, and they can only be saved through Jesus Christ.

Lord, lay some soul upon my heart,

And love that soul through me;

And may I bravely do my part

To win that soul for Thee.

R- Respond

Heavenly father, First, thank you for Your Son. Thank you for the revelation of salvation that is found in Him. Second, help me to be lead someone to You this week. Would you open my eyes to an opportunity to speak the truth in love for You. Amen