‘Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews'. Not long after the commencement of His ministry Jesus was approached by a man named Nicodemus, who was a very important man. He was a Pharisee and a member of the governing Jewish council (the Sanhedrin). Possibly this was... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The same came to him by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these signs except God be with him”.' This Pharisee acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher ‘come from God' and that ‘God was with Him' because he was impressed by the ‘signs' that H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered and said to him, “In very truth I tell you except a man be born from above (or anew) he cannot see the Kingly Rule of God”.' Jesus cut short his preamble and came emphatically to the point, (although of course John may well have abbreviated the discussion). “Unless a man is born fro... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Nicodemus says to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ' Nicodemus takes what Jesus says to mean born again physically, and speaks as though he confuses this with natural birth. John often uses a question arising from a misunde... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered, “In very truth I tell you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingly Rule of God.' Jesus replies that He is speaking about a birth “of water and Spirit” without which entry under the reign of God is impossible. The connection of water with Spi... [ Continue Reading ]
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Here we can refer back to John 1:12 where John had distinguished natural birth from being ‘born of God'. Being born a Jew, or in Christendom, or in a Christian family is not sufficient. Just as being baptise... [ Continue Reading ]
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again'. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its voice but do not know from where it comes or where it is going. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.” At this stage Jesus can see that Nicodemus is still puzzled. ‘Do not marvel that I... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can these things be?” ' Nicodemus still does not understand. ‘How can these things be?', he asks. What is clear to many a Christian child is a total mystery to the learned scholar. We must, however, remember that he has long cherished views. To him water is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?” ' Jesus words are a gentle rebuke. ‘Do you claim to be a teacher (literally ‘the master' - therefore a particularly learned teacher) of Israel and yet do not understand this?' Many Pharisees were... [ Continue Reading ]
“In very truth I tell you, we speak what we know, and bear witness of what we have seen, and you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” ‘We' is Jesus and His disciples. ‘You' (plural) are Nicodemus... [ Continue Reading ]
“And no man has ascended into Heaven, but he who descended out of Heaven, even the Son of Man who is in Heaven.” In Proverbs 30:4 the question is asked, “Who has ascended up into heaven and descended?” and the expected answer is ‘nobody'. For as Jesus brings out here, the only One Who can ascend in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.' The fourth mystery is the greatest of all. That this Son of Man must be lifted up on show, as a means of salvation. ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life'. The message is now expanded. The reason that Jesus has come is because “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son”. This is the amazing new rev... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world should be saved through him.' Other (mythical) gods came to the world to condemn it, never to save it, but God's purpose in sending His Son was to save. He wanted to give men eternal life. He wanted to save them fr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God'. He stresses that it is not God Who condemns men, rather they condemn themselves. When they see God's supreme Word, Jesus, revealing H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil'. God bases His condemnation on the fact that Jesus has come as ‘the light' into the world (John 1:4; John 1:9; John 8:12), and by His life and teaching has offer... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved'. While we are behaving like ‘nice Christians' and doing good, men will praise us and say nice things about us, but let us once speak and behave in such a way that it condemns their own se... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God'. On the other hand those who do what is right have no fear of the truth about their lives coming out. They gladly come to Jesus and listen eagerly to His words and to the word of G... [ Continue Reading ]
‘After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he stayed for a time with them and baptised.' The land of Judea is in Southern Palestine, below Samaria. Galilee was above Samaria in northern Palestine. Across the Jordan from Judea was Perea. All are differentiated... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN THE BAPTISER DECREASES (JOHN 3:22). At this stage Jesus began His ministry alongside that of John the Baptist in a supporting role. It was not His intention at this stage to supersede him. Indeed, when He learned that His success was diminishing John He retired to Galilee. Meanwhile on being a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And John was also baptising at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.' John the Baptiser did not feel that his work was over because the One to whom he pointed had come, nor did he feel it necessary to become a disciple of Jesus (in the technical sense). The relationship between Jes... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For John had not yet been put in prison.' John had not yet been put into prison. Thus this is before the ministries of Jesus mentioned in the other Gospels. Jesus is quite happy at this stage to be connected with John for whom He had profound admiration and they engage in parallel ministries. It w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘A discussion therefore arose between John's disciples and a Jew (or ‘the Judaisers') about purifying'. A discussion arose between John's disciples and ‘a Jew' (or ‘the Judaisers'). As John's disciples were in fact Jews this demonstrates that the term Jew or Jews, when used in the Gospel, is not to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold the same baptises and all men come to him.” ' John's disciples bring to their teacher the news of Jesus' great successes. Had they listened as carefully to their teacher as the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing except it has been given him from Heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said ‘I am not the Christ (Messiah), but that I am sent before him'.” ' John recognises that each man must do well the task he has been given. He has been given the po... [ Continue Reading ]
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase and I must decrease.” In the Old Testament Israel was regularly pictured as God's bride ... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He who comes from above is above all. He that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. He who comes from Heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard, of that he bears witness, and no man receives his witness. He that has received his witness has set his seal to this, that Go... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.' Jesus receives the Spirit without measure because He is ‘the Son' and ‘the Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands'. This is the first mention of Jesus as ‘the Son' in this Gospel, but the first of many such men... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He who believes on the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.' Not to listen to the Son is dangerous indeed. ‘He who believes on (believes into) the Son has eternal life, ‘the life of the coming age', spiritual life, immortal li... [ Continue Reading ]