JOHN CHAPTER 3.

JOHN CHAPTER 3.

THE LORD COUNSELS NICODIMUS.  3:1-15. Nicodemus, a great man in Israel, visits Jesus at night.  For he, like others, were impressed with the many miraculous signs that Jesus had done at Jerusalem.  Therefore he and his friends were confident that Jesus was a Divinly sent teacher.  For they rightly reasoned that no man could perform such miraculous signs except God was with him. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night as caution moved him to avoid publicity.  He may have justified his timidity with the desire that the problem that troubled his mind would be solved that night.

           

Jesus knew what was in man and he fully understood how every man could be best approached.  He knew that Nicodemus was proud of his Jewish birth and privileges and so he knew how to effectively confront him.  For Nicodemus belonged to a nation to whom many privileges had been given.  But the Lord knew that in spite of his ancestral privileges and personal accomplishments, except Nicodemus was born above he could not see the Kingdom of God. 

           

Nicodemus was spiritually blind.  He must learn that racial and religious privileges could not enable one to experience the Kingdom of God.  For to see the kingdom every man, Jew or Gentile, must have the birth from above.  The necessity of the birth from above sets aside every nationalistic and racial claim.  The Jews might claim to be Abrahams seed, (8:33,37,39), but that did not constitute them members of the Kingdom of God.  Every privilege of birth and carnal religion counted for nothing.  The necessity of spiritual birth cut away all their nationalistic hopes and the merit of being a Jew.  This would come as a shattering blow to Nicodemus.  Though he was a great man in Israel, he now learns he must be born above.  For the necessity of the heavenly birth puts both Jew and Gentile on the same level.

           

The word 'another' means, "from above", (see 3:31;19:11,23), and the Lord understood the word as meaning, "from above".  However, it also meant "anew, again" and Nicodemus must have understood it in this sense, since he spoke of entering a second time into his mother's womb to be born.

           

The Lord solemnly declares, "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again (from above), he cannot see the Kingdom of God."  The nation of Israel looked forward to a visible manifestation of the Kingdom.  However, Jesus affirms that unless a man is born from above he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

           

The Kingdom of God is usually understood as God's reign or rule, but Aalen suggests the idea of realm is prominent.  We suggest that realm is the chief idea in this chapter.  In this Gospel eternal life takes the place of the Kingdom of God as the central theme of our Lord's teaching.  And in this chapter we see the transition from the Kingdom of God to eternal life.

           

The Lord's demand took Nicodemus by surprise as verse 4 suggests.  He found difficulty to accept that he was in the same position as the Gentile and that he must become a new creation.  So he attempts to show that a second birth is impossible and he raises the question "How?" to show how it is absurd and ridiculous.  How absurd that anyone should imagine an old man entering again his mother's womb to be born.  Nicodemus obviously thought of the spiritual birth in the same manner as he thought of the natural birth, but Jesus explains that the birth from above is something altogether different.  In verses 3 and 5 Jesus makes His solemn declaration by means of a repetition of an assertive particle, "Amen" in a manner that expresses His authority.  The N.I.V. translates the phrase, "I tell you the truth."  In verse 5 Jesus answers the objection of Nicodemus.

           

The phrase "of water" has puzzled many exegetes.  What did Jesus mean?  Many commentators think baptism is meant, but there are objections to this interpretation:

1/   The heavenly birth is not affected by human agency as 1:13 suggests.

2/   It is a birth from heaven, that is, from God.

3/   The parable of the blowing wind suggests both sovereignty and activity of the Spirit and excludes human arrangement.

4/   The Lord places the emphasis on faith in the Son as the principle of receiving eternal              life.

           

Therefore, we prefer the translation: "born of water, even Spirit."  However, water has a wide range of symbolism in John's Gospel and under the symbolism of water various truths are telescoped into one another, but any reference to baptism here is only secondary.  The flesh gives birth to flesh.  No man can through national or racial descent inherit the Kingdom of God.  Flesh is flesh, and nothing more.  Its nature cannot be changed.  Neither past greatness, nor present excellence, nor future greatness enables one to inherit the Kingdom.

           

In verse 8 the parable of the wind suggests the mysterious and sovereign activity of the Spirit.  In this verse the Greek word `pneuma' may be translated by either wind or spirit.  This is the vital point of the illustration.  The activity of the Spirit is sovereign and unsearchable, and His activity ignores every human claim.  No man then can understand the nature of the birth by the Spirit.

           

Nicodemus becomes more serious minded and asks, "How can this be?"  However, he is still perplexed as to how the new birth could occur or what Jesus meant.  Jesus gently rebukes him, "You are a teacher of Israel and do you not understand these things?"  As a teacher of Israel he should had understood such passages in the O. T. as Ezek.36:25,26.  The Lord spoke of what He knew and had seen. There was no uncertainty as to His teaching for He spoke from personal experience.  However, Nicodemus and his associates did not receive the testimony of the Lord, nor the Christian message.  Their refusal to believe was the stronghold of their ignorance.

           

In verse 12 "the earthly things" must mean the illustrations that Jesus had given concerning the new birth.  He used illustrations to enable Nicodemus to understand the need and meaning of the birth from above.  But concerning the heavenly things, D.J.Ellis points out that no earthly analogy will help us to understand them.  For they concern the Son's relationship to the Father.

           

Jesus claims a unique qualification to speak of heavenly things for He alone has gone into heaven and He came down from heaven.  He was always in perfect communion with Heaven.  However, the N.I.V. omits the words, "which is in heaven."  If we retain them as probably we should, their meaning is well expressed by Ellis in H-B-E.   That His permanent dwelling place was in heaven, He only dwelt among us.  See also margin of N.E.B.

           

In chapter 3:14,15 the Lord gives a Biblical illustration how it is possible for a man to be born from above and in this illustration He shows the importance of faith.  For the gift of eternal life is received by faith in Christ and this eternal life is the sequence of the birth from above.  It is important to observe that the birth from above is to be identified with the reception of eternal life.  And that it is only by faith that it is possible to give the Saviour and His Cross their proper place.  And that faith in the Son enables the heavenly birth to be the possible experience of all men.

           

It was the Divine purpose that the Son should be lifted up on the Cross.  Moses had lifted up the snake (N.I.V.) for a sign, and here the Septuagint uses the very word (semeion) that John uses to describe the miracles of Jesus.  For the snake in Numbers 21 was put up as a signso that anyone who was bitten by a serpent, had only to look upon the uplifted snake and he lived.

           

The word "lifted-up" in Jn.3:14 has interesting associations.  It was used by Jesus of His being lifted up on the Cross.  (See 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34).  However, in John's Gospel the lifting up of Jesus on the Cross is not to be separated from His exaltation to heaven.  The Cross is the way to the Glory.  The purpose of His Cross and Exaltation is that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.  This includes both the believing Jew and believing Gentile who put their trust in Him.  He was nailed to the Cross that we may live through Him.  The foreshadowings of the O.T. are fulfilled to both Jews and Gentiles who believe.

           

GOD'S LOVE AND MAN'S RESPONSE.  3:16-26.  The Lord in declaring the love of God to all men brushed aside the claims of Israel.  God revealed His love to the world in that He gave His One and Only Son.  There never was a revelation to compare with this.  He manifests His love in what He has done.  That God gave His Son implies the Cross, and the Cross is proof that His love is not confined to Israel.

           

The phrase, "everlasting life" means "eternal life".  This involves more than endless duration, but it also means a quality of life as many have pointed out.  It is unity and fellowship and ultimate glory with the Lord Jesus Christ.

           

The Jews looked upon Gentiles as travelling on the way to destruction.  However, Jesus declared that God desires that all men should be saved.  And that this may be a possibility to all, He sent His Son into the world.  The Son was not sent to condemn the world, but that God may save the world through Him.

           

The importance of faith is revealed in verse 18.  The message of the love of God is received by faith.  But that God loves all men increases greatly the responsibility of all.  We receive the light through faith or accept the darkness through unbelief.  Whoever is confronted with the claims of the Son stands condemned at this present time.  Observe that in verses 15, 16 and 18 "believes" is Present Participle, and means "believers" or "those who continue to believe." 

           

In chapter 3:19 and 20 Jesus continues to speak of the verdict by which men are condemned.  The Light came into the world and His coming brought the verdict of condemnation to all who refused to believe.  It left all without excuse for His Advent exposed the true character of their works.  Because of this, men shrank from the Light and chose darkness.  They hated the Light, and chose the darkness.  This was their choice.  For no man can come to the Light and continue to do evil.  For the Light reproves his conscience. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the Light.  He does nothing that causes shame and desires that his works be manifested in their true character.  He who lives by the truth is confident that the Light will reveal the true character of his works and that what he has done has been through God, performed in co-operation with Him.

           

JOHN GIVES FINAL TESTIMONY TO THE GREATNESS OF THE SON.

           

3:22-36.  Jesus and His disciples went out into the Judean country side when He spent some time with them and baptized those who became His disciples.  John is the only Evangelist of the four who inform us that Jesus baptized.  But at the same time John the Baptist was baptising in Aenon, near Salim as there was plenty of water.  That John should continue along with Jesus to baptize is not to be regarded as a contradiction to the Synoptic Gospels.  For as T.K.Barrett suggests, that John the evangelist may have intended to indicate the events recounted in his three chapters, are to be thought of as having taken place before the point of time at which Mark begins his account of the ministry of Jesus and His public appearance in Galilee. (see Barrett page 184).

           

In verse 25 we read of an argument that developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial cleansing.  The disciples of John came to their master and spoke of the successful ministry of Jesus, and that everyone came to Him to be baptized.  But John shows no resentment nor jealousy that Jesus had come to the forefront.  He expected this should happen.  However, some of John's disciples still clung to him and are hurt because of the success of Jesus.

           

John sought not his own personal glory or success.  He saw no reason why he should do so, for a man can receive only what is given him from heaven.  For God is Sovereign, and distributes to every man as He wills.  And he who appreciates that the distribution of all things is in the hands of God, will not envy another's success.  John is the forerunner and not the Christ.  In 3:29 John clinches his lesson on humility and the joy he finds in Another's success.  His illustration expresses the joy of the `best man' on hearing the voice of the bridegroom.  John is confident that Jesus will continually increase in glory.  For just as the Morning Star fades before the Rising Sun, so John's role must fade, but Jesus' must go on from victory to victory.

           

THE CERTAINTY OF JESUS' TESTIMONY.  3:31-36.  The revelation that Jesus brings supersedes all others, for He comes from above and is above all others.  John speaks only as one from the earth.  But Jesus is from above and above all, and the revelation He brings consummates and supersedes all that has gone before, and that no one accepts His testimony in turn, cannot destroy its authenticity.  However, the individual who accepts it has certified that God is truthful.  The Son speaks the words of God.  Because of this, faith in Christ and His words is faith in God.  There is such unity between the Father and the Son that the believer can stake his security on the fact that Christ speaks the words of God.  The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands.  The believer rest secure in the revelation the Son brings because God gives to Him the Spirit without limit.  Whosoever puts his trust in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects His authority and the revelation He brings, the wrath of God remains upon such.