Pentecost AD 2024
Once Jesus said to Nicodemus, who came to Him secretly at night: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” Both Greek and Hebrew use the same word for wind and spirit, in Greek it is “pneuma”, in Hebrew it is “ruach”. In fact, Jesus is not talking about the wind here, but about the Spirit of God; it is not in our power to command or direct Him – the only thing we can do is listen to Him and follow Him.
Of course, it is only natural that we want to know what, how and why God does. The answers to these questions are based on our own situation and needs. For example, in the Creed we say about our Lord Jesus Christ: “Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven… And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate…”. We are used to thinking that God does everything for us.
However, today’s Gospel shows us that we must learn to think a little differently – not only about ourselves, but also about God’s feelings (to the extent that we can use such a concept for God). Jesus says: “If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father.”
It is very human to ask why Jesus went up to heaven, why He left His disciples in this world, where they must have felt almost like orphans. Unfortunately, such a question is quite selfish, and it is precisely this that Jesus points out when He tells His disciples that they should rejoice instead. They should rejoice over Him because He is going back to His beloved Father.
It’s not always easy to be happy for others when it involves a certain loss or giving up something, is it? We can do this when we love, and the way it is in this world is that true love always involves sacrifice. The greatest sacrifice has been made by Him whose love is greatest – who is Love Himself.
God wants us to learn to truly love because He loves us. God wants us to grow toward perfection – and above all, that means growing toward perfect love. To make this possible, God Himself comes to our aid – and not only by supporting us externally, but He comes within us through His Holy Spirit to change, renew and sanctify us internally. Jesus says that He dwelleth with us and shall be in us – and this means that we too shall dwell in Him and be in Him, now and forever.