Seeking Jesus First Jan. 22, 2026
How Can These Things Be?
Today’s Reading: John 3:1–21
(Read the full passage before reflecting below.)
“Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’” (John 3:4, NKJV)
Nicodemus’ response to Jesus is honest—and very human. When Jesus speaks of being born again, Nicodemus immediately tries to process it through natural reasoning. He asks a sincere question: “How can these things be?” His mind goes to biology, age, and physical limitation. He is not resisting Jesus; he is trying to understand Him with the tools he has.
Jesus does not rebuke Nicodemus for asking. Instead, He gently but firmly redirects him from the natural to the spiritual.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus is drawing a clear distinction. Flesh can only produce flesh. Human effort, discipline, knowledge, and even religious devotion can only reach human limits. Spiritual life requires a spiritual source. New birth is not an improvement of the old nature—it is the impartation of a new one.
Jesus then introduces one of the most beautiful and humbling images in all of Scripture: the wind. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The wind is real. Its effects are undeniable. Yet it cannot be controlled, predicted, or contained. In the same way, the work of the Spirit is sovereign, mysterious, and life-giving.
This challenges something deep in Nicodemus—and in us. We prefer systems we can manage, steps we can follow, and outcomes we can measure. But Jesus teaches that spiritual birth does not submit to human control. It is initiated by God, carried out by the Spirit, and received through faith. We can witness its effects—changed desires, renewed minds, transformed lives—but we cannot manufacture it.
The question “How can these things be?” reveals the tension between human understanding and divine action. Jesus is not asking Nicodemus to abandon reason, but to recognize its limits. Faith does not contradict truth; it receives truth that reason alone cannot reach.
This passage also corrects a subtle misconception. Being born of the Spirit does not mean losing order, meaning, or grounding. The Spirit does not bring chaos—He brings life. But that life does not conform to human expectations. It moves according to God’s will, not ours.
For Nicodemus, this conversation marks a turning point. He is learning that entry into the kingdom is not achieved by status or scholarship, but by surrender. Understanding comes later. Life comes first.
Today, Jesus’ words invite us to humility. There are moments in our walk with God when we must admit, “I don’t fully understand—but I trust You.” New birth begins there. The Spirit does not ask for mastery, only openness.
As you read John 3 this week, allow the question “How can these things be?” to become an invitation rather than an obstacle. God is not threatened by honest questions. But He does call us beyond what we can explain into what He alone can give.
The wind is already blowing. The Spirit is already at work. New life is not something we create—it is something we receive.