Abide in Him: John 3
Welcome back! I realize I’ve dropped the ball a bit in posting this study in a timely manner. I do hope to do better with future posts.
In this post, we will cover John 3. It begins with the story of Nicodemus and Jesus meeting together to discuss what it means to be born again. As we’ll read, Nicodemus had several questions for Jesus. Jesus answers them and continues the conversation by telling Nicodemus how much God loves the world. Finally, we end the chapter with John the Baptist exalting Jesus before his own disciples. Let’s get this study started!
The Text
Jesus and Nicodemus (Verses 1 – 15)
At the end of chapter two, we learned that Jesus knows man. He knows our hearts, our minds, and our motivations, which may explain why He agrees to speak with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a teacher, at the beginning of chapter three. Unlike the rest of the Pharisees, who were more interested in finding ways to trap Jesus through His words, Nicodemus seemed truly interested in learning more about Jesus and His mission, so he approached Jesus in the middle of the night. The Bible doesn’t say why he met with Jesus in the middle of the night, but more than likely he may have wanted to avoid being seen by anyone as he spoke with Jesus.
He begins the conversation by explaining why he believes Jesus is from God. He says no one could do the signs Jesus had been doing unless God was with Him. Notice though, he doesn’t say Jesus is the Son of God. He only says Jesus is from God and that God is with Him. Jesus replies by explaining how no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born again. Confused, Nicodemus logically asks how one can be born from his mother’s womb again. Jesus explains that it’s not a physical birth (“…flesh is of flesh, v. 6), but rather a spiritual birth. One must be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There are a couple of theories as to what Jesus meant by this. It could refer to being baptized (though other verses say baptism is not a requirement for salvation. See Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5). Or, as the Reformation Study Bible suggests, it could refer to Old Testament passages in which “water” represents the “Spirit” (see Isaiah 32:15, 44:3, and Ezekiel 36:25-27).1 This makes sense. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, our old self dies and we are born again in Christ. We become a new creation. He then seals us with His Holy Spirit, which changes us – our hearts, our minds, and our desires (Ephesians 1:13).
In verse 8, Jesus compares the work of the Spirit to the wind. We can’t see it, but we know it’s there. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, in the original Greek, there is a play on words in this verse as the Greek word “pnuema” is used to reference both wind and Spirit. In either case, the important thing to remember is God has control of both the wind and the Spirit.2
Nicodemus is marveled by what Jesus has just spoken to him. He asks Him how all of this can be. Jesus, in return, is marveled by Nicodemus’s lack of understanding. Referring back to the Reformation Study Bible‘s note about the water and Spirit connections found in the Old Testament, it continues by suggesting that as a teacher of Israel, Nicodemus should have understood what Jesus meant when He said born of water and Spirit.3
In verse 11, Jesus uses the word “we.” More than likely, He is referring to not only to Himself, but to the prophets who have come before Him, including John the Baptist. He then asks how, if Nicodemus couldn’t believe the earthly things Jesus was bearing witness to – meaning things we can see in the flesh, how is he to understand the things of Heaven? I imagine Nicodemus’s thoughts were all over the place. Though what Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus may have seemed like new material, it really wasn’t. It’s one thing to read and think you have an understanding of a text, but it’s another thing to experience it, to put what you know into practical application. Imagine studying about the promised Messiah for most of your life and praying for Him to come soon, only to realize He has come and is standing in front of you. I know it would take me a bit of time to process what was unfolding in front of me.
In verse 13, Jesus explains His authority to speak about such things as He, unlike any other man, descended from Heaven. Jesus then reminds Nicodemus of a story out of the book of Numbers. The Israelites had grown impatient with their journey, so they started to complain. They spoke out against God and Moses and grew ungrateful to the point of hatred towards the food God had provided, so He sent “fiery serpents.” These serpents bit people and they died. Realizing their sin against God, they turned to Moses and asked him to pray for mercy. God told Moses to create a bronze serpent and to raise it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten by a fiery serpent, they would look at the raised serpent and live (Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus references this story to explain to Nicodemus what would happen to Him (Jesus). Just as the Israelites looked to the raised serpent for life, we would gain eternal life through Christ being raised on the cross.
God’s Love for the World (Verses 16-21)
These next few verses explains God’s love for the world. For clarification purposes, Jesus is not referring to the world’s ways, but rather the people of the world. God loved us so much, He sent Jesus to die for us (and as we’ll study later, Jesus willingly died for us). He continues to explain that His purpose was not to condemn the world, but to save it. Those who believe in Christ will not be condemned and will have eternal life. Those who reject Christ though will be condemned. This may seem harsh to some, but this is truth. Romans 3:23 says we are all sinners. Before Jesus’s death and resurrection, we were all condemned to hell because of our sinful nature. But God loved us so much He provided a way for us by sending us His Son, Jesus. Now, it’s our choice – believe in Jesus and His resurrection and confess Him as Lord and be saved (Romans 10:9), or reject His offer and remain condemned. Sadly, just as Jesus said, many will reject His offer because they prefer to hang on to their sinful ways and to live in the dark.
John the Baptist Exalts Jesus
Finally, in the last section of chapter 3, John the Baptist exalts Jesus above himself. John and his disciples were baptizing people. At the same time, Jesus and His disciples were baptizing people across from them. John’s disciples approach him and point to Jesus saying that people were leaving John and going to Jesus to be baptized. John replies by saying that everything he has been given, has been given to him by God. He also reminded them that he said he was not the Christ, but that Jesus was. His comparison about the friend of the bridegroom means John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, but now that Jesus was there, it was time for his ministry to decrease and for Jesus’s ministry to grow as He was the Son of God.
Final Thoughts
As I read through the story of Nicodemus, I can almost see him churning through his thoughts as Jesus speaks to him. When Jesus speaks of being born again, we can tell Nicodemus was a bit confused, but it can be a confusing concept. Obviously, Jesus didn’t mean being physically born again, but rather spiritually.
Finally, I truly admire John the Baptist’s humility. He was popular among his disciples and those he ministered to. He had a large following. But, when Jesus’s followers grew and people were leaving John to follow Jesus, John remained humble, grateful, and even joyful. He knew the long-awaited Savior had arrived.
In our next study, we’ll go through chapter four. We’ll see how Jesus impacted the woman at the well and how he healed an official’s son. Please feel free to leave any comments or insights you may have gained by reading John 3.
Reference
1. Reformation Study Bible (Ligonier Ministries, 2005), 1513.
2. Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 281.
3. Ibid, 1
