Episode 1168: The Wind Blows Where it Wishes

In Episode 11:68 of the 10:10 Thrive Podcast, listeners are invited into a powerful nighttime encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and teacher of the law. Though Nicodemus comes with honor and curiosity, Jesus does not begin with affirmations or small talk. Instead, He immediately presents the necessity of being “born again” to see the kingdom of God—a statement that confounds Nicodemus. As Jesus continues, He introduces the mystery of the Spirit’s work, likening it to the wind: unseen, uncontrollable, but undeniably real. This metaphor challenges Nicodemus’s framework built on law, order, and tradition, inviting him instead into a new birth that cannot be earned or managed.

The dialogue is a masterclass in both divine grace and theological transformation. Jesus gently yet firmly dismantles Nicodemus’s assumptions about salvation and righteousness, pressing him toward surrender rather than intellectual mastery. He reminds Nicodemus that knowledge of the Scriptures is not the same as understanding God’s heart. When Jesus references the serpent lifted up by Moses, He points to His own future crucifixion, unveiling the path to eternal life not through legal adherence but through faith. This moment crescendos with the well-known declaration of God’s love: “For God so loved the world…”—not as a broad statement alone, but as a personal revelation to a man whose worldview is being completely upended.

This episode invites us to go deeper—not only in understanding Nicodemus’s journey, but in examining our own. Like Nicodemus, we may come to Jesus with questions, unsure of how the Spirit works or what new birth means in our context. But Jesus still meets us there. He still calls us into mystery, transformation, and trust. Salvation, He teaches, is not about control or tradition—it is about love, surrender, and being made new by the Spirit who still moves like the wind.