John 3 - Life Application Bible Commentary (NT)
3:1 There was a man.NKJV Each of the next segments of the Gospel revolve around Jesus and one other person. From his collection of Jesus’ memorable conversations, John chose several to highlight the character of the Lord.
Though John seems to shift from the summary description of Jesus as the center of interest in Jerusalem to the interview with Nicodemus, there is a connection between 2:23-25 and 3:1. Nicodemus is spotlighted as a person who was either a typical example of someone to whom Jesus could not entrust himself (2:24) or he was an exception to the rule —a person to whom Jesus could entrust himself. Both these possibilities have been defended. But, in the end, neither is as important as the clearer indication of John’s immediate purpose: to illustrate the truth that Jesus “knew what was in everyone” (NRSV). Jesus did not endorse every gesture of belief in himself, but he did nurture those with weak faith. Because Jesus knew what was in every person, he knew exactly when to confront Nicodemus. His knowledge of us is just as intimate.
Of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.NIV Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees —the most strict, conservative, and traditional Jewish sect of those times. The Jewish religious leaders were divided into several groups. Two of the most prominent groups were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees separated themselves from anything non-Jewish and carefully followed both the Old Testament laws and the oral traditions handed down through the centuries. The Sadducees, on the other hand, were the elite priestly class who freely mixed their political agenda with the power they wielded as religious leaders. John the Baptist criticized the Pharisees for being legalistic and hypocritical, following the letter of the law while ignoring its true intent. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple was a direct affront to the power of the Sadducees, who profited from the marketing of religion.
Nicodemus was also a member of the Jewish ruling council. Although the Romans controlled Israel politically, the Jews were given some authority over religious and minor civil disputes. The Jewish ruling body was the council (sometimes called the Sanhedrin) made up of seventy-one of Israel’s religious leaders. They functioned in a way similar to the Supreme Court in the United States, handling civil and religious issues. Thus Nicodemus was a very prominent figure in Israel, representing the “cream” of the nation; in fact, Jesus called him “a teacher of Israel” (3:10 NRSV).
NICODEMUS VISITS JESUS AT NIGHT / 3:1-21 / 24
It would be difficult to find any other portion of Scripture as well known as John 3:16 or any other statement of Scripture more applied than “You must be born again” (v. 7, NKJV). When Jesus revealed the necessity of the new birth to Nicodemus, he exposed mankind’s ultimate hope.
This evening interview is the first of a series of individual encounters between Jesus and persons who fit the description given at the end of chapter 2 —those who approached Jesus with an inadequate faith. Nicodemus (vv. 1-15), the Samaritan woman (4:1-42), and the nobleman from Capernaum (4:43-54) illustrate a certain view of who Jesus was and what he could do. But meeting Jesus face to face changed their views. It also changed their lives.
Wherever Jesus went, changes occurred. He challenged systems, powers, and individuals. He helped people see that they couldn’t see. He invited men and women to follow him as if he expected them to drop everything and do just that. To our surprise (not his) many of them did follow. The invitation to transformation is still open. If we are listening, we can hear it in the darkness as did Nicodemus. Or it comes to us at noon, when we, like the woman at the well, are slipping through life, desperate to avoid any more troubles than we have already gotten ourselves into. Or it comes to us with shattering directness in the face of death or suffering around us, as the nobleman discovered. When the invitation comes, trust Jesus and follow him.
He came to Jesus.NRSV What motivated Nicodemus to come to Jesus? Very likely Nicodemus was both impressed and curious about Jesus and chose to form his opinions about him from firsthand conversation. Most Pharisees were intensely jealous of Jesus because he undermined their authority, challenged their views, and threatened their tenuous position under Roman rule. But Nicodemus tracked down Jesus and met him personally. It is even possible that their conversation was witnessed by both Jesus’ disciples and students of the Jewish leader.
AT LEAST HE CAME
The meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus was not by accident. Nicodemus did not stumble over Jesus, but sought him out. He made it a point to find and be with Jesus. Often we are guilty of allowing our relationship with God to degenerate into occasional chance meetings where God has had to seek us out. Do we only turn to Christ in crises, finding little place or time for him in our daily lives? How often at night, when the hustle of the day settles down, do we think of Jesus in the silence and seek him out in prayer?
At night.NIV Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night? It is possible that he did not want to be seen with Jesus in broad daylight because he feared reproach from his fellow Pharisees (who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah). But it may not have been fear that brought Nicodemus at night; it is also possible that he chose a time when he could talk alone and at length with the popular teacher who was often surrounded by people.
NECESSITY OF A SEARCHING HEART
Nicodemus was searching, and he believed that Jesus had some answers. A learned teacher himself, he came to Jesus to be taught. No matter how intelligent and well-educated we are, we must come to Jesus with an open mind and heart so he can teach us the truth about God. A searching heart is marked by several characteristics:
- Humility in seeking and admitting personal need.
- Perseverance in overcoming obstacles that may keep us from finding and following Christ.
- Insight in recognizing that the gospel message relates to our lives.
- Willingness to submit to the lordship of Christ.
- Obedience in going beyond mental assent to active dependence on God’s promises and guidance.
“Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.”NIV Nicodemus respectfully addressed Jesus as a teacher (a rabbi) who had come from God. While true, the title reveals Nicodemus’s limited understanding of Jesus. He was far more than just another rabbi. Yet Nicodemus’s complimentary start gives us little idea of what he intended to ask Jesus. It is to his credit that he at least understood that Jesus came from God, as opposed to many of his fellow Pharisees who attributed Jesus’ power to Satan (Matthew 9:34). Instead, Nicodemus identified Jesus’ miracles as a revelation of God’s power.
QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
It is quite common to find people treating spiritual questions as if asking them was a perfectly valid pursuit, even if they had no real hope of getting an answer. That kind of treadmill leads to despair. If we are not serious about answers, questions —even hard questions —are a waste of time.
We don’t know exactly what questions Nicodemus planned to ask Jesus, but we do know he went to the right source. If all we want to do is ask questions, any ear will do. But if we are hungry for answers, God will be our source. He has provided his Word, his presence, and the freedom of prayer to place any question before him. Others who have brought their questions and quests to God can also provide valuable help to us. Jesus wants to be more than just an item of discussion. He has answers for the heart and soul.
Nicodemus’s expression indicates that he saw himself representing a significant number of Jews (thus his use of we), the people over whom he was a leader and teacher. But no sooner did Nicodemus get this compliment out than Jesus responded with a statement that must have rocked the Pharisee back on his heels. With one stroke Jesus reversed the flow of discussion from his identity as a God-sent teacher to the crucial question of the destiny of each person. Jesus made it clear that his own qualifications were not up for debate, but that Nicodemus ought to be concerned about where he stood before God.
3:3 “No one can see the kingdom of God.”NRSV Jesus’ words are unmistakable: No one —that is, not the Jews, not the pious Pharisees or Sadducees. No one who is relying on his or her own merits can see the kingdom of God.
Although the Bible does not explicitly state what the kingdom of God is, Jesus made it very clear what it isn’t: “My kingdom is not from this world” (18:36 NRSV). God’s kingdom is the sphere of God’s rule in heaven and on earth. The Old Testament does not use the term kingdom of God, but it clearly refers to the kingship of God. When the last of the judges, Samuel, was an old man, the people of Israel decided they wanted a new form of government. They approached Samuel with the demand that he appoint a king. God’s response to Samuel about this request is instructive: “And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king’” (1 Samuel 8:7 NIV). This tension between the recognized or rejected kingship of God and its final resolution cannot be missed in the Old Testament (see also Exodus 15:18; Psalm 93:1; 103:19; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:44).
So, what could Jesus expect Nicodemus to know about the kingdom? From the Scriptures he would know that the kingdom would be ruled by God, it would eventually be restored on earth, and it would incorporate God’s people. Jesus revealed to this devout Pharisee that the kingdom would come to the whole world (3:16), not just the Jews, and that Nicodemus wouldn’t be a part of it unless he was personally born again (3:5). This was a revolutionary concept: the kingdom is personal, not national or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. Jesus later taught that God’s kingdom has already begun in the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21). It will be fully realized when Jesus returns again to judge the world and abolish evil forever (Revelation 21–22).
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the kingdom of God was present with him (Luke 17:21). To “see” the kingdom of God means, in part, to have a special perception or insight concerning God’s absolute control. But a sense of belonging, or citizenship, is also included. The “seeing” is not simply for purposes of examination; it represents participation. Part of this picture is clarified by the description of vital faith in Hebrews: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV). The image here is of people, stranded in a foreign land, whose citizenship is elsewhere. Paul wrote, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14 NIV). To “see,” then, is to be a citizen without yet being able to exercise all the rights and privileges of that citizenship. Nicodemus was being taught that Israel was a chosen people to be a vehicle of God’s message to the world, not to be the only beneficiaries of that relationship.
IN OR OUT
Just as earthly citizenship is a right of birth or is granted to a person, so citizenship in the kingdom of God is a right of new birth. A person can take steps toward citizenship in the kingdom, but one’s actual position is either in or out. Jesus told one perceptive man, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). Evidently, a person can approach yet still not “see” or be part of the kingdom of God. We need to prayerfully consider before God the exact location of our citizenship. If we have not been born again into God’s kingdom and submitted to his rule in our lives, we cannot assume that we are citizens.
“Without being born from above.”NRSV The Greek word translated here as “from above” can also be rendered “again.” It seems that Jesus was speaking of a birth “from above” because he later used the analogy of the wind (coming from some unknown [heavenly] source) to illustrate spiritual rebirth (see 3:7-8). But Nicodemus clearly thought that Jesus was speaking of a second physical birth.
3:4 “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”NRSV English translations of Jesus’ statement tend to put the conditional clause (“without being born from above”) after the primary clause (“No one can see the kingdom of God”), but they are reversed in Greek. Nicodemus either stopped listening after Jesus’ opening phrase, or he chose to address the first curious statement he heard. These questions that focused solely on birth —whether spoken sincerely or sarcastically —show that Nicodemus did not perceive the spiritual intent of Jesus’ words. He saw only the literal meaning and questioned its absurdity. But with all his learning he should have understood that God can and will give spiritual rebirth. The prophets had spoken about this spiritual regeneration (see Ezekiel 36:25-27; see also Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-32).
STARTING OVER
Most people, at one time or another, wish they could start life over again. But second thoughts usually bring us to the conclusion that another trip through life would involve just as many opportunities for mistakes as the first time. Nicodemus saw only complications and impossibilities in Jesus’ challenge. But Jesus later made the point in discussing the possibility of salvation with his disciples that “with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27 NIV). The only way a person can really start over in life is by being born from above —“born again” by receiving God’s eternal life and the regenerating Holy Spirit. Starting over may be naturally impossible; but Jesus makes it a supernatural possibility.
3:5 “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”NRSV This statement has perplexed and divided commentators for many centuries. Some traditions have taught that the water denotes physical birth (referring to the “water” of amniotic fluid or even semen) and Spirit to spiritual birth —in which case Jesus would be saying that a person has to have two births: one physical and the second, spiritual. This view builds upon the preceding context when Nicodemus referred to physical birth. It also points to the parallel Jesus makes in verse 6: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (NIV). According to this position, Jesus would have been granting the Pharisee’s point in order to highlight the nature of the second birth as spiritual. Two strengths of this interpretation are that it avoids making the physical act of water baptism a necessity and that it avoids bringing almost a “third birth” idea into the discussion. If water doesn’t refer to natural birth, say its defenders, then Jesus seems to be saying that a person must be born of their parents, born of water, and born of the Spirit.
Several weaknesses undermine this view: (1) the Greek grammatical construction does not separate water and Spirit —together they replace the single expression anothen (“again” or “from above” in verse 3); (2) there is no evidence that water was specifically connected with physical birth in Jesus’ and Nicodemus’s cultural context; and (3) it would be reasonable to expect that if Jesus was explaining water and Spirit as separate terms in verse 6, he could have said, “Water gives birth to water and spirit gives birth to spirit.” This interpretation turns out to be based on better motives than reasons. The concerns over making this verse say more than is true about the nature and place of water baptism are valid, but not best served by this approach.
Other traditions have taught that the water refers to baptism and the Spirit to spiritual regeneration —thus, Jesus would have been saying that a person must both be baptized and receive the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. This view is at times influenced by the belief that the sacrament of baptism is itself a requirement for salvation.
A parallel view makes water refer to baptism but places the emphasis on teaching two steps of baptism; one by water, the other by the Spirit. For support, these views point to the larger context in John where John the Baptist and water baptism are mentioned just preceding the events in Cana and following this encounter with Nicodemus. They also rely on the tendency of previous generations of Christians to equate the mention of water with baptism. But in the first seven chapters of John, water appears in some way (naturally or symbolically) in each chapter. To associate water and baptism too closely makes baptism a higher priority than the Scriptures give it. Here, for instance, if Jesus was speaking of two completely separate acts, two baptisms, it is odd that the rest of the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus never again refers to the subject but revolves entirely around the work of God’s Spirit.
Still other traditions have taught that Jesus’ reference to water is not physical in either the sense of birth or baptism. The term water is simply another description of the Spirit —or the Spirit’s activity of cleansing and life-giving action of the Spirit (see John 7:37-39).
3:6 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”NIV This is also written: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (NKJV). Human beings (the flesh) can produce only more human beings; this answers Nicodemus’s question in verse 4. Only God, the divine Spirit, can give the believer spiritual life. At the same time God puts his Spirit into us, we are given a new regenerated human spirit. It is God’s Spirit, not our effort, that makes us children of God (1:12). Jesus’ description corrects human hopes that we might somehow inherit goodness from parents, or earn it by good behavior, church background, or correct associations. At some point we must be able to answer the question: Have I been born of the Spirit?
WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
God has revealed himself as three persons in one —the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus was raised from the dead to guarantee God’s offer of salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, his physical presence left the earth, but he promised to send the Holy Spirit so that his spiritual presence would still be among his people (Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit first became available in this special way to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). Whereas in Old Testament days the Holy Spirit empowered specific individuals for specific purposes, now all believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to them. For more on the Holy Spirit, read 14:16-28; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; and 2 Corinthians 1:22.
3:7 “You must be born from above.”NRSV Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus that evening has been heralded to all the world ever since. Both Jew and Gentile have heard the divine mandate: You must be born again. Without the new birth, one cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God. In those words, millions have heard Jesus speaking directly to their hearts. Behind Jesus’ challenge is his invitation to each of us —“You must be born again; allow me to do that for you.”
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”NIV Perhaps at this moment in the evening a soft wind rustled the leaves outside the house or in the garden where they were talking. Jesus used the illustration of the wind to depict the effect of the Spirit in the person born of the Spirit. In Greek the same word (pneuma) can have several meanings: “spirit,” “wind,” and “breath.” God’s Spirit, like the wind, has free movement and, like reviving breath, has power. Jesus used this illustration to show that the reality of the Spirit living in a person is evidenced by the effect of the Spirit on that person’s life. People can control neither the wind nor the movement of God’s Spirit.
“So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”NRSV The image Jesus used describes the wonderful experience we can have of realizing that God actually moves in and through us by his Spirit. Just as we do not know the origin or the destination of the wind, we do not know or control the Spirit. What we do know are the effects of the wind and of the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is as radical and unexpected as being born of the Spirit.
DON’T GIVE UP ON PEOPLE
It must have seemed unlikely to the disciples that Nicodemus would believe in Jesus. Are there people you disregard, thinking they could never be brought to God —such as a world leader for whom you have never prayed or a successful person to whom you have never witnessed? Don’t assume that anyone is beyond the gospel. God, through his Holy Spirit, can reach anyone, and you should pray diligently for whomever he brings to your mind. Be a witness and example to everyone with whom you have contact. God may touch those you think most unlikely —and he may use you to do it.
3:9-10 A teacher of Israel.NRSV In response to Nicodemus’s continued question, Jesus called him a teacher of Israel and expressed amazement at his lack of understanding. Having such a position (perhaps as the “chakam” in the Sanhedrin), Nicodemus should have known what Jesus was talking about, for the new birth is not a topic foreign to the Hebrew Scriptures (see, for example, 1 Samuel 10:6; Isaiah 32:15; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 37; Joel 2:28-29). Jesus’ question must have exposed Nicodemus, who perhaps thought that he and Jesus were teachers who would discuss spiritual matters from an equal level of learning and understanding (see 3:2). This Jewish teacher of the Bible knew the Old Testament thoroughly, but he didn’t understand what it said about the Messiah. Knowledge is not salvation (see 5:39 for Jesus’ further indictment of those who have the Scriptures yet miss their primary purpose). People may know the Bible and even study it regularly, but unless they understand and respond to the God whom the Bible reveals and the salvation that he offers, the Scriptures will only be a priceless relic rather than a life-changing treasure.
3:11-12 “We speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen.”NRSV Commentators do not agree as to whom the pronoun we refers to. Most likely, it refers to all those prophets who have spoken to Israel (including John the Baptist [[see5:33] and Jesus himself) and/or to Jesus and his Father.
“You people do not accept our testimony.”NIV Israel (of which Nicodemus was a representative) did not receive the corporate testimony either from Jesus (speaking on behalf of the Father —hence, the plural our), or from the prophets.
“I have told you about earthly things.”NRSV Earthly things, such as the wind, can be “sensed” —that is, felt and heard. Jesus had spoken in an “earthly” analogy, and if Nicodemus could not understand that, how would he understand or believe when Jesus spoke to him of heavenly things. These are the truths that pertain to the heavenly realm and heavenly kingdom (for example, the more abstract theological topics such as the Trinity or Jesus’ coming glory).
HEAVENLY MINDED
These “heavenly things” cannot be sensed; they must be revealed by God and believed in faith. They are not conclusions to which we are naturally drawn. Quite often Jesus did not speak of these things directly because his listeners would not be able to understand. Instead, Jesus used parables to help those whose ears and hearts were open to grasp God’s revelation.
Even today the depths of Christ’s teaching escapes the bored and inattentive. As Jesus pointed out, many of us have ears to hear, but do not listen. Sometimes the simple discipline of repeatedly reading a chapter of Scripture can help us see and receive what God has stored there for our benefit.
3:13-15 “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven.”NIV This statement, following the last part of verse 12, tells us why Jesus was uniquely qualified to speak about heavenly matters. His authoritative message about heaven was based on personal experience. He came from heaven! It was the home he left on his mission to rescue us. No other man could claim the same.
The Son of Man is the term Jesus always used as his self-designation (1:51; see also Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64).
The words, who came from heaven (or, “who is in heaven,” NKJV) that end verse 13 in some translations, are not found in the earliest manuscripts. However, the words were known to several early church fathers and are included in later manuscripts. Moving the phrase to the margin in modern translations does require explanation because it is known by those familiar with the Authorized Version. There is a possibility that the statement was recorded by John and then excised by several early copyists because of its enigmatic meaning: that is, how could the Son of Man who was then and there on earth also be in heaven? But it is also difficult to place it in Jesus’ conversation. The phrase fits best as an early marginal reflection by a copyist, noting that the same Jesus who was claiming to have come from heaven was now back in heaven. Those who accept this phrase as original generally interpret it to be Jesus’ reference to his very present connection with heaven. He was on earth, while at the same time one with the Father in heaven. While this is true, it does not help the flow of Jesus’ conversation. It is difficult to understand what Jesus might have wanted Nicodemus to see.
“As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”NIV The Son of Man came from heaven and became flesh in order to die —but his death would have special importance. That significance had been “taught” by God throughout the experiences of his chosen people. To illustrate this, Jesus compared his coming death to a story well known to Nicodemus, for it came from Jewish history.
According to Numbers 21:6-9, while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God sent a plague of snakes to punish the people for their rebellious attitudes. But God also gave the remedy for the poisonous snakebites —he told Moses to erect a pole upon which he was to attach a bronze snake. Those bitten by the poisonous snakes could be healed by obeying God’s command to look up at the elevated bronze snake and by believing that God would heal them. Their healing came when they looked upon this lifted-up, bronze snake.
Jesus used this incident to picture his coming salvation work on the cross. To be lifted up in Jesus’ time —according to the usage in John (see 8:28; 12:32-34) —was a euphemism for death on the cross (the victim was literally lifted up above the earth); it also spoke of his subsequent glorification.
“Everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”NIV In Numbers 21:6-9, the perishing Israelites looked upon the lifted-up snake and lived. Similarly, salvation happens when we look up to Jesus, believing he will save us. God has provided this way for us to be healed of sin’s deadly bite. The Israelites were spared their lives; the believer in Jesus is spared eternal destruction and given eternal life.
THE REQUIRED RESPONSE
Three times in this context the idea of “believing in him” is used to describe the required response by a person to Christ. The word translated “believe” comes from pisteo which means “faith” or “belief.” The way this word is used means more than mental assent. Rather, it has been paraphrased: to have a firm faith; to accept trustfully; to be fully convinced; to place confidence in; to wholeheartedly accept. There is a danger, however, in emphasizing only the idea of “belief,” since belief without an object is merely wishful thinking. The importance of a Christian’s belief is not in the believer, but in the one believed. A person may have a strong belief in a lie, but that faith will not change the lie to truth. Believers anchor their trust in Jesus Christ, who identified himself as truth (14:6). Does our faith depend on our ability to trust or does it rest on the trustworthiness of Jesus?
3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”NKJV The entire gospel comes to a focus in this verse. God’s love is not just to a certain group of individuals —it is offered to the world.
God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God’s actions defined the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships —when you love someone, you are willing to sacrifice dearly for that person. Sacrificial love expresses itself without assurance that the love will be returned in kind. The timing of that love was highlighted by Paul’s words, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NIV).
Sacrificial love is also practical in seeking ways to meet the needs of those who are loved. In God’s case, that love was infinitely practical, since it set out to rescue those who had no hope of rescuing themselves. God paid dearly to save us; He gave His only begotten Son, the highest price he could pay. The term translated “only begotten” (monogene) expresses Jesus’ unique value and position as God’s only Son. The salvation God offers freely was costly to him.
This offer is made to whoever believes. To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means putting our trust and confidence in him that he alone can save us. It is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting his words as reliable and relying on him for the power to change.
Jesus accepted our punishment and paid the price for our sins so that we would not perish. Perish does not mean physical death, for we all will eventually die. Here it refers to eternity apart from God. Those who believe will receive the alternative, the new life that Jesus bought for us —everlasting life with God.
THE CHOICE
John 3:16, along with the rest of the New Testament, assumes that apart from God’s intervention, people perish (see Mark 4:38; Luke 13:3, 5; John 10:28; Romans 2:12; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Peter 3:9). The word adds a sense of hopelessness to the fact of dying —“to perish” is to come to a dead end. In this verse, escape from the tragic fate of perishing is promised to those who believe in God’s Son. Instead of perishing, they will have “eternal life,” or “life in the ageless age.” Perishing is not an end to be desired, for it removes from the picture any vestige of what we could call life. But this verse makes it clear that those who refuse to choose Christ and the life he offers have chosen to perish. Eternal life awaits our decision.
One of the distinctives of John’s Gospel is its awareness of the reader. John often includes reflective and explanatory statements that help us understand events more clearly. For instance, in 2:17 John explained the insight given to the disciples about Jesus’ actions and words in the temple. Further on, in 2:23-24, John summarized Jesus’ general ongoing relationship with people. As an eyewitness, John wanted us to know not only the facts of God’s human visit to earth, but also the eventual lessons and conclusions that came to light from those facts.
With this characteristic of John’s Gospel in mind, some commentators have concluded that Jesus’ direct speaking stopped with 3:15, and that John added the following inspired words (3:16-21) by way of further explanation. Either way, no other verse in all the Bible so encapsulates the basic message of the gospel: God so dearly loved all the people in the world that he gave his only Son so that we could have eternal life.
LIVING FOREVER DOESN’T SOUND SO GREAT . . .
Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable with pain, hunger, poverty, or disappointment. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. Not only will we be changed, almost everything else will also be changed (Revelation 21:1-4). In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.
3:17-18 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.”NKJV Why condemn an already condemned world? All people are already under God’s judgment because of sin —specifically the sin of not believing in God’s Son (16:9). The only way to escape the condemnation is to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, because he came “that the world through Him might be saved.”NKJV He who believes in him is saved from God’s judgment. And God wants people to believe: He is patient, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV).
When we consider ways to communicate the gospel, we should follow Jesus’ example. We do not need to condemn unbelievers; they are condemned already. We must tell them about this condemnation, and then offer them the way of salvation —faith in Jesus Christ. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Jesus’ —willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s love.
GOOD NEWS
The gospel truly is good news! It is not always seen as good news because people are often afraid it is too good to be true. Moments of honest reflection usually confront us with the hopelessness of our lives. We know we are far from perfect. The bad news is so bad that we can hardly stand it. So we try to protect ourselves from our fears by putting our faith in something we do or have: good deeds, skill, intelligence, money, possessions. Since perfection is far out of reach, we are tempted to settle for effort. We end up living barely a step ahead of despair. To those who can see their predicament, the gospel is welcomed good news. Only God can save us from the one thing that we really need to fear —eternal condemnation. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking him to do his work in us.
3:19-20 “This is the judgment.”NRSV Or “this is how the judgment works” (TEV). What follows describes the grounds for judgment: “Light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.”NRSV This is the same conflict between light and darkness that John presented in the prologue (1:5, 9-11). The full arrival of the light in the world signals that God has carried out his plan for the salvation of his creation. Light has come means that with the coming of Jesus we have: (1) an absolute source of truth; (2) condemnation of sin; (3) guidance for our daily decisions; and (4) illumination to learn about God more clearly.
What a tragedy that people have turned away from God’s offer, embracing instead the darkness in hopes of covering up evil actions. There is probably no more painful moment than when we honestly confront our tendency to love darkness, to twist or withhold the truth. The Son did not come to judge, but in the light of his character the sharp shadows of our sinfulness stand out.
“All who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.”NRSV The people who fear exposure from the light are those who are doing evil. Paul wrote, “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible” (Ephesians 5:13-14 NIV). Evil deeds are revealed by the light, so people who want to do evil must do it in the dark so they cannot be caught in the act.
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!
Many people don’t want their lives exposed to God’s light because they are afraid of what will be revealed or because of the demands the light places on them. They don’t particularly want to be changed. We should not be surprised when these same people are threatened by our desire to obey God and do what is right —they are afraid that the light in us may expose some of the darkness in their lives. Rather than giving in to discouragement, we must keep praying that they will come to see how much better it is to live in light than in darkness.
3:21 “But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”NRSV According to the context, to do what is true is to come to Christ, the light; the result of coming to the light and living in the light will be clearly seen in believers’ lives. Christ’s life in us will make our lives able to stand exposure to bright light, for our deeds will be honest, pure, and truthful. John wrote about this at length in 1 John 1:5-7.
LIVING IN THE LIGHT
Graciously, God does not reveal everything about us that needs changing at once. But as we move toward the light, as our lives become filled with God’s presence, we become more aware of sin as well as more aware of the benefits God brings to us. Like people in a dark room when the lights suddenly come on, it takes time for our “eyes” to grow accustomed to seeing. But as Jesus points out later in 16:7-11, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us will make us specially sensitive to sin and the need for continued cleansing. Once we are in the light, we must also guard against the temptation to “close our eyes tight” when God is showing us something by the light of his Word (Psalm 119:105).
JOHN THE BAPTIST TELLS MORE ABOUT JESUS / 3:22-36 / 25
This section begins with an abrupt change of scene to Aenon, near Salim, in the land of Judea. Two groups were baptizing: John the Baptist with his disciples, and Jesus with his disciples. Both Jesus and John —the two prominent figures in the new movement of God —were gathering disciples; but more were coming to Jesus than to John. This seems to have troubled John’s disciples, who began to wonder why more disciples were going to Jesus than to their leader, John. As for John, he was perfectly aware of what his position was in God’s plan. He was the herald of the Messiah-King —to put it in his own words, the friend of the bridegroom (3:29). John was content to prepare for the bridegroom and then fade quietly into the background while the bridegroom received all the attention. John knew that he would become less important and less noticed and that Jesus would receive increased recognition and importance. John rejoiced to see this happen.
3:22-23 Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside . . . and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim.NIV These verses tell us that two groups were baptizing at the same time: one in Judea, the other at Aenon near Salim, which may have been in northern Samaria. Aenon, which means “a place of many springs,” helps explain the statement, there was plenty of water.NIV
While John was baptizing in northern Samaria, the disciples of Jesus under his direction (for Jesus himself did not baptize, according to 4:2) were also baptizing. Since John’s baptism prepared the way for people to come to the Messiah, we can postulate that Jesus’ disciples carried out the same kind of baptism as did John —one that prepared people to receive Christ and enter into his kingdom.
3:24 (This was before John was put in prison.)NIV This statement clarifies the chronology of events. At the time John wrote this Gospel (A.D. 90s), his readers may not have known when John the Baptist’s ministry ended —especially in relationship to Jesus’ ministry.
3:25 A discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.NRSV Given the immediate context, the argument over purification probably involved some debate about the authority of John’s baptism and how it related to the baptisms connected with Jesus. This topic was still controversial years later during one of the final confrontations between Jesus and the teachers of the law (Luke 20:1-8). Jesus asked his questioners about John’s authority to baptize: “Was it from heaven, or from men?” (Luke 20:4 NIV).
The Jews sought purification through various sacrifices and washings prescribed by God through Moses. But centuries of human “adjustments” had transformed the way of humility before God into a hopeless maze of human effort. The huge system was bent on self-preservation rather than in truly serving God. Thus, for many religious leaders, John’s effrontery in preaching simple repentance and requiring public baptism was unacceptable as a form of purification.
THE REAL NEED
The conflict between the message of John and the system of ceremonial religion into which he stepped literally did prepare the way for the Messiah. The response of crowds repenting and seeking forgiveness was evidence of spiritual life without reality. People didn’t need a religious system as much as they needed salvation. They longed for an inner purity that could not be provided by ceremonial washing. John was pleased to point them to the Savior. People today still have the same need. Our role is to point them to Jesus.
3:26 “That man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan —the one you testified about —well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”NIV John’s disciples exposed their competitive spirit —this is certain because of the way John responded to them in the following verses. These disciples of John must have lost sight of their mission —which was to join John in preparing people for Christ. They should not have been surprised (much less, dismayed) that people were going to Christ —they were supposed to!
Why did John the Baptist continue to baptize after Jesus came onto the scene? Why didn’t he become a disciple too? John explained that because God had given him his work, he had to continue it until God called him to do something else. John’s main purpose was to point people to Christ. Even with Jesus beginning his own ministry, John could still point people to Jesus.
“CHRISTIAN” COMPETITIVENESS
We Christians must always remember the primary focus of our ministry: to exalt Christ and point people to him. Healthy relationships with other Christians will include our recognition of certain leaders, pastors, and teachers. But we must always remember that they, too, have the same commission. We should not allow ourselves to become prideful of the particular church, group, or leader with which we are associated. And we must do our utmost to resist any kind of competitive spirit. All of us are under the sovereignty of God. Envious or bitter comparisons make us ineffective. Our task is to follow Christ and see that he is exalted.
3:27 “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.”NRSV John’s reply to his disciples was the response of a man who knew his place in God’s plan. He knew that a person is not able to do anything unless it has been given to him or her from God. He knew how to give glory where glory was due! If all the people were going to Christ, if Christ’s ministry was expanding, then it must be God’s plan. John exemplifies the kind of exuberant endorsement that ought to come from us when we hear that someone is being effective as a servant of Christ.
REAL SUCCESS
To what degree is success the mark of God’s blessing or approval? If God guarantees success to those who really serve him, is he limited to fulfilling their expectations of success? The answer in both cases is clearly no. Both John and Jesus were successful in their missions, but the first lost his head; the second was crucified. God’s idea of blessing is quite different from ours. God calls us to be faithful where we are, with his plan for us. We are not to carry out anyone else’s plan. Someday we will probably be amazed at the variety of people to whom God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV). Let’s make sure we share in the delight of hearing those words directed at us. That objective will require that we center our living on what God directs us to do through his Word rather than trying to live up to the expectations of neighbors or our culture.
3:28 “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.”NRSV Here John reiterated what he had told the disciples earlier: “I am not the Messiah” (1:20 NRSV). John had always been forthright in declaring his position; he did this so that the distinction between himself and the Messiah would be unmistakably clear.
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.”NRSV John employed a beautiful metaphor to depict the way he saw his relationship with Jesus the Christ. He described himself as being the bridegroom’s friend —or, as we would say today, “the best man.” As the best man, John enjoyed seeing his friend, the bridegroom, honored. He insisted that all the attention should go to the bridegroom and his bride.
3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.”NIV What a realization John had! He knew that his work was destined to decrease —even that he himself would have to decrease. John’s willingness to decrease so that Jesus would increase reveals unusual humility. It also reveals how much he was like Jesus in character.
3:31 “The one who comes from above is above all.”NRSV As used in Greek, the word for all could be “all things” or “all men.” In either case, John’s statement revealed his attitude about Christ’s superiority and preeminence over him. The same word (anothen) that appears here was used in 3:3. Jesus, then, is the one who comes from above, while we are people who must be “born from above” if we hope to see the kingdom of God.
BRIDES, BRIDEGROOMS, AND BELIEVERS
John’s metaphor of himself as the friend of Jesus the “bridegroom” was a theological picture with a history behind it. In the Old Testament, God was likened to a bridegroom and his people to a bride (see Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 3; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2). In fact, it was one of God’s most revealing self-descriptions. He used it to express his anger and disappointment over the rebelliousness of his people; he employed it to express the nature of his long-suffering and faithful love.
In saying that Jesus was the bridegroom who had the bride, John was implying that Jesus was the divine husband of God’s people. As such, all of God’s people belonged to him —or, as John said it, all of the increase belonged to him. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of himself as the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20); and then later, Paul compared Christ and the church to husband and wife, bridegroom and bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-32; Revelation 19:7; 21:2).
“The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.”NRSV John, whom Jesus himself called the greatest man born among men (Matthew 11:11), was still a man of the earth (see 1 Corinthians 15:47).
“The one who comes from heaven is above all.”NIV Christ’s heavenly origin gives him superiority over every person.
Verse 31 begins and ends with a parallel doxology about Jesus. The only difference is the use of “from above” in the first part of the verse and “from heaven” at the end of the verse. The repetition is worshipful and the small change is instructive. “From above” emphasizes Jesus’ divine nature, while “from heaven” indicates his preexistence. In other words, Jesus already was in what we call the beginning; he was with God and he was God. From every perspective Jesus proved to be the one who is above all. The depth of our understanding and gratitude for the new birth that God offers us in Christ will always be shaped by our vision of what Jesus set aside when he came to earth. The one who was “above all” set aside all that was rightfully his in exchange for the single privilege of being our Savior. Paul echoed this wonder when he wrote, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-7 NIV).
BECOMING LESS
Pastors and other Christian leaders may be tempted to focus more on the success of their ministries than on Christ. Others may project a false humility or even a destructive self-hatred. Healthy humility, as modeled by John, defines itself in truthful comparison. John did not say he was nothing. He identified himself in relation to the most important person in his life. Because of John’s profound understanding of his purpose in life, he eagerly pointed to the greatness of Jesus. John welcomed the success of Jesus’ revelation as the Messiah even though he realized his own moment in the spotlight was passing. The more Jesus was recognized, the more John could enjoy his own success. Humility combines the persistence to do and be what God has called us to be, the wisdom to recognize those things we cannot do and be, and the vision to always see ourselves in relation to God’s greatness.
While there are some ancient manuscripts that do not include the second “is above all,” John’s emphasis on highlighting the nature and character of Jesus argues for the authenticity of the phrase. Repetition can be redundant, but it can also be emphatic. John does not want us to miss even a little of what we are able to grasp about Christ.
3:32 “He testifies to what he has seen and heard.”NIV Throughout his Gospel, John emphasized the fact that Jesus spoke what he had heard from the Father (8:14-30). He was the Father’s representative in word and action.
“But no one accepts his testimony.”NIV This is a great condemnation upon mankind —especially the people who lived when Jesus did, for they were the ones who heard his testimony and rejected it (see 1:10-11; 3:11; 12:37ff.).
3:33 “Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true.”NRSV By way of contrast with verse 32, this verse indicates that some did receive Jesus’ testimony. Those who received Jesus’ testimony believed that he was the Son of God come from heaven, the Messiah. Their belief in his testimony was their “stamp of approval” on the truthfulness of God’s action (sending his Son). In other words, they tested the testimony and found it to be true. “To set one’s seal” to something was a way of saying, “I have identified with this.” In ancient days, a person would impress his personal mark on a seal and thereby label the object so sealed as belonging to him or her.
TAKING OFFENSE
The worship of pluralism and tolerance in our own time has once again made the claims of Christ stand out in sharp relief. Jesus did not accept the mere tolerance of others in his own day, and neither will he in ours. Jesus helps us recognize that tolerance is often nothing more than thinly veiled rejection. Nicodemus’s opening words can be read as complimentary tolerance. Jesus’ response pushed Nicodemus to declare himself plainly, to make a choice. Jesus received the open acceptance or rejection of people, but he refused to be simply tolerated.
Repeating the absolute claims of Jesus today is liable to bring heated responses not unlike those Jesus himself experienced. Doubts about this can be easily settled by mentioning in social company that Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NRSV). Responses will almost always vary from “Really?” to “He must not have meant it like it sounds,” to “Yes, but . . .” to “That’s just narrow-minded, fundamentalist thinking —Jesus was certainly above that sort of thing!” The world persists in wanting to categorize Jesus as nice, wise, or even great —almost anything short of bowing before him in repentance and worship.
Christians who allow tolerance in exchange for the confrontation of genuine love have made many reject Christianity as irrelevant. When truth is sacrificed on the altar of tolerance, no one hears the truth of what God did for us by sending his Son to die on the cross. The fear of risking offense ought to make us examine whether or not we really believe what we think we believe.
When we read a famous document like the American Declaration of Independence, we usually are drawn to the names of those who signed. Some are well known; others are practically forgotten. But by their signature, they identified themselves with that proclamation. In the case of God’s declaration, only his signature was required to make it valid. It was true whether or not anyone else ever witnessed to its truth. The gospel is the invitation from God to add ourselves to those who have staked their lives on Christ, the Truth.
ETERNAL LIFE INSURANCE
In the light of John 3:33, one way of understanding the gospel is by imagining that God provided for us in Christ an eternal life insurance policy. Full payment was made on the cross by Jesus’ death. The Bible tells us that even though we don’t deserve the privilege or opportunity, God offers to make us beneficiaries of the policy. We enter our names on the blank line through trust in Christ.
3:34 “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God.”NIV This statement authenticates what was said in verse 32. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, does not speak his own words, but the words of God (see 5:19ff.).
“For God gives the Spirit without limit.”NIV God gave the immeasurable Spirit to his Son. As such, the Son was the recipient of the immeasurable Spirit for his prophetic ministry (see Isaiah 11:1ff.). But unlike the Old Testament prophets who were anointed with the Holy Spirit only when they were speaking for God, Jesus always had the Spirit and therefore always spoke the words of God. We can trust the words of Jesus.
3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.”NIV The Father committed all of his divine plan to the care of his beloved Son. What a glorious privilege and awesome responsibility! By the end of his ministry, Jesus told the Father that he had accomplished everything the Father had wanted him to do (17:1-4).
COMPELLED TO BELIEVE
Jesus’ testimony was trustworthy because he had come from heaven and was speaking of what he had seen there. His words were the very words of God. Our whole spiritual life depends on our answer to one question: Who is Jesus Christ? If we accept Jesus as only a prophet or teacher, we will actually have to reject his teaching, for he clearly claimed to be God’s Son —God himself. The heartbeat of John’s Gospel is the dynamic truth that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Messiah, the Savior, who was from the beginning and will continue to live forever. This same Jesus has invited us to accept him and live with him eternally. When we understand who Jesus is, we are compelled to believe what he said.
3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.”NRSV Believers need not wonder whether or not they have eternal life (or wait for the future judgment to see if eternal life will be granted or not). He who has the Son has (as in present ownership) eternal life (1 John 5:11). Thus, eternal life begins at the moment of spiritual rebirth. The question for individual believers, then, is: How does our way of living demonstrate the fact that we expect to live eternally?
“Whoever disobeys the Son.”NRSV The NIV uses “rejects” to translate apeithon (disobeying) and summarizes the intent of the verb disobeys in the NRSV. To disobey the Son is to reject him. To reject the Son’s testimony and the gospel is to cut ourselves off from the benefits available only through him.
“Will not see life.”NRSV To not see life means to not experience God’s eternal life.
“But must endure God’s wrath.”NRSV John, the author of this Gospel, has been demonstrating that Jesus is the true Son of God. Jesus sets before us the greatest choice in life. We are responsible to decide today whom we will obey (Joshua 24:15). God wants us to choose him and life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). God’s wrath is his final judgment and rejection of the sinner. To put off the choice is to choose not to follow Christ. Indecision is a fatal decision.
