THERE WAS A MAN NAMED Nicodemus. Only John tells us about this man. He was a Pharisee; a teacher of the Law [rabbi]; a member of the Council [Sanhedrin]. He and Joseph of Arimathea, both members of the Council, believed the claims of Jesus (John 3:2). He protested against condemning Jesus without a... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE NIGHT HE WENT TO JESUS. He did this at night, either because of the hostility toward Jesus [of the Council], or to have a more personal interview with Christ. THAT YOU ARE A TEACHER SENT BY GOD. The Council knew that Jesus had not been to their theological schools; and the miracles he was perfor... [ Continue Reading ]
UNLESS HE IS BORN AGAIN. Jesus answers the thoughts of Nicodemus. "Again" is the proper translation, as can be seen from John 3:4_. Luther_ says on this: "My doctrine is not of doing, and of leaving undone, but of being and becoming; so that it is not a new work to be done, but the being new created... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW CAN A GROWN MAN BE BORN AGAIN? Nicodemus states the literal meaning of Jesus' words, to ask for an explanation. If Jesus meant this literally, he sees himself forever barred from the Kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
UNLESS HE IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT. Whatever Jesus means here, all will agree, that: (1) no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born again; (2) only being born of water and the Spirit makes it possible. All will agree that the birth of the Spirit points to a spiritual _change._ The... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE IS BORN SPIRITUALLY OF THE SPIRIT. The new birth has nothing to do with natural birth. It is one who has already been born of natural birth, who is to be born again of water and the Spirit. It is the spirit, not the physical, which is radically transformed in the new birth. [But a physical ac... [ Continue Reading ]
DO NOT BE SURPRISED. Being Abraham's descendant by natural birth, means nothing. YOU MUST ALL BE BORN AGAIN. No exceptions. [God's act in Christ is the only BASIS for salvation. All must reach out through faith to seize that act and make themselves part of it.] Being born of water and the Spirit are... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WIND BLOWS WHEREVER IT WISHES. _Pendleton_ says: "I take the passage to mean that the process by which a man is regenerated [born again] by the Spirit of God is no more mysterious than other operations in the natural world, of which operations the blowing of the wind is taken as example." _Lipsc... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW CAN THIS BE? His problem is that he had thought he was already in the Kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YOU DON'T KNOW THIS? Nicodemus was one who taught others. The Doctors of the Law were very proud of how much they knew. He could not fail to know the prophecy of a _new covenant_ (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:7-13).... [ Continue Reading ]
WE SPEAK OF WHAT WE KNOW. Jesus came from God, and he knew _first-hand_ the things he spoke about. The prophets told of the coming Kingdom, and even though no one expected what God was doing (1 Corinthians 2:9), they should have been able to see how the prophecies were coming true in Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW WILL YOU EVER BELIEVE ME, THEN? What he has told Nicodemus and the others, has to do with the Kingdom of God here on earth and their relationship to it. If these things are too hard to understand, how can they believe the things about the eternal world?... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT THE SON OF MAN. Over eighty times in the Gospels, Jesus calls himself "Son of Man," emphasizing his humanity (compare Hebrews 2:14-15). The things he was doing declared him to be the Son of God. [The Jews understood the two titles to mean the same thing. See Luke 22:69-70] No one else but Jes... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SAME WAY THE SON OF MAN MUST BE LIFTED UP. Numbers 21:4-9 tells about Moses and the bronze snake. The bitten Israelites had to: _believe_ that God would heal those who looked; _turn from sin_ and come to the pole; _look up_ to be healed. God himself made the salvation available to them, but t... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH. Love caused God to act through Jesus to set men free! This verse says: (1) God is love. (2) Instead of hating the world, he loved it. (3) He _gave_ his only Son because of this love. [Note: not to appease _wrath,_ but because of _love._ The other religions of the wor... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT TO BE ITS SAVIOR. The world was already condemned because of sin, and doomed. Jesus came to make it possible for us to escape from this, and to return to God. See Revelation 1:5-6. [When Jesus Comes Again, he will be the Judge at that time. _See_ Acts 17:31; Matthew 25:31-46.]... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOEVER BELIEVES IN THE SON. Belief includes reaching out to seize the sacrifice of Christ. See note on James 2:19_. "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved"_ (Mark 16:16). WHOEVER DOES NOT BELIEVE. He is already lost, and refuses to be saved by Christ. The unbeliever condemns himself. _"Who... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS HOW THE JUDGMENT WORKS. God's judgment is not despotic or senseless. Men _believe_ on the basis of their hidden motives and goals. Usually it is not _evidence,_ but honesty and love for truth which is required to believe, This world is set up in such a way that all who love _evil_ are repell... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE. Those who LIVE _truth_ LOVE the _light_ are pleased to come to Jesus. God's call makes no sense, if men and women cannot respond to it (see notes on Revelation 22:17).... [ Continue Reading ]
WENT TO THE PROVINCE OF JUDEA. He left Jerusalem and went out into the countryside. AND BAPTIZED. This is the first statement that Jesus baptized disciples. McGarvey says this must have been a continuation of John's baptism, and not into the "three names of God," since the Holy Spirit had not yet be... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN ALSO WAS BAPTIZING IN AENON. Close to the Jordan, northeast of Samaria, where there were lots of pools which could be used to immerse people. BECAUSE THERE WAS PLENTY OF WATER THERE. Baptism of the crowds of people required an open area and plenty of water.... [ Continue Reading ]
(JOHN HAD NOT YET BEEN PUT IN PRISON.) John's Gospel shows that the ministry of Jesus was put into effect and was very successful, before the work of John the Baptist terminated. McGarvey thinks this is further proof that Jesus continued the baptism of John up to the Cross [where it terminated]. See... [ Continue Reading ]
ABOUT THE MATTER OF RELIGIOUS WASHING. Probably a Pharisee who linked John's baptism with ritual religious washing (see note on Matthew 15:2) in his mind. It is clear that Jesus' name came up in the discussion. AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO HIM. These friends of John felt harshly toward Jesus, because th... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN ANSWERED. John is talking about himself. A _man_ can take only what he is given. The Son of God takes all he chooses. John was doing all he was supposed to do as "advance man" for the Messiah. THE BRIDEGROOM IS THE ONE. John is the "best man," but he does not get the bride. The bride is the chu... [ Continue Reading ]
HE MUST BECOME MORE IMPORTANT. Jesus was doing a work that no human being could do! John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet, and would not share in the Kingdom of God _on earth_ (see Matthew 11:11 and note there). We are sad to see John "fade out of the picture," yet he did not lose anything God had p... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WHO COMES FROM ABOVE. The Son of God outranks John and all mankind!... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NO ONE ACCEPTS HIS MESSAGE. It was no great disappointment to John that so few of his disciples understood what he had said about Jesus. Only a very few believed Jesus himself. [Yet don't overlook John 4:1; Luke 13:23; Revelation 7:9.]... [ Continue Reading ]