John 3 - NIV Application Bible

3:1–2 Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council and a Pharisee. When this rabbi comes to Jesus at night, it may simply refer to his desire for privacy stemming from fear. But “night” is also likely a theological symbol expressing Nicodemus’s spiritual relation to the truth. Nicodemus is a man of the darkness, while Jesus is the light.

3:3 Although the OT does not use the phrase “kingdom of God” in full, the notion is implicit throughout Scripture. Judaism taught it would be a future kingdom, and all Jews who faithfully kept the law would be admitted to it freely. Jesus however asserts that there is a new prerequisite to see or enter this kingdom: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jesus is driving at something comprehensive: a complete renewal of the whole person.

3:4–5 Nicodemus’s question shows that he is outside the kingdom and that he cannot penetrate its deeper truths, so Jesus must explain more fully. Divine birth is “of water and the Spirit” (v. 5). This is likely 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 John the Baptist at the Jordan. Following this he can experience the Spirit and transformation.

3:6–8 Jesus is pointing to the dawning of a new era which John the Baptist has inaugurated. Water baptism is expected, but Jesus now is one who baptizes “with the Holy Spirit” (1:33), and he will complete the dawning of this time. Above all, Nicodemus must understand that this era will be one in which the Spirit of God moves among humanity. Jesus compares the Spirit with the “wind”: Its origin and movements are mysterious and cannot be contained by the human religious systems Jesus has already challenged.

3:9–10 Nicodemus is a man standing on the frontier, looking at a new country and wondering how such momentous events will unfold.

3:11–13 Jesus begins answering his question with “Very truly I tell you,” as if to underscore the importance of what he is about to say. The irony is that he refers to Nicodemus as a rabbi, but now we see that this teacher does not know the answers. Only Jesus can explain the deeper mysteries of God. People who stumble on the elemental teachings of Jesus cannot hope to grasp the deeper realities. Jesus is the only One who has actually entered heaven’s realms. Human teachers do not have access to this sort of revelation.

3:14–15 Jesus refers to a story from Nu 21 in which Moses is commanded to build a serpent of bronze to bring healing. In the same manner, Jesus says he must be “lifted up” in order to become the source of eternal life for all who believe (v. 14). 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.

3:16 The statement that God loves “the world” is surprising. The Son did not come to the world to save a select few; rather, he came to extend his saving grace to the world, namely, the all-encompassing circle of men and women who inhabit this planet.

3:17–18 The Son’s entry into the darkness of this world is an act of judgment (v. 19; cf. 9:39) since divine light has unveiled the darkness for what it is. Those who see this light and recognize the tragedy of their situation have one responsibility—to believe.

Evil and darkness wage war against the light, trying to bring it down. However, its defeat is inevitable.

3:19–21 By contrast to the note above, those who love the light come to it 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.

3:22–24 This 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 has not yet been given.

3:25–30 The dispute described in vv. 25–26 is the root of the problem that John the Baptist’s subsequent speech in vv. 27–30 will address. John’s followers seem unhappy that Jesus is becoming a celebrated leader. The Baptist’s answer corrects the rivalry. John affirms that he is not the Christ but his forerunner. Jesus is superior because of his heavenly origins.

3:31–33 In antiquity, wax seals were used to authenticate letters and possessions. John uses this image to testify that to embrace Jesus is to set a seal (“has certified,” v. 33), to confirm, and to defend an entire constellation of beliefs that are central to God and the Christian faith.

3:32–36a God’s love for the Son is so complete that nothing is beyond the Son’s reach. The Father has commissioned the Son and has provided the Son with the Holy Spirit. Verse 34 does not refer to Jesus’ giving the Spirit to us, but to God’s giving the Spirit to his Son. The gift of life and Spirit that the Son will distribute comes from what he already enjoys. This gift will be distributed once the Son of God is glorified.

3:36b John looks at salvation from the other point of view. The world of darkness and unbelief stands under the judgment of God, and those who reject Jesus remain in the darkness, continuing to live under that divine judgment.

✜ 3:1–36 As with Nicodemus, there is a link between spiritual receptivity and the degree to which we are “settled” into a system of life and belief. The greater our comfort, the possibility of fewer opportunities to receive a new, transforming word from God. This is probably why the possibility of conversion to Christianity tends to decrease as people age.

Our degree of comfort also has to do with the scope of our religious knowledge. Nicodemus was a man skilled in religious rhetoric. He knew Scripture and had no doubt built his own “systematic theology” that explained God, his world, and his relation to both. His problem was not a lack of knowledge. Our religious knowledge can become a shield, a defense with which we protect ourselves from the very God we claim to know.

The profound message of Jn 3:16 that Jesus posed to Nicodemus is that “God so loved the world . . .” The work of Christ is God at work, God saving the world, God extending himself into the condition of our humanity and bringing about reconciliation. God himself is on our side. God himself is at work on our behalf. He did not send a messenger (Jesus) to do the dirty work; rather, God himself came to the cross and suffered to bring his beloved creation back to himself. We will discover more about this reality as we continue through this Gospel.