Born of the Spirit, blowing down the road
James Cathcart
March 03, 2026
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John 3: 1-17 (NIV-UK)
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’
3 Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’
4 ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’
5 Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’
9 ‘How can this be?’ Nicodemus asked.
10 ‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Picture the scene, Nicodemus has asked Jesus to meet him at the motorway services. They are open 24 hours and it allows him to sneak out under the cover of darkness. Once there — instead of a shadowy alcove — the bright overhead lights offer a different kind of anonymity. He’s just another nameless traveller. Nicodemus is not the Pharisee here, the public intellectual, the community leader, he’s just another schmo, nursing his coffee on the way from somewhere to somewhere else. And in this little pocket of time he comes to Jesus with his searching questions.
Many of us have found ourselves in the wee small hours, pouring our hearts out to Jesus. Sometimes under the cover of darkness, and sometimes in the eery light of a 24 hour cafeteria. As I said earlier this week, Jesus lived and lives his life in the open. Jesus does not require secrecy and hidden meetings with us, but sometimes in our vulnerability we want to come to Jesus under the cover of darkness. And indeed in many parts of the world following Jesus publicly comes with danger, as it would have for Nicodemus. We don’t need stained glass and wooden pews to meet Jesus.
In verse 8 Jesus says something incredible about those born of the Spirit “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.” To this restless midnight soul Jesus says — there’s an open road out there ready to sweep you on an adventure!
Are we ready to hit the open road with Jesus?
Prayer:
Thank you Jesus for coming to meet us
where we are
and then taking us
to somewhere new.
Amen.
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