Post by M.R. Hagerty on Feb 27, 2023 11:48:27 GMT -7
John 2:23-25,
23 . . during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
John 3:1-16
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, `You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:1-16)
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
23 . . during the feast, many believed in His name, . .
Jesus later denigrates those who seek for a sign, yet we see him here accommodating people, that their belief is thereby helped. In these cases, He is using his abilities to heal and help his brethren. In the other case, they are seeking a sign as a first principle for accepting Him. But here, it is more likely that the people already believed in Him and were seeking healing, pure and simple.
24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
An odd verse indeed. This is speaking of the people who are believing in Him on account of the things they received and witnessed. But entrusting Himself to them means to become subject to them, as in joining them, becoming one of their group of friends, joining in with their activities and life. But people who are easily convinced by signs and wonders are often susceptible to unpleasant behavior.
There are certain kinds of people who when they rub elbows with celebrities often lose their sense of decorum and try to exploit their newfound privilege or do silly or even brazen things. Jesus desired to avoid all that. He did not entrust Himself to them ”because He knew what was in man.” Yet no one could say He was stuffy or aloof. He came to serve, but He did not belong to anyone but the Father.
John 3:1
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night
The Pharisees were one of two religious parties in the Judaism of Jesus’ day. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious conservatives and liberals, respectively.
‘Pharisee’ comes possibly from ’perusim’ – “separate ones,” or from ’parosim’ – “specifiers.” The Sadducees are believed to have been named after a priest named Zadok, but it is unclear whether this was the Zadok of David’s day or later. These parties seem to have arisen after the Maccabaean revolt (167-142 B.C.).
The Pharisees came from the middle class, hence their more conservative beliefs. They held to a more stringent, strict adherence to the Law of Moses and burdened the people with rather tight practical ordinances such as how much weight one could carry on the Sabbath without it being considered work, what distances constituted a legal Sabbath-day’s journey. We see them questioning Jesus as his disciples are gleaning grain for food on the Sabbath.
The Sadducees were predominantly from the aristocracy or the noble families, hence their more liberal views. They did not believe in doctrines like the Resurrection which becomes an issue Paul takes advantage of later in the NT. These parties traded dominance back and forth over many decades, depending on the times and the ability of its members to hold influence.
”named Nicodemus”
To become a Pharisee required study and then recognition by the existing body in order to be added to its membership. This also would qualify Nicodemus as a “teacher of Israel” because much of the qualification was based on knowing the OT.
That he was seeking Jesus out might have meant that he had been delegated by the Pharisees to gain a better understanding of who this man was, but this is forestalled by the statement ”this man came to Jesus by night” which would indicate he wished to avoid notice and came for personal reasons. Certainly the dialog turns into a very personal discussion.
Nicodemus comes as an example of many people seeking the Kingdom. We will see a bit later a man coming to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. There were those believers who desired the right things and came to think in themselves that despite all the precepts of the Law, there has to be something more. In this way, Nicodemus is not much different than the Gentile who looks about his world and even evaluates the religion of his people, but says there has to be more to the God who is out there. And so Nicodemus comes with this in mind, to interview the man whose notoriety as one blessed of God with unique insight is seen as a source of answering this question, "Is there more?"
John 3:2-5
2 and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3Giving compliments at the beginning of a meeting of this kind is Eastern etiquette. But this would also be a good sign that this is not an adversarial encounter. To say ”you have come from God” is qualified with “as a teacher,” so this would not be an admission by Nicodemus that Jesus was Son of God, but that he was gifted. Ordinarily, there would be a denigration of looking to signs, but in this case Nicodemus is mentioning them as a mark that Jesus is blessed of God. This, Jesus does not upbraid.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Again, we see a case of Jesus cutting to the heart of the matter in another man’s business. There is no waiting to see what Nicodemus is here to ask, but He begins immediately to address a subject Nicodemus actually needs to hear. This is not about an intellectual curiosity or inquiry, it is about Nicodemus and the truth about his own faith.
Here the objective is ”seeing the Kingdom of God.” This was a desire of every faithful Jew, so Nicodemus will be keen on this statement. But the key is in something to which Nicodemus cannot relate at all – being born again.
As we see, he could not relate to this from his training as a Pharisee and teacher. There simply was no such concept in the OT. There was much familiarity with the operation of God’s Spirit upon men, but this was never couched in terms of being born. All that Nicodemus could comprehend in this was that he must repeat the event of his own birth, and thusly he replies:
4 "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
It is not a case of inferring that his first birth was defective and he must go back to the beginning again, but that he understood Jesus correctly to mean that the birth must be done a second time – an additional birth. But Jesus was fully aware that he would misunderstand and was ready to explain.
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
We traditionally explain that water means natural birth and the second birth is spiritual. But it has always bothered some folks that natural birth is described as from water, especially when saying “born of woman” would be much more direct. But from God’s point of view, natural birth was fully designed to involve the watery incubation of the womb, which for nine months has as its most prominent feature, water. It is even the breaking of that water which signifies that birth is imminent. It is this birth that is distinguished from the second birth, which Jesus later explains is spiritual.
Also, Pentecostals and charismatic believers have tried to make this a case for distinguishing the two baptisms – believer’s baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the clarification Jesus gives rules this interpretation improper. But also, if we rely on the NT as a guide to these events, we see more often than not that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs simultaneously with believer’s baptism (Acts 10:44-48.)
Jesus goes on to explain what He means . .
John 3:6-12
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. . . . "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Here Jesus clearly states that the birth by water is the birth to fleshly existence – the birth as a human being. But He here discloses to Nicodemus that there is another birth possible – one that is ”of the Spirit.” This is entirely new. He is introducing two unique classes of things – the way of the flesh, the mind, and intelligence, and the way of the Spirit. This is an important point in understanding what He explains next. Like the wind, with respect to the Spirit, one can see its effects but not know much about its origins or operation. In other aspects of life, man can figure out why things are happening and even harness certain powers and forces to his advantage.
But the spiritual realm is not understood in the same manner or with the same faculties. If you try to use those pertaining to the flesh you will be confounded and perplexed. This happens to be the scene played out in many churches today when the Spirit begins to move among its members. Those who are used to explaining everything in rational terms are at a complete loss to explain what is happening, and often reject it because it is calling on a capacity they do not see in themselves, and this can be intimidating.
9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
That Nicodemus asks this question, means that he is trying to do the above – trying to understand the way of the Spirit using rational approaches to understanding. Jesus questions him that in all his training as a teacher, he has somehow failed to understand the difference between these two great principles, between these two great worlds? He is leading ever more powerfully to the conclusion that the Spirit must be understood spiritually.
11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
This is not easily understood because we must ask when Jesus spoke of earthly things? We don’t see him teaching people the better techniques of planting and harvesting, how to build an irrigation system for one’s field, or a better roof for one’s house. He hasn’t taught on the principles of creative and dynamic investing, social organization, or the secrets of herbs and medicines for better health. So when did Jesus speak of earthly things? Wasn’t everything Jesus taught spiritual in nature?
The key is His statement that He and his disciples have taught what they ”know and have seen.” This would mean that what had been taught about earthly things and earthly relationships also falls within the things Jesus had come to teach His disciples. By the earthly things is meant the more practical aspects of their spiritual teaching in general, spiritual truths on a horizontal plane.
We do see Jesus teaching men about one’s relationship to his neighbor (the good Samaritan), what happens if a man steals your coat, should the Jews pay taxes to the Romans, does one have a responsibility to give if one is poor (the widow’s mite)? With respect to investing, He did teach that one should do so to realize gain, not merely to safeguarding the principle.
There must have been some degree of disinterest or disagreement about these practical matters among the people, including those whom Nicodemus represented, because Jesus tells him that if He has spoken of these things (which can be valued by using human reason) and they do not believe, how can Nicodemus believe the more spiritual things, the truly heavenly things?
John 3:13-16
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.”
We are prompted to ask how this statement fits with the foregoing? But Jesus is clarifying that man, in and of himself, is not capable of ascending into Heaven for inquiry and learning. Only the One who has come down to visit man is capable of that. So it is in Nicodemus’ best interest to seek all understanding from that One while He is present.
It’s a nice way of saying, “Pay attention, Nicodemus, I come from God and I’m telling you the secret to the abundant life.”
14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
Again, this seems to be a disconnected utterance, but it fits well with what Jesus is telling Nicodemus about the very source of the information he’s receiving. And the subject at hand is being born in the Spirit, being able to see the Kingdom of God. This is the subject of salvation, about which the Jew had considerable expectation.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that not only is He the key to the information he is getting at the moment, but Jesus is the very key that makes that information possible. The preamble to this point is the incident of Moses in the wilderness (Num 21:9). Moses raised the brazen serpent as a sign toward which the faithful
should look and be healed of the judgment of the serpents. The lifting up of Jesus is in reference to the Cross, not only as a means for salvation and eternal life, but as a sign toward which the faithful will look, the very symbol of salvation. To Nicodemus, this meant that the Man he was talking to was the very key to his own salvation and that of the entire world.
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Here is the first representation of the “remedy” aspect of the Gospel. It speaks of a ransom. This was something understood by the Jew. It was done perennially in the Temple sacrifices – some other living thing was sacrificed to ransom man from the penalty of his own sins.
But the idea that God would give His Son as that ransom, as that sacrifice, was not as clear. Messiah had by this time become the political remedy and conquering hero for the Jews. The idea that He would suffer and actually become the object of wrath in appeasing a God angry with sin had been moved into the background. But notice here that Jesus prefaces this concept with a picture of the love of God. It is His love for the world that constrains Him to make this arrangement with His own Son.
”only begotten”
We are to here remember the case of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was not the only begotten, but he was the only real expectation of Abraham in the promise with Sarah. When Isaac was born, the technical primacy of Ishmael (what man had wrought) could not invade the joy of fulfillment in what God had promised. Yet, it was this son of the promise whom Abraham was now being asked to sacrifice.
When Abraham lifted the knife, God then spoke and his hand was stayed – ”I see your faith, in not withholding your son.” In contrast, who spoke when Christ was placed on the Cross? Who said, “I see your faith, come down, all is well?” With God’s own Son, it had to be played out as planned, the death had to come, the payment made. How much richer then is God’s giving up of His Son?
”. . that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
This is not as exclusively phrased as will be later formulated (“he who does not have the son, hath not the life.” – I John 5:12), but it sets the condition which other world religions regard as arrogance in the extreme. It is a claim that there is only one Way, and all others are false.
In our modern world, and even in the ancient one, there was and is a magnanimity that grants legitimacy to various religions, and that all are seeking the same object in their own unique way. So the claim of exclusivity is very unpopular and not in the spirit of diversity and acceptance. This kind of thing also follows from democratic ideas which are more about what is fair than about absolute right and wrong.
Nevertheless, this remains the eternal truth of the Gospel – that the God of the Bible is the only God Who is there, that Christ has come and eternal life is in Him alone.
As to ‘perishing,’ the proper presentation of the Gospel must have the presupposition that all men are perishing. More and more people are less and less convinced of this in modern times. It is a point that must be re-won when witnessing to the lost.
One of the great difficulties is in getting an individual to acknowledge that their personal behavior and actions have placed them in the category of the perishing, that Someone is that angry with them to mete out such a destiny. But the truth of this point is rooted in absolute truths, which the modern world is quickly learning to abandon as a category of things.
But beyond personal sin, one must embrace universal sin, because there will always be the belief that one’s personal life is surely an exception to the hideous deeds of more reprobate persons. “We’re certainly no Hitler, and we abhor gross and outrageous behavior, so God will take this into account when judging us.” So, this message must include the concept that all are guilty in Adam’s sin and as such, without remedy. All are perishing. And the important point is that there is a Remedy. The purpose of witnessing is to give people a reason to reach for it.
23 . . during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
John 3:1-16
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, `You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:1-16)
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
23 . . during the feast, many believed in His name, . .
Jesus later denigrates those who seek for a sign, yet we see him here accommodating people, that their belief is thereby helped. In these cases, He is using his abilities to heal and help his brethren. In the other case, they are seeking a sign as a first principle for accepting Him. But here, it is more likely that the people already believed in Him and were seeking healing, pure and simple.
24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
An odd verse indeed. This is speaking of the people who are believing in Him on account of the things they received and witnessed. But entrusting Himself to them means to become subject to them, as in joining them, becoming one of their group of friends, joining in with their activities and life. But people who are easily convinced by signs and wonders are often susceptible to unpleasant behavior.
There are certain kinds of people who when they rub elbows with celebrities often lose their sense of decorum and try to exploit their newfound privilege or do silly or even brazen things. Jesus desired to avoid all that. He did not entrust Himself to them ”because He knew what was in man.” Yet no one could say He was stuffy or aloof. He came to serve, but He did not belong to anyone but the Father.
John 3:1
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night
The Pharisees were one of two religious parties in the Judaism of Jesus’ day. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious conservatives and liberals, respectively.
‘Pharisee’ comes possibly from ’perusim’ – “separate ones,” or from ’parosim’ – “specifiers.” The Sadducees are believed to have been named after a priest named Zadok, but it is unclear whether this was the Zadok of David’s day or later. These parties seem to have arisen after the Maccabaean revolt (167-142 B.C.).
The Pharisees came from the middle class, hence their more conservative beliefs. They held to a more stringent, strict adherence to the Law of Moses and burdened the people with rather tight practical ordinances such as how much weight one could carry on the Sabbath without it being considered work, what distances constituted a legal Sabbath-day’s journey. We see them questioning Jesus as his disciples are gleaning grain for food on the Sabbath.
The Sadducees were predominantly from the aristocracy or the noble families, hence their more liberal views. They did not believe in doctrines like the Resurrection which becomes an issue Paul takes advantage of later in the NT. These parties traded dominance back and forth over many decades, depending on the times and the ability of its members to hold influence.
”named Nicodemus”
To become a Pharisee required study and then recognition by the existing body in order to be added to its membership. This also would qualify Nicodemus as a “teacher of Israel” because much of the qualification was based on knowing the OT.
That he was seeking Jesus out might have meant that he had been delegated by the Pharisees to gain a better understanding of who this man was, but this is forestalled by the statement ”this man came to Jesus by night” which would indicate he wished to avoid notice and came for personal reasons. Certainly the dialog turns into a very personal discussion.
Nicodemus comes as an example of many people seeking the Kingdom. We will see a bit later a man coming to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. There were those believers who desired the right things and came to think in themselves that despite all the precepts of the Law, there has to be something more. In this way, Nicodemus is not much different than the Gentile who looks about his world and even evaluates the religion of his people, but says there has to be more to the God who is out there. And so Nicodemus comes with this in mind, to interview the man whose notoriety as one blessed of God with unique insight is seen as a source of answering this question, "Is there more?"
John 3:2-5
2 and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3Giving compliments at the beginning of a meeting of this kind is Eastern etiquette. But this would also be a good sign that this is not an adversarial encounter. To say ”you have come from God” is qualified with “as a teacher,” so this would not be an admission by Nicodemus that Jesus was Son of God, but that he was gifted. Ordinarily, there would be a denigration of looking to signs, but in this case Nicodemus is mentioning them as a mark that Jesus is blessed of God. This, Jesus does not upbraid.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Again, we see a case of Jesus cutting to the heart of the matter in another man’s business. There is no waiting to see what Nicodemus is here to ask, but He begins immediately to address a subject Nicodemus actually needs to hear. This is not about an intellectual curiosity or inquiry, it is about Nicodemus and the truth about his own faith.
Here the objective is ”seeing the Kingdom of God.” This was a desire of every faithful Jew, so Nicodemus will be keen on this statement. But the key is in something to which Nicodemus cannot relate at all – being born again.
As we see, he could not relate to this from his training as a Pharisee and teacher. There simply was no such concept in the OT. There was much familiarity with the operation of God’s Spirit upon men, but this was never couched in terms of being born. All that Nicodemus could comprehend in this was that he must repeat the event of his own birth, and thusly he replies:
4 "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
It is not a case of inferring that his first birth was defective and he must go back to the beginning again, but that he understood Jesus correctly to mean that the birth must be done a second time – an additional birth. But Jesus was fully aware that he would misunderstand and was ready to explain.
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
We traditionally explain that water means natural birth and the second birth is spiritual. But it has always bothered some folks that natural birth is described as from water, especially when saying “born of woman” would be much more direct. But from God’s point of view, natural birth was fully designed to involve the watery incubation of the womb, which for nine months has as its most prominent feature, water. It is even the breaking of that water which signifies that birth is imminent. It is this birth that is distinguished from the second birth, which Jesus later explains is spiritual.
Also, Pentecostals and charismatic believers have tried to make this a case for distinguishing the two baptisms – believer’s baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the clarification Jesus gives rules this interpretation improper. But also, if we rely on the NT as a guide to these events, we see more often than not that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs simultaneously with believer’s baptism (Acts 10:44-48.)
Jesus goes on to explain what He means . .
John 3:6-12
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. . . . "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Here Jesus clearly states that the birth by water is the birth to fleshly existence – the birth as a human being. But He here discloses to Nicodemus that there is another birth possible – one that is ”of the Spirit.” This is entirely new. He is introducing two unique classes of things – the way of the flesh, the mind, and intelligence, and the way of the Spirit. This is an important point in understanding what He explains next. Like the wind, with respect to the Spirit, one can see its effects but not know much about its origins or operation. In other aspects of life, man can figure out why things are happening and even harness certain powers and forces to his advantage.
But the spiritual realm is not understood in the same manner or with the same faculties. If you try to use those pertaining to the flesh you will be confounded and perplexed. This happens to be the scene played out in many churches today when the Spirit begins to move among its members. Those who are used to explaining everything in rational terms are at a complete loss to explain what is happening, and often reject it because it is calling on a capacity they do not see in themselves, and this can be intimidating.
9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
That Nicodemus asks this question, means that he is trying to do the above – trying to understand the way of the Spirit using rational approaches to understanding. Jesus questions him that in all his training as a teacher, he has somehow failed to understand the difference between these two great principles, between these two great worlds? He is leading ever more powerfully to the conclusion that the Spirit must be understood spiritually.
11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
This is not easily understood because we must ask when Jesus spoke of earthly things? We don’t see him teaching people the better techniques of planting and harvesting, how to build an irrigation system for one’s field, or a better roof for one’s house. He hasn’t taught on the principles of creative and dynamic investing, social organization, or the secrets of herbs and medicines for better health. So when did Jesus speak of earthly things? Wasn’t everything Jesus taught spiritual in nature?
The key is His statement that He and his disciples have taught what they ”know and have seen.” This would mean that what had been taught about earthly things and earthly relationships also falls within the things Jesus had come to teach His disciples. By the earthly things is meant the more practical aspects of their spiritual teaching in general, spiritual truths on a horizontal plane.
We do see Jesus teaching men about one’s relationship to his neighbor (the good Samaritan), what happens if a man steals your coat, should the Jews pay taxes to the Romans, does one have a responsibility to give if one is poor (the widow’s mite)? With respect to investing, He did teach that one should do so to realize gain, not merely to safeguarding the principle.
There must have been some degree of disinterest or disagreement about these practical matters among the people, including those whom Nicodemus represented, because Jesus tells him that if He has spoken of these things (which can be valued by using human reason) and they do not believe, how can Nicodemus believe the more spiritual things, the truly heavenly things?
John 3:13-16
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.”
We are prompted to ask how this statement fits with the foregoing? But Jesus is clarifying that man, in and of himself, is not capable of ascending into Heaven for inquiry and learning. Only the One who has come down to visit man is capable of that. So it is in Nicodemus’ best interest to seek all understanding from that One while He is present.
It’s a nice way of saying, “Pay attention, Nicodemus, I come from God and I’m telling you the secret to the abundant life.”
14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
Again, this seems to be a disconnected utterance, but it fits well with what Jesus is telling Nicodemus about the very source of the information he’s receiving. And the subject at hand is being born in the Spirit, being able to see the Kingdom of God. This is the subject of salvation, about which the Jew had considerable expectation.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that not only is He the key to the information he is getting at the moment, but Jesus is the very key that makes that information possible. The preamble to this point is the incident of Moses in the wilderness (Num 21:9). Moses raised the brazen serpent as a sign toward which the faithful
should look and be healed of the judgment of the serpents. The lifting up of Jesus is in reference to the Cross, not only as a means for salvation and eternal life, but as a sign toward which the faithful will look, the very symbol of salvation. To Nicodemus, this meant that the Man he was talking to was the very key to his own salvation and that of the entire world.
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Here is the first representation of the “remedy” aspect of the Gospel. It speaks of a ransom. This was something understood by the Jew. It was done perennially in the Temple sacrifices – some other living thing was sacrificed to ransom man from the penalty of his own sins.
But the idea that God would give His Son as that ransom, as that sacrifice, was not as clear. Messiah had by this time become the political remedy and conquering hero for the Jews. The idea that He would suffer and actually become the object of wrath in appeasing a God angry with sin had been moved into the background. But notice here that Jesus prefaces this concept with a picture of the love of God. It is His love for the world that constrains Him to make this arrangement with His own Son.
”only begotten”
We are to here remember the case of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was not the only begotten, but he was the only real expectation of Abraham in the promise with Sarah. When Isaac was born, the technical primacy of Ishmael (what man had wrought) could not invade the joy of fulfillment in what God had promised. Yet, it was this son of the promise whom Abraham was now being asked to sacrifice.
When Abraham lifted the knife, God then spoke and his hand was stayed – ”I see your faith, in not withholding your son.” In contrast, who spoke when Christ was placed on the Cross? Who said, “I see your faith, come down, all is well?” With God’s own Son, it had to be played out as planned, the death had to come, the payment made. How much richer then is God’s giving up of His Son?
”. . that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
This is not as exclusively phrased as will be later formulated (“he who does not have the son, hath not the life.” – I John 5:12), but it sets the condition which other world religions regard as arrogance in the extreme. It is a claim that there is only one Way, and all others are false.
In our modern world, and even in the ancient one, there was and is a magnanimity that grants legitimacy to various religions, and that all are seeking the same object in their own unique way. So the claim of exclusivity is very unpopular and not in the spirit of diversity and acceptance. This kind of thing also follows from democratic ideas which are more about what is fair than about absolute right and wrong.
Nevertheless, this remains the eternal truth of the Gospel – that the God of the Bible is the only God Who is there, that Christ has come and eternal life is in Him alone.
As to ‘perishing,’ the proper presentation of the Gospel must have the presupposition that all men are perishing. More and more people are less and less convinced of this in modern times. It is a point that must be re-won when witnessing to the lost.
One of the great difficulties is in getting an individual to acknowledge that their personal behavior and actions have placed them in the category of the perishing, that Someone is that angry with them to mete out such a destiny. But the truth of this point is rooted in absolute truths, which the modern world is quickly learning to abandon as a category of things.
But beyond personal sin, one must embrace universal sin, because there will always be the belief that one’s personal life is surely an exception to the hideous deeds of more reprobate persons. “We’re certainly no Hitler, and we abhor gross and outrageous behavior, so God will take this into account when judging us.” So, this message must include the concept that all are guilty in Adam’s sin and as such, without remedy. All are perishing. And the important point is that there is a Remedy. The purpose of witnessing is to give people a reason to reach for it.