Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus said, "Do not be astonished that I said to you, you must be born from above. 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. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:7-8

Each year I participate in I a faith and arts retreat which focuses on how our faith influences the art we create and vice versa. One of the Bible passages we studied over the weekend was the story of Nicodemus and Jesus which is found in John 3. I'd like us to look at this story in a slightly different way than we may have done so before. Nicodemus comes to Jesus with a statement "We know that you are..." He wants to put Jesus in a box. He wants to categorize him and put him in a place that is safe and comfortable.

Jesus, on the other hand, tells Nicodemus that he doesn't know anything. The Spirit of God cannot be put in a box and is, in fact, as hard to pin down as the wind. It blows all over the place in any direction it likes. It is wild and unpredictable.

This seems to drive Nicodemus crazy, and we see him struggling with this concept as he dialogues back and forth with Jesus. In the end, we don't really know if Nicodemus understood what Jesus way saying. The story is left open ended.

One of the insights we gain from this story is that we cannot put Jesus or the Holy Spirit inside a box. Both of them move in mysterious and surprising ways. Some Christians would like us to think that someone cannot be gay and be Christian as if the two are polar opposites. Experience has shown me, as well as many other people of faith, that God's Spirit wind is blowing mightily in the lives of LGBT people in amazing and creative ways. Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit, cannot and will not be contained by doctrines, creeds or orthodox teaching. This presents some believers with a theological conundrum, just like Nicodemus. The question which remains to be answered is will they fight in vain to keep Jesus in a box or will they acknowledge that this is a futile and foolish effort.