John 3 - NKJV Study Bible

3:1 The phrase ruler of the Jews indicates that Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish council, the group that had sent a committee to investigate John the Baptist (1:24). Nicodemus no doubt knew that John the Baptist had denied being the Messiah (1:20), but had said that the Messiah was present (1:26,27).

3:2 The fact that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night may reveal the timidity of his faith (12:42); however, his faith was developing (7:50,51; 19:39).

3:3 born again: The Greek word translated again can mean either “from above” or “anew.” The new birth, or regeneration (see Titus 3:5), is the act by which God imparts spiritual life to one who trusts Christ. Without this spiritual birth, a person cannot perceive spiritual things (see 1 Cor. 2:10, 13–16), nor can he or she enter the kingdom of God (v. 5).

3:5 There are several interpretations of the phrase born of water and the Spirit. (1) Jesus was referring to water baptism (see Acts 10:43–47). (2) Water is to be understood as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Thus the phrase could be translated “born of water, even the Spirit.” (3) Water is to be understood as a symbol of the Word of God. Similar imagery can be found in other NT passages, specifically Eph. 5:26; 1 Pet. 1:23. (4) Jesus used the phrase “born of water” to refer to physical birth. He then used the contrasting phrase “of the Spirit” to refer to spiritual birth. (5) Jesus used the phrase “born of water” to refer to John the Baptist’s baptism. (6) Jesus used the OT imagery of “water” and “wind” to refer to the work of God from above (see Is. 44:3–5; Ezek. 37:9,10). Wind is an alternate translation of the term Spirit (v. 8).

3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh: Flesh cannot be made into spirit. A person must experience a spiritual rebirth (v. 7).

3:7 In the Greek text, you is plural. In v. 2, Nicodemus used the word “we,” probably referring to the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. Here Jesus spoke not only to Nicodemus, but to all whom he represented.

3:8 Jesus used the wind as an illustration of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word translated Spirit also means “wind.” As the wind seemingly blows where it wills, so the Holy Spirit sovereignly works. Likewise, no one knows the origin or destination of the wind, but everyone knows it is there. The same is true of the Holy Spirit.

3:10 Jesus answered Nicodemus’s question (vv. 13–15), but first He rebuked Nicodemus for being a teacher of the Hebrew Scriptures and not knowing about spiritual birth (see Is. 44:3; Ezek. 36:26,27).

3:11 you do not receive: Again you is plural (v. 7). Jesus had others in mind beyond Nicodemus. Here Jesus rebuked not only Nicodemus, but the other Pharisees as well.

3:12 Earthly things refers to things that occur on earth, like the new birth (vv. 3, 5–7), the wind (v. 8), and perhaps miracles. Heavenly things refers to events like Christ’s ascension (6:61,62) and the coming of the Holy Spirit (16:7). Nicodemus may have believed in Jesus’ miracles (v. 2); the majority of the Jewish council did not (v. 11).

3:13 In v. 9, Nicodemus, referring to the new birth, asks, “How can these things be?” Here Jesus answers the question. New birth is by the Son, by the Cross (v. 14), and by faith (v. 15).

3:14 Every time the words lifted up occur in the Gospel of John there is a reference to Jesus’ death (8:28; 12:32,34). When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (see Num. 21:9), those who looked at it lived. So it is with the Son of Man (1:51).

3:15 This is the first time eternal life is mentioned in John’s Gospel (see 4:36; 5:39; 6:54,68; 10:28; 12:25; 17:2,3). When a person trusts Christ, he or she is born again and receives eternal and spiritual life, God’s kind of life.

3:16 God so loved the world: God’s love is not restricted to any one nation or to any spiritual elite. World here may also include all of creation (see Rom. 8:19–22; Col. 1:20).

3:17 At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus comes again, He will come in judgment upon those who refused His offer of salvation.

3:18 To believe is to receive life (vv. 15,16) and avoid judgment. A person who does not believe not only misses life, but is condemned already. The idea of believing in Jesus’ name is also found in 1:12.

3:19 Condemnation refers to the reason for judgment. The light referred to here is Jesus, the light of the world (1:7–9; 8:12; 9:5).

3:20 People offer many excuses for not accepting Christ. Some cite the presence of hypocrites in the church. Others claim inability to believe some of the truths about Christ or the gospel. These are merely attempts to conceal a heart in rebellion against God. The ultimate reason people do not come to Christ is that they do not want to.

3:21 The one who does the truth (see 1 John 1:5) is obviously already a believer because his or her deeds are done in God. Therefore, “coming to the light” is more than exercising faith. A person who comes to the light not only believes, but also openly identifies with the light so that his or her works can be seen as things done in union with God.

3:22 baptized: The impression here is that Jesus baptized. John corrects this idea in 4:2. Jesus provided the authority, but the disciples performed the baptisms.

3:24 The synoptic Gospels, particularly Matthew and Mark, give the impression that the imprisonment of John the Baptist came right after the baptism of Jesus. This verse indicates that there was an interval between Jesus’ baptism and John’s imprisonment during which both ministered.

3:25 The Greek word translated then often means “therefore.” The disciples of Jesus and the disciples of John were both baptizing people; as a result, a question arose. The question came from John’s disciples when they entered into a discussion with the Jews. Purification here refers to baptism.

3:26 John the Baptist’s disciples were loyal to him. They were deeply concerned that one of his “disciples,” Jesus, was competing with and surpassing him. In their astonishment, they exaggerated the predicament, saying, all are coming to Him. They were concerned that John was losing his audience to another preacher.

3:27 John the Baptist clarified the relationship between himself and Jesus. First, he talked about himself (vv. 27–29); then he talked about Jesus (vv. 30–36). John explained that he could not accept the position of supremacy that his disciples wanted to thrust upon him because he had not received it from heaven.

3:29 In explaining why people were flocking to Jesus (v. 26), John the Baptist pointed out that the bridegroom receives the bride. John compared himself to the friend of the bridegroom, who was appointed to arrange the preliminaries of the wedding, to manage the wedding, and to preside at the wedding feast. When the friend of the bridegroom finished his job, he had to get out of the way. His joy came from the success of the bridegroom. John was satisfied with his position in life. He was content to be a “voice” (1:23) and a friend.

3:30 John the Baptist insisted that Jesus Christ had to increase in popularity and that he, John, had to decrease. John explained that Jesus had to increase because of (1) His divine origin (v. 31), (2) His divine teaching (vv. 32–34), and (3) His divine authority (vv. 35,36). Even though John encouraged his disciples to also follow Jesus, there were still some found many years later in Ephesus (see Acts 19).

3:31 He who comes from above refers to Jesus Christ. He who is of the earth refers to John the Baptist. John emphasized his earthly origin and its limitations. John proclaimed divine truth on earth; Jesus, on the other hand, is from heaven and above all.

3:32 no one receives His testimony: No one, apart from God’s work in him or her (6:44), can accept Jesus Christ.

3:33 Certified means “to seal.” In a society where many could not read, seals were used to convey a clear message, even to the illiterate. A seal indicated ownership to all and expressed a person’s personal guarantee. To receive Jesus’ testimony is to certify that God is true regarding what He has sealed.

3:34 Unlike human teachers, Jesus was not given the Spirit by measure—that is, in a limited way (see Is. 11:1,2). The Holy Spirit was given to Jesus completely. All three Persons of the Trinity are referred to in this verse: God the Father sent Christ the Son, and gave Him the Holy Spirit without measure.

3:35 God the Father not only gave Jesus, in His humanity, the Holy Spirit (v. 34), He also gave Him all things, including the authority to give life (5:21) and judge (5:22). The phrase into His hand signifies the Son’s authority over the use of “all things.”

3:36 The verb translated has is in the present tense. The one who believes has eternal life as a present possession. Likewise, the one who refuses to believe on Christ has the wrath of God abiding on him or her as a present reality.