Sunday 26th July - John Chapter 3

 I'm reading John's gospel very, very slowly. I print out just one chapter, in a big font size from the King James version, because I like the weightiness of the words, and keep it - don't laugh - by the loo. 

(One of my uncles insisted that the downstairs loo in his house should be wide enough to he could read The Times newspaper, back when it was a broadsheet, in comfort.)

So, anyway, I just read the same few verses, several times a day, until I think I've understood them reasonably well.

After a month I have just embarked upon chapter three;

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.    

         That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

            Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

            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.

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

 In just a few verses we have a whole scene; Nicodemus arriving after dark - had he been busy all day, and this was the first chance he'd got? - or was he skulking through the shadows hoping no-one would see him visiting Jesus? 

He comes seeking answers, and all he gets is riddles. Was he puzzled by Jesus's response? Or irritated?

Am I puzzled? Or am I irritated? 

The first mention of the Spirit is, famously, right at the beginning of Genesis. Ruach Elohim. The Spirit, or Breath, of God hovering over the waters.

 

As someone who lives 'an oxygenated life', and spend every day adjusting oxygen flow rates according to whether I'm sitting, reading, playing the piano, wrestling with my Tax Return, cooking, washing up, walking, standing, getting dressed, etc, I am very interested in breath, and the Breath of God, the one as a living, breathing example of the other. 

I'm going to need to spend a bit more time on these verses to try and get my head around them. I think reading other translations of this passage will help.