John 3 - The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible: One-Volume Edition

Jesus and Nicodemus (3:1–21). The story of Nicodemus is another story in which Jesus continues to reverse the prominence of institutions in Judaism—to replace them, to show their incompleteness in light of his arrival, and to supplant their function with his own life and work. The notion in this and so many other discourses is that unless some deficit is met (generally faith or the Spirit), deeper penetration into the words of Jesus is impossible.

We know that Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council and that he was a Pharisee. We also know he was a rabbi, a teacher no doubt of some fame. When this rabbi comes to Jesus at night, it may simply refer to his desire for privacy stemming from fear. He might worry that the temple authorities, whom Jesus has just challenged, might see him as a collaborator.

But “night” (v. 2) is also likely a theological symbol (used frequently by John) that expresses Nicodemus’s spiritual relation to the truth. Nicodemus is a man of the darkness, while Jesus is the light. John’s subsequent commentary says this plainly: Jesus is light that has come into the world, but men and women prefer darkness (v. 19). In this case, however, Nicodemus has stepped into the light to make inquiries.

Nicodemus’s first question shows admirable respect launched by one theologian to another. Two terms require definition. First, although the Old Testament does not use the phrase “kingdom of God” in full (v. 3), the notion of God’s sovereign, kingly rule is implicit throughout Scripture. Judaism taught that this was to be a future kingdom and that all Jews who faithfully kept the law would be admitted to it freely. Second, however, Jesus asserts that there is a new prerequisite to see or enter this kingdom. “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (v. 3). In order to enter the kingdom, in order to understand divine revelations such as this, one must have an experience that transports beyond the mere observation of “signs” (v. 2). The language Jesus uses would have seemed unusual to Nicodemus. Jesus is driving at something comprehensive, a complete renewal of the whole person.

Nicodemus’s question shows that Nicodemus is outside the kingdom and that he cannot penetrate its deeper truths. Thus Jesus must explain more fully. Divine birth is now explained as birth “of water and the Spirit” (v. 5).

This critical phrase has given interpreters difficulty. A likely view is to see this as a reference to John the Baptist’s baptism, which the Gospel has already introduced in the narrative. Nicodemus (by this reading) must submit to the baptism of repentance offered by the Baptist at the Jordan. Following this he can experience the Spirit and transformation.

Another option suggests that “water and Spirit” form a unified concept to express the eschatological renewal promised in the Old Testament. This figurative pair appears again and again in the Old Testament, and no doubt Ezekiel 36:25–27 is the most important eschatological image of all. Here Israel’s heart will be transformed.

Jesus is here pointing to the dawning of a new eschatological era. John the Baptist has inaugurated this era, and submission to his message—his water baptism, which is the precursor for Christian baptism—is expected. Jesus now is one who baptizes “with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33), who will complete the dawning of this time. But above all, Nicodemus must understand that this era will be an era when the Spirit of God moves among humanity. Jesus compares this with the “wind,” another Greek wordplay, since pneuma can mean either “spirit” or “wind” (3:8). Its origin and movements are mysterious, and they cannot be contained by the human religious systems Jesus has already challenged.

Nicodemus’s final question is rhetorical in the narrative. “How can this be?” likely disguises a thoroughgoing and lengthy inquiry by the rabbi, whose religious categories have now been upended (v. 9). He is baffled. He is disturbed. He is a man standing on the frontier, looking at a new country and wondering how such momentous events will unfold.

Jesus begins his answer with (literally), “Truly, truly I say to you” (v. 11), as if to underscore the importance of what he is about to say. The irony of his response is that he refers to Nicodemus as a rabbi, just as Nicodemus had referred to Jesus, but now we see that this teacher does not know the answers. Jesus is the only true rabbi who can explain the deeper mysteries of God.

But the problem is far deeper. It is not really a problem of knowledge. The signs and Scriptures are accessible here on earth, and if these cannot be understood and believed, it is not possible for profound heavenly things to be believed. People who stumble on the elemental teachings of Jesus cannot hope to grasp the deeper realities. Jesus is unique among all others to disclose these heavenly truths because he is the only one among humankind who has truly entered heaven’s realms. Human teachers do not have access to this sort of revelation.

Jesus then refers to a story from Numbers 21, in which Moses built a serpent of bronze and elevated it among the Israelites so that whoever gazed on it would be healed from the snakes that bit them in the desert. In the same manner, Jesus says, he must be “lifted up” in order to become the source of eternal life for all who believe (John 3:14). The Greek hypsoō (“lift up”) is an important Johannine verb to describe Jesus’s “ascent” or “lifting up” to the cross (3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 34). John has in mind that the cross will not simply be a place of sacrifice and suffering but a place of departure and of return, when Jesus resumes his life with the Father. Jesus ascends to the cross. As we will see later in this Gospel, the cross will actually be a place of glorification.

The statement that God loves the world is surprising (v. 16). Judaism rarely (or never) spoke of God’s loving the world outside of Israel. It is a uniquely Christian idea to say that God’s love extends beyond the limits of race and nation. For John, kosmos is the realm of humanity arrayed in opposition to God. Thus Jesus enters this world in his incarnation, knowing that hostility will result and that sacrifice will be needed in order to redeem the world. The Son did not come to the world to save a select few; rather, he came to save the world, namely, the all-encompassing circle of men and women who inhabit this planet, people who embrace darkness habitually.

In this respect, the entry of the Son into the darkness of this world is an act of judgment (3:19; Cf. 9:39) inasmuch as divine light has penetrated and unveiled the darkness for what it is. Yet Jesus has not come to condemn the world but to provide a way of escape for those shuttered in the darkness. Those who see this light and recognize the tragedy of their own situation have one responsibility—to believe.

Yet the affections of people in the world are corrupt, their desires are fallen, and they are not eager to be redeemed. Evil and darkness do not ignore the light; rather, they wage war against it, trying to bring it down. But despite these efforts, the darkness launches a battle that brings about its own defeat.

By contrast, those who love the coming of the light, who look on and trust the upraised, crucified Son, who believe in Jesus and “live by the truth” (v. 21) not only enjoy eternal life but come to the light and yearn for its truth. John is describing what happens when those in the world make a choice to believe—they are transformed into children of God. Such people live righteously because God is at work in them, not because they have a native desire to be godly.

Jesus and John the Baptist (3:22–36). Following his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus and his followers move into the regions east of Jerusalem, where he conducts a ministry much like that of John the Baptist. This is an interesting note since it is our only record that Jesus had a baptizing ministry. But we must remain clear that at this point Jesus is conducting a baptism of repentance since the Spirit (a feature of Christian baptism) has not yet been given.

The dispute described in verses 25–26 is the root of the problem that the Baptist’s subsequent speech in verses 27–30 will address. These verses indicate that the Baptist had followers who knew about the events surrounding Jesus’s baptism, who knew John’s testimony concerning him, and likely knew Jesus by name. They seem disgruntled, unhappy that Jesus is becoming a celebrated leader.

The Baptist’s rejoinder corrects the rivalry. God has provided the successes and increases enjoyed by Jesus. Such growth should not be criticized. Above all, John affirms that he is not the Christ but his forerunner. Jesus is superior because of his heavenly origins. Truth is something that descends, not something that is discovered through human labor. It is foreign. It comes from outside and thus runs the risk of rejection.

The two Greek verbs at the center of verse 33 are in the aorist tense. This describes men and women who have made a firm decision once and for all. John’s imagery is graphic. In antiquity wax seals were used to give authentication and ownership to letters and possessions. Hence, to embrace Jesus is to set a seal, to confirm, and to defend an entire constellation of beliefs central to Christian faith and God.

What is at stake here is the nature of Jesus and his authority. God’s love for the Son is so complete that nothing is beyond the Son’s reach. The Father has commissioned the Son to come to us. Above all, the Father has provided the Son with the Holy Spirit. Verse 34 does not refer to Jesus’s giving the Spirit to us, but to God’s giving the Spirit to his Son, underscoring the remarkable interconnectedness of Father and Son once more.

Jesus bears a divine nature and carries God’s authority. Therefore, the gift of life and Spirit that the Son will distribute comes from the gift of life and Spirit that the Son already enjoys. It is a gift that will be distributed once the Son of God is glorified.

In verse 36b John then looks at salvation from the other point of view. Those who reject the Son will not see life; instead, God’s wrath rests on them. This verse does not indicate that God is angry in light of their rejection. Rather, it means that the world of darkness and unbelief stands under the judgment of God, and those who refuse the light, who reject Jesus, remain in the darkness and thus continue to live under that divine judgment.