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1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are
a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous
signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can
see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked.
"Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb
to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'
8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with
everyone born of the Spirit."
John 3:1-8
Explanation: 3:1 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the
ruling council [called the Sanhedrin]. The Pharisees were a group
of religious leaders whom Jesus and John the Baptist often criticized
for being hypocrites (see Matthew 3:7 for more on the Pharisees).
Most Pharisees were intensely jealous of Jesus because he undermined
their authority and challenged their views. But 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 you are, you must come to Jesus with an open mind and heart
so he can teach you the truth about God. Nicodemus came to Jesus
personally, although he could have sent one of his assistants. He
wanted to examine Jesus for himself to separate fact from rumor.
Perhaps Nicodemus was afraid of what his peers, the Pharisees, would
say about his visit, so he came after dark. Later when he understood
that Jesus was truly the Messiah, he spoke up boldly in his defense.
Like Nicodemus, we must examine Jesus for ourselves--others cannot
do it for us. Then, if we believe he is who he says, we will want
to speak up for him.
3:3 What did Nicodemus know about the kingdom?
From the Bible he knew it would be ruled by God, it would 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, not just the Jews, and that Nicodemus wouldn't be a part
of it unless he was personally born again. 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)
3:5, 6 Of water and the Spirit could refer to (1)
the contrast between physical birth (water) and spiritual birth
(Spirit), or (2) being regenerated by the Spirit and signifying
that rebirth by Christian baptism. The water may also represent
the cleansing action of God's Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Nicodemus
undoubtedly would have been familiar with God's promise in Ezekiel
36:25, 26. Jesus was explaining the importance of a spiritual rebirth,
saying that people don't enter the kingdom by living a better life,
but by being spiritually reborn.
3:6 Who is the Holy Spirit? God is three persons
in one--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became man
in Jesus so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus rose from the
dead to offer 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 mankind (see Luke 24:49).
The Holy Spirit first became available to all believers t 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 Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; and 2 Corinthians
1:22.
3:8 Jesus explained that we cannot control the
work of the Holy Spirit. He works in ways we cannot predict or understand.
Just as you did not control your physical birth, so you cannot control
your spiritual birth. It is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 6).
9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do
you not understand these things?
11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify
to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe;
how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from
heaven--the Son of Man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of
Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
John 3:9-15
Explanation: 3:10,11 This Jewish teacher of the Bible knew Old
Testament thoroughly, but he didn't understand what it said about
the Messiah. Knowledge is not salvation. You should know the Bible,
but even more important, you should understand the God whom the
Bible reveals and the salvation that God offers.
3:14,15 When the Israelites were wandering in the
desert, God sent a plague of snakes to punish the people for their
rebellious attitudes. Those doomed to die from snakebite could be
healed by obeying God's command to look up at the elevated bronze
snake and by believing that God would heal them if they did (see
Numbers 21:8,9). Similarly, our 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.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in
the name of God's one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into
the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that
it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through
God."
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean
countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there
was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.
24 (This was before John was put in prison.)
25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a
certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.
John 3:16-25
Explanation: 3:16 The entire gospel comes to a focus in this
verse. God's love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out
and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the
basis for all love relationships--when you love someone dearly,
you are willing to give love freely to the point of-self sacrifice.
God paid dearly with the life of his Son, the highest price he could
pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins,
and then offered us the new life that he had bought for us. 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. Some people are repulsed by the idea
of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life
is not an extension of a person's miserable, mortal life; eternal
life is God's life embodied in Christ given to all believers now
as a guarantee that they will live forever. 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. To believe is more than intellectual agreement that
Jesus is God. It means to put 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. If you
have never trusted Christ, let this promise of everlasting life
be yours--and believe.
3:18 People often try to protect themselves from
their fears by putting their faith in something they do or have:
good deeds, skill or intelligence, money or possessions. But only
God can save us from the one thing 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. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, he means those who
reject or ignore him completely, not those who have momentary doubts.
3:19-21 Many people don't want their lives exposed
to God's light because they are afraid of what will be revealed.
They don't want to be changed. Don't be surprised when these same
people are threatened by your desire to obey God and do what is
right, because they are afraid that the light in you may expose
some of the darkness in their lives. Rather than giving in to discouragement,
keep praying that they will come to see how much better it is to
live in light than darkness.
3:25 Some people look for points of disagreement
so they can sow seeds of discord, discontent, and doubt. John the
Baptist ended this theological argument by focusing on his devotion
to Christ. It is divisive to try to force others to believe our
way. Instead, let's witness about what Christ has done for us. How
can anyone argue with us about that?
26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, 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."
27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given
him from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, `I am not the Christ
but am sent ahead of him.'
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the
bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he
hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
31 "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who
is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the
earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts
his testimony.
33 The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words
of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects
the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
John 3:26-36
Explanation: 3:26 John the Baptist's disciples were disturbed
because people were following Jesus instead of John. It is easy
to grow jealous of the popularity of another person's ministry.
But we must remember that our true mission is to influence people
to follow Christ, not us.
3:27 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 turn people to Jesus.
3:30 John's willingness to decrease in importance
shows unusual humility. Pastors and other Christian leaders can
be tempted to focus more on the success of their ministries than
on Christ. Beware of those who put more emphasis on their own achievements
than on God's kingdom.
3:31-35 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. Your whole spiritual life
depends on your answer to one question, Who is Jesus Christ? If
you accept Jesus as only a prophet or teacher, you have to reject
his teaching, for he claimed to be God's Son, even 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.
3:34 God's Spirit was upon Jesus without limit
or measure. Thus Jesus was the highest revelation of God to humanity
(Hebrews 1:2).
3:36 Jesus says that those who believe in him have
(not will have) everlasting life. To receive eternal life is to
join in God's life, which by nature is eternal. Thus, eternal life
begins at the moment of spiritual rebirth. 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), and God wants
us to choose him and life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The wrath of God
is God's final judgment and rejection of the sinner. To put off
the choice is to choose not to follow Christ. Indecision is a fatal
decision.
