John 3:11-15

ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.

XIII.

1. At John 3:11, Jesus makes a step in advance in the discourse, and now assumes in a more formal way the position of the teacher of this teacher. He declares to him, first of all, that He is qualified to make known to him the truth, because He has seen and knows; He has, what no human teacher has, the heavenly knowledge (John 3:11; John 3:13). But Nicodemus, through dwelling in the psychical rather than the spiritual region, is not ready to receive and believe that which is to be communicated.

2. This want of belief on the part of Nicodemus does not seem to be referred by Jesus directly to sin or the sinful will, as in the case of the Jews afterwards, but to the fact that his thoughts are wholly in the outward and visible, as indicated by his questions respecting the new birth. The conversation apparently is designed to be an educating one to the end of faith, and so there is no sharp rebuke, but only the effort to bring him to see the need of entering into a higher sphere.

3. The earthly things must refer to the new birth, because this is the only matter which had been spoken of (εἶπον, John 3:12). The spiritual change, though having its origin and originating force in heaven (ἅνωθεν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος), is yet accomplished on earth. It is, indeed, the earthly work of the new kingdom. The ζωὴ αἰώνιος opens and begins here. This was the fundamental thing to be presented in answer to the question with which we may believe the conversation to have been commenced. If this could not be understood, what possibility could there be of understanding the things which were beyond this the heavenly things?

4. The heavenly things must, undoubtedly, be indicated in the words of this conversation otherwise there would be little significance in mentioning them. If, however, they are thus indicated, they must be found in what follows, and must, apparently, be centered in the mission and crucifixion of the Son of man to the end of the salvation of men. The fundamental fact and truth of the Gospel the divine provision for bringing men to eternal life through believing on the only-begotten Son cannot be understood by one who does not apprehend the necessity of the new birth, that is, by one who does not know that the kingdom of God is a kingdom in and over the soul, not to be entered by belonging to a particular nation. The necessity of the new birth may be realized on earth and the new birth is accomplished on earth, but the great divine plan, with its wide-reaching relations, which involves and is carried out by means of this spiritual regeneration, is a thing belonging to heaven, and one which must be revealed by the Son, who descends out of heaven and who is in heaven. John 3:13 holds, in the thought as well as in its position, the intermediate place between John 3:12 and John 3:14: John 3:12, the heavenly things are mentioned; John 3:13, the Son is the only one who can reveal them; John 3:14, what they are.