CHAPTER III. CHRIST AND NICODEMUS. This chapter relates another and. remarkable incident of this visit to Jerusalem, an interview with. member of the Sanhedrim,. prominent Pharisee. The last verses of the second chapter state that there were many who believed in Jesus when they saw his miracles, no... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS. MAN OF THE PHARISEES, NAMED NICODEMUS,. RULER OF THE JEWS. Nicodemus is named three times by John, and not elsewhere; here, in chapter 7:50, where he protests against condemning Jesus unheard, and in chapter 19:39, where he aids Joseph of Arimathæa, in the burial of Jesus. There are untr... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SAME CAME TO JESUS BY NIGHT. He probably chose the night in order to escape observation. The radical act of Jesus in driving the cattle and the dealers, as well as the money changers, from the temple court, had excited the wrath of the priests who derived gain from the desecration. The holy and... [ Continue Reading ]
VERILY, VERILY,. SAY UNTO THEE. This form of expression was often upon the lips of Jesus to give emphasis to an unusually solemn and weighty declaration. See Matthew 5:18. It occurs twenty-four times in John. EXCEPT. MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The term translated "again... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW CAN. MAN BE BORN AGAIN WHEN HE IS OLD? The question of Nicodemus indicates his surprise and skepticism. He ought to have apprehended the meaning of Jesus better. The Jews were wont to admit Gentile proselytes to the Jewish religion and to speak of them as born again. They even insisted that the... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT. MAN BE BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Jesus does not reply directly to the question of Nicodemus, but proceeded to give. more explicit statement concerning the new birth. One must be born of water and of the Spirit. Whatever this may mean, it will be admi... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE FLESH IS FLESH;... OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. Our fleshly bodies are born of our human parents and are like them, endowed with carnal passions and are sinful; but it is the inward man, the spirit, that is renewed by the Spirit and the subject of the new birth of the Spirit.... [ Continue Reading ]
MARVEL NOT THAT. SAID UNTO THEE, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN. The necessity and reasonableness of the new birth is explained more fully below. It is implied in the word kingdom. No one born. citizen of England can become. citizen of the United States without complying with our naturalization laws. The ki... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WIND BLOWETH WHERE IT LISTETH, AND THOU HEAREST THE SOUND THEREOF, BUT CANST NOT TELL WHENCE IT COMETH, AND WHITHER IT GOETH: SO IS EVERY ONE THAT IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT. No passage, probably, in the New Testament, has caused more bewilderment or controversy than this verse. Most commentators hav... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE? His skeptical tone is gone and he is an humble inquirer. He has been sobered and awed by the earnestness and moral power of Christ, like the Samaritan woman, or Festus and Agrippa.... [ Continue Reading ]
ART THOU. MASTER IN ISRAEL, AND KNOWEST NOT THESE THINGS? The question implies that Nicodemus was one of the doctors of the law. These made very arrogant claims of superior knowledge. Christ intends to show their ignorance of the fundamental principles of the kingdom. Though the prophets had indica... [ Continue Reading ]
VERILY, VERILY,. SAY UNTO THEE. This is the third time these words have occurred. Each time they mark. new stage of the discourse. WE SPEAK THAT WHICH WE DO KNOW... YE RECEIVE NOT OUR WITNESS. Why does Christ change to the plural? Various answers have been given, but we believe that the change of... [ Continue Reading ]
IF. HAVE TOLD YOU EARTHLY THINGS, AND YE BELIEVE NOT. He had spoken of the things that belonged to the kingdom of God on earth, of the new birth. If Nicodemus could not understand and believe this, so plain, easily understood and connected with human life, how would he receive testimony concerning... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR NO MAN HATH ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN, BUT HE THAT CAME DOWN... THE SON OF MAN WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. No man has gone to heaven and returned to bear witness of heavenly things and the counsels of God. The only witness is the Son of man who came down and is still in heaven, because divine and in consta... [ Continue Reading ]
AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP. The reference is to Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites sinned through unbelief and were bitten by fiery serpents and died. Moses, at the command of God, raised on. pole. brazen serpent and those bitten who looked in... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, ETC. There is no sweeter verse in the Bible. It declares, 1. That God is love. 2. That he loved the world instead of hating it. 3. That he _so_ loved that he gave his Son. The Son did not come to appease the Father's wrath, but the F... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD SENT NOT HIS SON TO CONDEMN THE WORLD. Christ came to be the Savior. His mission was to "save his people from their sins." There is condemnation, but it is because of unbelief. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT BELIEVETH ON HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Faith in Christ is essential to salvation, because it is the power that leads to obedience to him. Belief in him must be strong enough to sway all the life and soul. IS CONDEMNED ALREADY. "He that belie... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THE CONDEMNATION. The ground of condemnation. The light had come into the world, Christ, the true Light, but men chose to walk in darkness because they loved it rather than light. The evil doer shuns light because it exposes. Birds and beasts of prey, thieves and evil doers, love the night... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT DOETH TRUTH COMETH TO THE LIGHT. Truth is not an abstract idea; it is something that must be lived. Many. life is. false one,. lie; many. life is. true one, an illustration of the truth. He that does the truth, is conscious of. true and genuine life, seeks the light, and is willing that his... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN AT ÆNON. 22. AFTER THESE THINGS CAME JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES INTO THE LAND OF JUDEA. Shortly after the Passover and the interview with Nicodemus, he left the Jewish metropolis. It had refused to hear him and he retired to the country districts, probably on the banks of the Jordan. THERE HE T... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN ALSO WAS BAPTIZING AT ÆNON NEAR TO SALIM. The location of Ænon was long in doubt, and it was left for Lieut. Conder, of the British Palestine Exploration, to settle the question so satisfactorily that the authorities on the sacred localities, Robinson, Stanley, Thompson, Schaff and McGarvey, ha... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR JOHN WAS NOT YET CAST INTO PRISON. This incident occurred just before the seizure of John. The testimony following is the last words recorded of the great forerunner before he was sent to prison and from thence to death. As the other Gospels omit this incident, and, after the baptism of Christ,... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE AROSE. QUESTION BETWEEN JOHN'S DISCIPLES AND THE JEWS. The Revision reads "a Jew" which is supported by the best manuscripts. We can only conjecture the nature of this dispute. "The Jew," evidently not. disciple of either John or Jesus, but perhaps. Pharisee (see John 4:1), associated baptism... [ Continue Reading ]
RABBI, HE THAT WAS WITH THEE BEYOND JORDAN,... THE SAME BAPTIZETH. Full of jealousy for the reputation of their master, they rush to him with their complaint, as if the growing influence of Jesus and his practice of baptism were an infringement on the rights of John. Note that they had been impress... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN CAN RECEIVE NOTHING EXCEPT IT BE GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN. This trial of John would have been. sore one had he been swayed by human feeling. To see his great popularity and influence gradually waning, and another coming up to take his place, was well calculated to arouse jealousy. But John, in th... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HATH THE BRIDE IS THE BRIDEGROOM. This expressive figure is often used. The church, espoused to Christ, is the bride; Christ, the bridegroom. John, in the growing influence of Christ, already sees in anticipation the bridegroom united to the bride. As the friend of the bridegroom he rejoice... [ Continue Reading ]
HE MUST INCREASE, BUT. MUST DECREASE. As the light of the moon fades out before the rising sun, so John must decrease before the bright light of the Sun of Righteousness. His own decrease is, however, only. proof of the increase and fulness of Christ. These last words of John are in the spirit of C... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT COMETH FROM ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL. It is generally supposed that the following words are, not those of John the Baptist, but of the Apostle. There is. contrast of style, and. part of what follows contains references to the words of our Lord. The one _that cometh from above_ is Christ, who is a... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT HE HATH SEEN AND HEARD, HE TESTIFIETH. He hath no need for instruction, for the one from heaven knows personally of what he testifies. NO, MAN RECEIVETH HIS TESTIMONY. The world, in John the apostle's time still rejected Christ. Here and there were churches who honored the Master, but mankin... [ Continue Reading ]
HATH SET HIS SEAL THAT GOD IS TRUE. A few, comparatively, had received his testimony, and these thereby demonstrated their conviction that God is true; that his promises have been fulfilled in Christ. To attach. seal to. document is to confirm it.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WHOM GOD HATH SENT SPEAKETH THE WORDS OF GOD. So Christ affirmed of himself. It was the Father who spoke in him. He had the fulness of the Spirit. It is the testimony of the whole world, believing and unbelieving, that "he spake as man never spake." The reason of this is plain. It was the Father... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FATHER LOVETH THE SON. Therefore he had the Spirit without measure, and in him dwelt the "fulness of the Godhead.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. Eternal life and death turn on the question of faith in Christ. They turn on this principle because "without faith we cannot please God," for we cannot live the life, while unbelievers, that pleases him. Faith is the mightiest power of earth to mo... [ Continue Reading ]