John 3:1-21:

Jesus and Nicodemus

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

July 26, 2009

 

I.  Introduction

A.  Please turn to John 3:1. 

B.  While you are turning.... 

A man noticed one morning that his name was in the death column of the newspaper.  In indignation, he called the newspaper office and asked them why they put his name in the obituary column.  The man on the other side of the line said, "Just a second.  I'll go see about it."  He came back and said, "Yes, you are right.  We have made a mistake.  But, don't worry.  In the paper tomorrow we will put your name in the birth column.[1]

 

II.  Exposition

A.  Background

1.  We are in the section concerning the public ministry of God, the Son (John 2:1-12:36a).

2.  This week, it is still the Passover season in AD 30, and Jesus is still in Jerusalem for the feast.

3.  Last week, Jesus cleansed the temple and confronted the authorities.

4.  John explained that Jesus knows what was in men's hearts.

5.  This week we have John's first discourse of Jesus when an influential Rabbi, Nicodemus, pays Him a visit.

B.  Exposition: The first Passover (John 2:13-3:21)--The first discourse: Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)

1.  You must be born again (John 3:1-8)!

a.  Nicodemus' greeting (John 3:1-2)

^3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; ² this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (John 3:1-2).

 

1)  "Now there was a man of the Pharisees"

a)  The use of the word "man" ties this account into John's remarks about Jesus' knowledge of men's' hearts. 

b)  The Pharisees ("separatists"), along with the Sadducees ("righteous ones"), were one of the two main religious parties in first century Judaism. 

c)  They accepted all of the Scriptures, not just the Law as the Sadducees.

d)  They believed in the resurrection, which Sadducees denied. 

e)  They also believed in the validity of oral tradition in addition to Scripture. 

f)  When the Jewish revolt against Rome (AD 66-73) brought an end to both the temple and the Sadducees, the Pharisees formed the nucleus of what became Orthodox Judaism.[2]

2)  "Named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews"

a)  Although mentioned only in John, Nicodemus is fairly well known outside of the NT; he, his daughter, Miriam, and his daughter-in-law are all mentioned in early Jewish writings.[3] 

b)  He was one of the three wealthiest men in Jerusalem, a philanthropist, and a member of the Sanhedrin.[4] 

i)  "A ruler of the Jews" has been translated, "a member of the Jewish ruling council" (NET, NIV). 

ii)  Nicodemus, along with Gamaliel and Joseph of Arimathea, are the only three members of that seventy-man council to receive favorable mention in the NT (John 19:38; Acts 5:34-39; 22:3). 

c)  Nicodemus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, buried Jesus' body after the crucifixion (John 19:38-40).  John says explicitly that Joseph of Arimathea was a believer, but he does not make that claim about Nicodemus (John 19:38). 

d)  Nicodemus advocated peace with the Romans in the first Jewish rebellion.[5] 

e)  After the Roman victory, the Jewish writings relate that his daughter and daughter-in-law were destitute; apparently, Nicodemus lost all of his wealth in the war. 

3)  "This man came to Jesus by night."

a)  As Jesus was staying in Jerusalem, Nicodemus came to visit Him at night. 

b)  This may have been concern for his reputation or desire for an audience away from the crowds.[6] 

4)  "And said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.'"

a)  Nicodemus is very polite in his address to Jesus. 

b)  This influential Pharisaical rabbi addresses Jesus as "Rabbi" (literally "My great one"). 

c)  He acknowledges that Jesus has "come from God as a teacher." 

d)  The "signs" have led him to believe that "God is with him." 

i)  Jesus refused to work signs for the closed-minded on demand (John 2:18-22). 

ii)  Nonetheless, there is always enough evidence for the open-minded (John 2:23). 

e)  However, there is no evidence that Nicodemus has believed in Jesus or grasped the Messianic meaning of His signs.[7]

b.  Jesus' statement (John 3:3)

³ Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

  

1)  I love that way that our Lord cuts directly to the point! 

2)  We all need a new birth from above in order to participate in God's kingdom. 

3)  The Gk. word translated "again" can mean either "again" or "from above."[8] 

a)  Jesus, with his fondness for double meanings, probably meant both.

b)  Nicodemus focused on "again."[9] 

c)  The Amplified Bible attempts to capture both meanings, "born again (anew, from above)" (Amp). 

d)  One has suggested the translation, "reborn from above."[10] 

4)  "He cannot see the kingdom of God" has been translated:

a)   "He can have no experience of the Kingdom of God" (Barclay).

b)  "He cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God" (Amp). 

5)  Nicodemus would have been shocked that Jesus would say such a thing. 

a)  The rabbis held that all Jews would take part in Messiah's kingdom, "ALL ISRAEL HAVE A PORTION IN THE WORLD TO COME."[11] 

b)  New birth terminology was used for Gentiles who converted to Judaism, "a man who became a proselyte is like a child newly born."[12] 

c)  Therefore, to consider new birth for a Jew to see Messiah's kingdom would have been incomprehensible for Nicodemus.

d)  Nonetheless, the new birth is absolutely essential no matter what your background.

c.  Nicodemus' first question (John 3:4)

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" (John 3:4).

 

1)  Nicodemus shows by his answer that he does not get Jesus' meaning. 

2)  He missed the implication of birth from above and fixated on the again aspect.

d.  Jesus' explanation (John 3:5-8)

⁵ Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  ⁷ Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:5-8).

 

1)  "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

a)  Two births are necessary to enter the kingdom of God: first, one must be "born of water;" then second "of the Spirit."

i)   Some see in "born of water" a reference to water baptism.

(a)  But that would be reading something into the text that is not in the context. 

(b)  John nowhere states any other condition for salvation than simple trust.  Funny that he wouldn't mention baptism again. 

ii)  This could also refer to the cleansing work of the Spirit. 

(a)  It is possible to translate this as, "born of water even the Spirit." 

(b)  The Spirit's cleansing is symbolically referred to by water in Scripture. 

(i)  Peter wrote, "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 3:21). 

(ii)  Paul also wrote:

⁵ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).

 

(iii)  Paul also reminded the Corinthians that they had been "washed" (1 Cor 6:11).[13]

iii)  Another possibility is that water refers to the word of God. 

(a)  Paul equated water and the word:

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Eph 5:25-27).

 

(b)  The word is also presented as an agent in our spiritual birth (Jas 1:18; 1 Pet 1:23-25). 

(c)  However, Nicodemus would have had little chance of understanding the metaphor. 

iv)  Finally, being born of water might refer to physical birth and the release of the amniotic fluid in birth.[14] 

(a)  Thus, the comparison between water and Spirit would exactly match the compassion in the next verse. 

(b)  The context in the previous verse was physical birth.[15] 

(c)  This seems the best interpretation to me.

2)  "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

a)  From a source of flesh comes nothing but flesh. 

b)  A spiritual birth is required for anything spiritual. 

c)  "Physical birth can only beget a physical creature; but spiritual birth begets a spiritual creature" (Barclay). 

d)  The comparison is the same as John 3:5.

i)  The phrase "born of water" (v. 5) corresponds to "born of the flesh" (v. 6).

ii)  "Spirit" (v. 5) corresponds to "born of the Spirit" (v. 6).

3)  "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"

a)  Nicodemus was amazed that a new birth was required for all even Jews.

i)  The KJV catches the plural "Marvel not that I said unto thee [singular], Ye [plural] must be born again" (KJV). 

ii)  This has been translated, "you ... you all" (CCNT), "I told you that all of you must be born again" (NTME), and "You must all be born anew (from above)" (Amp). 

b)  All people everywhere in all cultures must be reborn from above.

4)  "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

a)  Jesus uses a word play on spirit and wind to illustrate the mysterious nature of spiritual rebirth. 

b)  The word play works in Gk., Heb., Aram., and Lat.; the same word means "Spirit" or "wind" in each of these languages.[16] 

c)  The wind is mysterious and invisible, but its results can be perceived, so is the new birth.

2.  Earthly vs. heavenly (John 3:9-13)

a.  Nicodemus' second question (John 3:9)

⁹ Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" (John 3:9).

 

1)  Nicodemus still is confused by what Jesus is saying. 

2)  He asks Jesus to explain how this spiritual birth works.

b.  Jesus' rebuke (John 3:10)

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?" (John 3:10).

 

1)  Jesus gently chides Nicodemus for being unable to understand. 

2)  Notice that Jesus calls Nicodemus "the teacher of Israel." 

3)  There are OT Scriptures that should have come to his mind:

³ "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants" (Isa 44:3).

 

⁹ Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"  ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army (Ezek 37:9-10).

 

²⁷ "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  ²⁶ "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  ²⁷ "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances (Ezek 36:25-27).

 

c.  Jesus' testimony (John 3:11-13)

¹¹ "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.  ¹² If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man" (John 3:11-13).

 

1)  "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony."

a)  Jesus' testimony concerned that of which He had personal knowledge. 

b)  In spite of that, the Jewish authorities would not accept His testimony. 

c)  This is not an intellectual problem, but rejecting the witness.

2)  "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"

a)  In fact, Jesus had used earthly examples and Nicodemus did not get it. 

b)  Therefore, there was little chance that Nicodemus would understand deeper truths.

3)  "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man."

a)  The pre-existent Son was in heaven before He came to earth; therefore, He knows that about which He is talking.[17] 

b)  Jesus begins to refer to Himself using the Messianic title "Son of Man" from Daniel.

3.  Faith and judgment (John 3:14-21)

a.  Faith in Jesus and eternal life (John 3:14-16)

1)  Moses and the serpent (John 3:14-15)

¹⁴ "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; ¹⁵ so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).

 

a)  "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up"

i)  Jesus employed the OT incident of Moses and the serpents to explain His mission as the Son of Man:

The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  ⁷ So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.  ⁸ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."  ⁹ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived (Num 21:6-9).

 

ii)  The serpent was a symbol of their sin. 

(a)  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21).

(b)  This is the substitutionary atonement.

iii)  The Gk. word translated "lifted up" means both "to lift up spatially, lift up, raise high" and "to cause enhancement in honor, fame, position, power, or fortune, exalt."[18] 

iv)  William D. Mounce notes that this is "a powerful double meaning referring not only to Jesus being lifted up on the cross of wood, but also to his exaltation before all humanity and his coming exaltation in the presence of God."[19]

b)  "So that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."

i)  God's purpose in Messiah's death is to provide eternal life for believers. 

(a)  The Gk. word translated "whoever believes" is a present participle of the verb, which means "to consider someth[ing] to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust."[20] 

(i)  Wuest translates this, "everyone who places his trust in Him" (NTET).

(ii)  Williams, "everyone who trusts in Him" (NTLP).

(iii)  The Amplified Bible, "everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him]" (Amp). 

(b)  "Have" is a present tense verb.  Eternal life is a present possession of anyone who trusts Christ.

(c)  Eternal life is quality of life, not just quantity; it is the very life of God.

2)  God so loved the world (John 3:16)

¹⁶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

 

a)  Some end Jesus' words with v. 15.  However, the entire context seems to be a unit, and Jesus' words continue through v. 21.[21]

b)  While the cross is grounded on the purpose of God to provide eternal life to believers, that purpose is grounded on the love of God. 

i)  The Gk. word translated "so" refers to degree, extent, or manner.[22] 

(a)  How much God loved (enough to send His Son).

(b)  How many He loved (the world).

(c)  The way He loved (sacrificially). 

ii)  Jesus reveals more of Himself by referring to Himself as the unique Son of God. 

(a)  The Gk. word translated "only begotten" means "the only one of its kind or class, unique (in kind)."[23]  

(b)  This has been translated, "only begotten (unique)" (Amp). 

c)  All one must do to be saved is trust in Christ Jesus; all one must do to be lost is nothing.

b.  Judgment (John 3:17-21)

1)  God's purpose (John 3:17-18)

¹⁷ "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:17-18).

 

a)  "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

i)  The purpose of God in the first coming of Christ is salvation, not judgment. 

(a)  God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezek 18:23, 32). 

(b)  God wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). 

ii)  Messiah will judge the world at His second coming (Matt 25:31 ff.; John 5:27-29).

b)  "He who believes in Him is not judged."

i)  Jesus promises all believers that they will not come into God's judgment. 

ii)  Jesus will say the same thing again in chapter 5, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (John 5:24). 

iii)  This has been translated, "He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation]" (Amp). 

iv)  There is no judgment for salvation awaiting the believer.

c)  "He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

i)  However, those who do not believe are already judged, "Whoever trusts in Him is never to come up for judgment; but whoever does not trust in Him has already received his sentence" (NTLP). 

ii)  The Gk. verb translated "does not believe" is in the perfect tense and means to have "taken a permanent attitude of refusal."[24] 

iii)  That person "has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." 

(a)  "In the name" means "in the character" (NTME). 

(b)  "In rabbinic Judaism, too, a person's name represented his essence."[25] 

iv)  The unbeliever is not awaiting trial; they are already under God's sentence.

2)  The nature of judgment (John 3:19-21)

¹⁹ "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  ²¹ But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3:19-21).

 

a)  "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

i)  Jesus explains the basis for God's judgment. 

(a)  "The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this" (Amp). 

(b)  Humankind cannot say that they loved darkness because that is all that they knew; "the Light has come into the world." 

(c)  The majority loved darkness; they are devoted to it.  The Gk. word translated "loved" is agapaō. 

ii)  The reason for this devotion is that "their deeds were evil." 

iii)  This is a case of one's morality dictating one's theology.

b)  "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

i)  Evildoers hate and fear the light because they do not want their deeds exposed. 

(a)  Paul wrote:

¹¹ Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them....  ¹³ But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light (Eph 5:11, 13).

 

(b)  Evildoers hate the light because they wish to appear good, but light exposes their baseness. 

ii)  The difference between people is their response to the light.

c)  "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

i)  Sadly, believers are also capable of worthless acts and preferring darkness. 

ii)  However, by openly and honestly confessing our sin and receiving God's forgiveness and cleansing we can walk in the light (1 John 1:7-10). 

iii)  When we are walking in the light any good works that we might have are "wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence upon Him]" (Amp).

II.  Applications

A.  Jesus

1.  The pre-existent Son was in heaven before He came to earth; therefore, He knows that about which He is talking concerning heaven.

2.  He is the Son of Man, the Messiah and not just a good Teacher.

3.  He knew that He had to die for us.

B.  Us

1.  We all, in all cultures and from all backgrounds, need a new birth from above in order to participate in God's kingdom.

2.  The difference between people is their response to the light.

a.  There is no judgment for salvation awaiting the believer.

b.  The unbeliever is not awaiting trial; they are already under God's sentence.

3.  One's morality dictates one's theology.

4.  All one must do to be saved is trust in Christ Jesus; all one must do to be lost is nothing.