“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again'. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its voice but do not know from where it comes or where it is going. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.”
At this stage Jesus can see that Nicodemus is still puzzled. ‘Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born anew', He says, ‘the wind (pneuma) blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell from where it is coming or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit (Pneuma)'. In other words, He says, just as we cannot control the wind, or understand its comings and goings, so we cannot control the Spirit and His comings and goings. He acts where He wills. Religious hierarchies are in no position to dictate the work of the Spirit. Baptism may precede the coming of the Spirit to a man (Acts 8:14-16; Acts 19:5-6), or it may follow it (Acts 10:47), but it does not control it. That is in the hands of the Spirit alone.
There is, of course, a play here on the different meanings of ‘pneuma', which can mean either ‘wind', ‘breath' or ‘Spirit'. All act invisibly and powerfully.