Second Sunday In Lent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VIII, Cycle A
Object:
Theme For The Day
Nicodemus learns that salvation comes not from any act of obedience on his part, but only from God.
Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 12:1-4a
God Calls Abram
"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go...' " (v. 1a). Those matter-of-fact words describe the defining moment for three great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We have heard of Abram for the first time as a name in a genealogy (11:27, 29) and as a son who obediently followed his father, Terah, on an unfinished journey to Canaan (3:31-32). No explanation is given as to why Terah set out for Canaan in the first place, nor why he allowed himself to become sidetracked in Haran. There is no mention of a divine call extended to Terah. From this moment onward, Abram's decision to heed the voice of God will influence everything that comes after him in the story of salvation-history. The scriptures offer no hint as to what the spiritual experience of calling was like for Abram: whether it happened in a single, dramatic moment, or whether it was the product of a lifelong process of discernment. The Genesis account boils this episode down to its theological essence: God's call and the human response. Abram leaves the familiar ("your country and your kindred and your father's house") in search of the unknown ("the land that I will show you"). Abram goes, but he does not travel alone: The Lord will be his guide. Verses 2 and 3 contain a short form of the Abrahamic covenant: the Lord will make of Abram's people "a great nation," the Lord will "bless him," and Abram will "be a blessing" to the world (v. 2). So closely associated will Abram be with the Lord, henceforth, that anyone who blesses him, the Lord will bless; and anyone who curses him, the Lord will curse (v. 3). A longer form of the Abrahamic covenant is found in Genesis 15:5 and is reiterated both in 22:17-18 (after Abraham's aborted sacrifice of Isaac) and in the Lord's covenant with Isaac (26:4-5). God is the principal actor here; Abram simply obeys.
New Testament Lesson
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
The Faith Of Abraham
Today's passage moves a chapter earlier into Romans than last week's, in order to make a thematic connection with today's first lesson, the call of Abram. Paul has just been speaking of justification by faith; however, he has also taken pains to emphasize that this does not "overthrow" the law (3:28-31). For an example, he turns to the story of Abraham -- who, of course, lived before the law of Moses was given. Quoting Genesis 15:6, Paul points out that "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:3). The lectionary then omits a range of verses that point out how God considered Abraham righteous before he had been circumcised, before moving on to verses 13-17, which get to the heart of the matter. It was through "the righteousness of faith" that Abraham received God's blessing and not through any observance of the law (v. 13). For us, "it all depends on faith" (v. 16). This goes hand in hand with Paul's overarching theme of a gospel that is inclusive of all people, even the Gentiles. For if faith -- rather than specific practices prescribed in the law, such as sacrifice and circumcision -- is the main thing, then there is a point of entry into Christianity for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
The Gospel
John 3:1-17
Jesus And Nicodemus
This passage also occurs on Trinity Sunday of Cycle B. A smaller section, verses 14-21, also occurs on the Fourth Sunday in Lent of Cycle B. The story of the encounter between Jesus and the learned Pharisee, Nicodemus, affords John an opportunity to teach about the nature of faith. This passage has become famous in our day as the "born again" passage -- although the translation of the Greek anothen in verse 7 is uncertain: it can be rendered either as "You must be born again" or "you must be born from above." While Nicodemus understands Jesus to mean "born again," it is by no means clear what Jesus intends (Nicodemus, in fact, is something of a dunce throughout this conversation: John uses him -- with his frequent errors -- as a straw man to elucidate Jesus' teachings). In verses 11 and 12, it becomes clear that, for John, Nicodemus represents more than simply his own opinions -- for the second-person pronouns in Jesus' reply suddenly shift to the plural. "You do not receive our testimony" evidently refers to a whole community, possibly the Jews who do not accept Jesus as messiah. The allusion to Moses lifting up the serpent in verse 14 refers to the obscure incident of Moses warding off serpents by displaying the image of a serpent on a pole (Numbers 21:9). Verse 16 is, of course, one of the most famous verses in all the New Testament; it has been called "the gospel in miniature." The abrupt end of the lection at verse 17 probably has as much to do with length as anything else -- although it omits Jesus' final saying, "those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God," which may be a criticism of Nicodemus, who has come to Jesus by night, in secret (v. 1).
Alternate Gospel Lesson
Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration
This reading is provided as an alternative, for those traditions celebrating the Transfiguration on this day. (See the Day of Transfiguration, following the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.)
Preaching Possibilities
In John 3:1-17, one of the most famous passages of the New Testament, Jesus is in conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus. In the midst of their discourse, Jesus says, "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus takes the bait. He asks, "How can anyone be born after growing old?" In asking this question, Nicodemus reveals how deeply he misunderstands Jesus' words. He's not the only one who finds them hard to comprehend. The translators have been arguing over this passage for years.
A great many Christians first learned this passage as "You must be born again." The New Revised Standard Version translation, however, renders it, "You must be born from above." The Greek word John uses can actually be translated either way; it's not an easy translation decision. The modern English translations are about evenly divided between "born again" and "born from above."
Literally, the Greek does mean, "born from above." Yet, it also happens that the expression, "from above," in the Greek language, can mean "again," or "a second time." It's kind of like our English expression, "from the top." If a conductor says to a group of musicians, "Let's take it from the top," she means, "Let's do it over again."
So, what does Jesus really mean? "You must be born again..." or "You must be born from above..."?
Whichever side of the debate you come down on, one thing's clear: Nicodemus misses the boat. He comes back at Jesus, asking, "How can anyone be born after having grown old?" It's clear that Nicodemus thinks Jesus is saying, "You must be born again."
Jesus counters, saying that's not what he means at all: "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."
Truly, we can choose "born again" or "born from above": either option can be justified based on the original Greek. The one thing no one can choose to do, based on this passage, is to side with Nicodemus. Old Nicodemus thinks being born again (or born from above) is something he can do. That's why he comes back with his question, "Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb...?" Of course, being born is one experience in life that you and I have absolutely nothing to say about. It happens through powers completely beyond our control.
Jesus stops the Pharisee cold, saying, in effect: "Nicodemus, you just don't get it. Much as you Pharisees love to fill your lives with religious rules and regulations, much as you desire to be perfectly obedient to the law -- thereby controlling your own salvation -- you can't do it. It's impossible. Salvation comes only from God: not from anything on earth, but only from above."
A great many people, today, are preoccupied with how to be "born again." They're not much better than the Pharisees. In place of regulations concerning how to properly clean a cup or how to ritually render a blood-sacrifice, they substitute a new legalism: a little procedure they call a "decision for Christ."
Of course, there's nothing wrong with making a decision for Christ: anything but! It's the goal of all our evangelistic work in the church. The problem arises with those who would transform the miracle of salvation into a petty, legalistic ritual -- and, who would so far remove the agency of the Holy Spirit from it that it becomes entirely a matter of human decision.
There are some who boil the gospel down so small, they can literally fit it on a wallet card! They'll stick that card under the nose of anyone who'll give them the time of day and insist that all they've got to do is fall down on their knees and repeat the words on the card, and they'll be saved. One, two, three, four simple sentences, and... bang! You're done. For life. Now that you've given your life to Christ, you need never exert yourself spiritually again.
Some don't, of course. Having watched the TV evangelist through tearful eyes, and having uttered the sinner's prayer, they never darken the church door. Nor do they lift a finger to help the needy, or support mission, or make the world a better place, ever again. Why should they? Salvation is over and done with. They're born again. About the only thing left for them to do is go out and recruit others to repeat the same mechanical prayer.
One of the most extreme proponents of this instant-salvation way of thinking was the evangelist Billy Sunday. In the early years of this century, he was quoted as saying, "The best thing that could happen to a man would be to get saved at a revival meeting, and then walk out and get run over by a truck."
Many would find that remark simply appalling, and with good reason. It just doesn't square with what Jesus says to Nicodemus, as he asks him, "Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?"
Remember Jesus' reply to that question: "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."
"Spirit," in the Greek language, is the word pneuma. Literally, it means "wind" or "breath." It's where our word "pneumatic" comes from. A pneumatic device is one that uses compressed air to do its work.
In the Hebrew language, it's much the same way. The Hebrew word ruach means both "wind" and "spirit." The ancients had long ago observed that when people stop breathing they die. For this reason, they literally associated the presence of breath in the body with the presence of the soul or spirit. That's the reason behind the ancient medical test of holding a mirror before the lips of a dying person: if nothing fogs the mirror, the ancients believed, then the person's spirit has already departed.
No one -- as Jesus points out to Nicodemus -- can control the wind: "You do not know where it comes from or where it goes." To the ancient Jewish mind, the wind is the essence of unpredictability. And so, when Jesus likens the Spirit of God to the wind, he's saying, "Nicodemus, you're so wrong! You think you can confine God, like a genie in a bottle. You imagine God is at your beck and call. You think you can utter some formula, and be saved. But God is not like that. God is like a sirocco wind, swirling across the desert. The Spirit of God is utterly powerful, utterly unpredictable, utterly free. All you can do is spread your arms wide, and turn your face to it, when it comes. Allow it to buffet your body. Let it caress your cheek. Let it propel you where it will."
May it also be so for us, as well: that, as we stride along the road, arms pumping, lungs rhythmically filling with air, we may feel the touch of the breeze as our companion -- that powerful, unpredictable, essential wind of the Spirit!
Prayer For The Day
Teach us, O Lord, to trust.
Teach us to trust you,
as the footbridge that will bear our weight,
as the lover who is always there,
as the caring listener who will receive all our secrets.
Teach us to trust you, O Lord,
with our very lives:
for we do offer them to you today. Amen.
To Illustrate
There is an old story about a pastor and an evangelist who are out walking in the woods one day. They come upon a huge grizzly bear who starts to chase them. Faster and faster they run, with the bear close on their heels. Suddenly, they come to a cabin. If only they can reach it ahead of the bear, they'll be saved!
Just as they reach the cabin, the evangelist steps aside and holds the door, while the pastor and the grizzly rush inside. Then, the slams the door.
"Hey!" calls the pastor, from inside. "What did you do that for? You trapped me in here with the bear!"
"My job is to get them in," said the evangelist. "What happens after that is your business!"
***
In the Genesis creation story, God breathes "the breath of life" into a clay figurine, making it a living human being. In that stirring passage from Ezekiel 37, the prophet looks out over the valley of dry bones, and prophesies to them, saying, "Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." And in truth, they do live: in the prophet's vision, the long-slain army of Israel is on its feet again, "a vast multitude."
At the center of all these powerful visions -- Genesis 2, Ezekiel 37, John 3 -- and many more, throughout scripture, there is this sensory experience of the wind. To the Jews of old, desert-dwellers that they are, the wind is a constant reality of everyday life. The wind can cool our face on a hot day, or it can chill us to the bone under the desert stars at night. A change in the wind means a change in the weather: perhaps a desperately needed rain shower on the way -- or, more ominously, the dreaded and deadly sandstorm.
The wind is powerful. God is powerful.
***
Listen, there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus I am... a feather on the breath of God.
-- Hildegarde of Bingen
***
Meteorologists use something called the Beaufort Scale to measure wind. It was named for a British Admiral who first developed the scale about 1838. Beaufort knew sailing ships; he had served on many and had commanded a frigate.
The British Navy, like most navies of that era, typically lost more ships to storms than to battle. For that reason, Beaufort developed a way to measure the wind. He was not interested in measuring speed. He wanted to measure force: the ability of the wind to move the ship. His scale included the important detail of when to add sail or when to reduce sail. (For example, in gale force winds, the survival of the ship is far more important than speed, so reducing sail is necessary. In gentle breezes, the Beaufort scale calls for large amounts of canvas, to move the ship as far and as fast as possible.)
Jesus is telling Nicodemus he needs to set his sails in order to catch that powerful wind.
Nicodemus learns that salvation comes not from any act of obedience on his part, but only from God.
Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 12:1-4a
God Calls Abram
"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go...' " (v. 1a). Those matter-of-fact words describe the defining moment for three great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We have heard of Abram for the first time as a name in a genealogy (11:27, 29) and as a son who obediently followed his father, Terah, on an unfinished journey to Canaan (3:31-32). No explanation is given as to why Terah set out for Canaan in the first place, nor why he allowed himself to become sidetracked in Haran. There is no mention of a divine call extended to Terah. From this moment onward, Abram's decision to heed the voice of God will influence everything that comes after him in the story of salvation-history. The scriptures offer no hint as to what the spiritual experience of calling was like for Abram: whether it happened in a single, dramatic moment, or whether it was the product of a lifelong process of discernment. The Genesis account boils this episode down to its theological essence: God's call and the human response. Abram leaves the familiar ("your country and your kindred and your father's house") in search of the unknown ("the land that I will show you"). Abram goes, but he does not travel alone: The Lord will be his guide. Verses 2 and 3 contain a short form of the Abrahamic covenant: the Lord will make of Abram's people "a great nation," the Lord will "bless him," and Abram will "be a blessing" to the world (v. 2). So closely associated will Abram be with the Lord, henceforth, that anyone who blesses him, the Lord will bless; and anyone who curses him, the Lord will curse (v. 3). A longer form of the Abrahamic covenant is found in Genesis 15:5 and is reiterated both in 22:17-18 (after Abraham's aborted sacrifice of Isaac) and in the Lord's covenant with Isaac (26:4-5). God is the principal actor here; Abram simply obeys.
New Testament Lesson
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
The Faith Of Abraham
Today's passage moves a chapter earlier into Romans than last week's, in order to make a thematic connection with today's first lesson, the call of Abram. Paul has just been speaking of justification by faith; however, he has also taken pains to emphasize that this does not "overthrow" the law (3:28-31). For an example, he turns to the story of Abraham -- who, of course, lived before the law of Moses was given. Quoting Genesis 15:6, Paul points out that "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:3). The lectionary then omits a range of verses that point out how God considered Abraham righteous before he had been circumcised, before moving on to verses 13-17, which get to the heart of the matter. It was through "the righteousness of faith" that Abraham received God's blessing and not through any observance of the law (v. 13). For us, "it all depends on faith" (v. 16). This goes hand in hand with Paul's overarching theme of a gospel that is inclusive of all people, even the Gentiles. For if faith -- rather than specific practices prescribed in the law, such as sacrifice and circumcision -- is the main thing, then there is a point of entry into Christianity for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
The Gospel
John 3:1-17
Jesus And Nicodemus
This passage also occurs on Trinity Sunday of Cycle B. A smaller section, verses 14-21, also occurs on the Fourth Sunday in Lent of Cycle B. The story of the encounter between Jesus and the learned Pharisee, Nicodemus, affords John an opportunity to teach about the nature of faith. This passage has become famous in our day as the "born again" passage -- although the translation of the Greek anothen in verse 7 is uncertain: it can be rendered either as "You must be born again" or "you must be born from above." While Nicodemus understands Jesus to mean "born again," it is by no means clear what Jesus intends (Nicodemus, in fact, is something of a dunce throughout this conversation: John uses him -- with his frequent errors -- as a straw man to elucidate Jesus' teachings). In verses 11 and 12, it becomes clear that, for John, Nicodemus represents more than simply his own opinions -- for the second-person pronouns in Jesus' reply suddenly shift to the plural. "You do not receive our testimony" evidently refers to a whole community, possibly the Jews who do not accept Jesus as messiah. The allusion to Moses lifting up the serpent in verse 14 refers to the obscure incident of Moses warding off serpents by displaying the image of a serpent on a pole (Numbers 21:9). Verse 16 is, of course, one of the most famous verses in all the New Testament; it has been called "the gospel in miniature." The abrupt end of the lection at verse 17 probably has as much to do with length as anything else -- although it omits Jesus' final saying, "those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God," which may be a criticism of Nicodemus, who has come to Jesus by night, in secret (v. 1).
Alternate Gospel Lesson
Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration
This reading is provided as an alternative, for those traditions celebrating the Transfiguration on this day. (See the Day of Transfiguration, following the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.)
Preaching Possibilities
In John 3:1-17, one of the most famous passages of the New Testament, Jesus is in conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus. In the midst of their discourse, Jesus says, "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus takes the bait. He asks, "How can anyone be born after growing old?" In asking this question, Nicodemus reveals how deeply he misunderstands Jesus' words. He's not the only one who finds them hard to comprehend. The translators have been arguing over this passage for years.
A great many Christians first learned this passage as "You must be born again." The New Revised Standard Version translation, however, renders it, "You must be born from above." The Greek word John uses can actually be translated either way; it's not an easy translation decision. The modern English translations are about evenly divided between "born again" and "born from above."
Literally, the Greek does mean, "born from above." Yet, it also happens that the expression, "from above," in the Greek language, can mean "again," or "a second time." It's kind of like our English expression, "from the top." If a conductor says to a group of musicians, "Let's take it from the top," she means, "Let's do it over again."
So, what does Jesus really mean? "You must be born again..." or "You must be born from above..."?
Whichever side of the debate you come down on, one thing's clear: Nicodemus misses the boat. He comes back at Jesus, asking, "How can anyone be born after having grown old?" It's clear that Nicodemus thinks Jesus is saying, "You must be born again."
Jesus counters, saying that's not what he means at all: "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."
Truly, we can choose "born again" or "born from above": either option can be justified based on the original Greek. The one thing no one can choose to do, based on this passage, is to side with Nicodemus. Old Nicodemus thinks being born again (or born from above) is something he can do. That's why he comes back with his question, "Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb...?" Of course, being born is one experience in life that you and I have absolutely nothing to say about. It happens through powers completely beyond our control.
Jesus stops the Pharisee cold, saying, in effect: "Nicodemus, you just don't get it. Much as you Pharisees love to fill your lives with religious rules and regulations, much as you desire to be perfectly obedient to the law -- thereby controlling your own salvation -- you can't do it. It's impossible. Salvation comes only from God: not from anything on earth, but only from above."
A great many people, today, are preoccupied with how to be "born again." They're not much better than the Pharisees. In place of regulations concerning how to properly clean a cup or how to ritually render a blood-sacrifice, they substitute a new legalism: a little procedure they call a "decision for Christ."
Of course, there's nothing wrong with making a decision for Christ: anything but! It's the goal of all our evangelistic work in the church. The problem arises with those who would transform the miracle of salvation into a petty, legalistic ritual -- and, who would so far remove the agency of the Holy Spirit from it that it becomes entirely a matter of human decision.
There are some who boil the gospel down so small, they can literally fit it on a wallet card! They'll stick that card under the nose of anyone who'll give them the time of day and insist that all they've got to do is fall down on their knees and repeat the words on the card, and they'll be saved. One, two, three, four simple sentences, and... bang! You're done. For life. Now that you've given your life to Christ, you need never exert yourself spiritually again.
Some don't, of course. Having watched the TV evangelist through tearful eyes, and having uttered the sinner's prayer, they never darken the church door. Nor do they lift a finger to help the needy, or support mission, or make the world a better place, ever again. Why should they? Salvation is over and done with. They're born again. About the only thing left for them to do is go out and recruit others to repeat the same mechanical prayer.
One of the most extreme proponents of this instant-salvation way of thinking was the evangelist Billy Sunday. In the early years of this century, he was quoted as saying, "The best thing that could happen to a man would be to get saved at a revival meeting, and then walk out and get run over by a truck."
Many would find that remark simply appalling, and with good reason. It just doesn't square with what Jesus says to Nicodemus, as he asks him, "Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?"
Remember Jesus' reply to that question: "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."
"Spirit," in the Greek language, is the word pneuma. Literally, it means "wind" or "breath." It's where our word "pneumatic" comes from. A pneumatic device is one that uses compressed air to do its work.
In the Hebrew language, it's much the same way. The Hebrew word ruach means both "wind" and "spirit." The ancients had long ago observed that when people stop breathing they die. For this reason, they literally associated the presence of breath in the body with the presence of the soul or spirit. That's the reason behind the ancient medical test of holding a mirror before the lips of a dying person: if nothing fogs the mirror, the ancients believed, then the person's spirit has already departed.
No one -- as Jesus points out to Nicodemus -- can control the wind: "You do not know where it comes from or where it goes." To the ancient Jewish mind, the wind is the essence of unpredictability. And so, when Jesus likens the Spirit of God to the wind, he's saying, "Nicodemus, you're so wrong! You think you can confine God, like a genie in a bottle. You imagine God is at your beck and call. You think you can utter some formula, and be saved. But God is not like that. God is like a sirocco wind, swirling across the desert. The Spirit of God is utterly powerful, utterly unpredictable, utterly free. All you can do is spread your arms wide, and turn your face to it, when it comes. Allow it to buffet your body. Let it caress your cheek. Let it propel you where it will."
May it also be so for us, as well: that, as we stride along the road, arms pumping, lungs rhythmically filling with air, we may feel the touch of the breeze as our companion -- that powerful, unpredictable, essential wind of the Spirit!
Prayer For The Day
Teach us, O Lord, to trust.
Teach us to trust you,
as the footbridge that will bear our weight,
as the lover who is always there,
as the caring listener who will receive all our secrets.
Teach us to trust you, O Lord,
with our very lives:
for we do offer them to you today. Amen.
To Illustrate
There is an old story about a pastor and an evangelist who are out walking in the woods one day. They come upon a huge grizzly bear who starts to chase them. Faster and faster they run, with the bear close on their heels. Suddenly, they come to a cabin. If only they can reach it ahead of the bear, they'll be saved!
Just as they reach the cabin, the evangelist steps aside and holds the door, while the pastor and the grizzly rush inside. Then, the slams the door.
"Hey!" calls the pastor, from inside. "What did you do that for? You trapped me in here with the bear!"
"My job is to get them in," said the evangelist. "What happens after that is your business!"
***
In the Genesis creation story, God breathes "the breath of life" into a clay figurine, making it a living human being. In that stirring passage from Ezekiel 37, the prophet looks out over the valley of dry bones, and prophesies to them, saying, "Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." And in truth, they do live: in the prophet's vision, the long-slain army of Israel is on its feet again, "a vast multitude."
At the center of all these powerful visions -- Genesis 2, Ezekiel 37, John 3 -- and many more, throughout scripture, there is this sensory experience of the wind. To the Jews of old, desert-dwellers that they are, the wind is a constant reality of everyday life. The wind can cool our face on a hot day, or it can chill us to the bone under the desert stars at night. A change in the wind means a change in the weather: perhaps a desperately needed rain shower on the way -- or, more ominously, the dreaded and deadly sandstorm.
The wind is powerful. God is powerful.
***
Listen, there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus I am... a feather on the breath of God.
-- Hildegarde of Bingen
***
Meteorologists use something called the Beaufort Scale to measure wind. It was named for a British Admiral who first developed the scale about 1838. Beaufort knew sailing ships; he had served on many and had commanded a frigate.
The British Navy, like most navies of that era, typically lost more ships to storms than to battle. For that reason, Beaufort developed a way to measure the wind. He was not interested in measuring speed. He wanted to measure force: the ability of the wind to move the ship. His scale included the important detail of when to add sail or when to reduce sail. (For example, in gale force winds, the survival of the ship is far more important than speed, so reducing sail is necessary. In gentle breezes, the Beaufort scale calls for large amounts of canvas, to move the ship as far and as fast as possible.)
Jesus is telling Nicodemus he needs to set his sails in order to catch that powerful wind.
