John 3
3:1 a John links 2:25 b and 3:1 c by referring to humanity as a whole (“human nature,” 2:25 d) and then to one specific man using the same Greek word (anthrōpos) in both verses.• Nicodemus was saturated in religious knowledge and had witnessed Jesus’ work (2:13-24 e), but he had not experienced spiritual rebirth.
• a Pharisee: See study note on 1:24. He was elite, proud of his spiritual purity, and well educated in Jewish law.
3:2 f After dark: Nicodemus might have feared public association with Jesus. Night also symbolizes the realm of evil, untruth, and unbelief (9:4 g; 11:10 h; 13:30 i).
3:3 j born again: Or born from above. John’s expression “from above” (3:31 k; 19:11 l) means “from God.” To experience spiritual rebirth, a person must be completely renewed through God’s power.
• Nicodemus interpreted Jesus’ words physically; he demonstrated that those in darkness, who do not have spiritual rebirth, cannot understand Jesus or other “heavenly things” (3:12 m). Jesus sometimes used ironic misunderstanding as a teaching strategy.
3:5 n John the Baptist baptized with water; Jesus baptizes with the Spirit (1:33 o).
3:8 p Wind translates the same word in Greek as spirit (Greek pneuma). The wind is an apt image for the Spirit, who is sent from heaven and cannot be contained or controlled.
3:13 q There is great distance between this world and heaven (see 1:51 r; 3:31 s; 6:38 t, 42 u). Jesus bridged that distance, validating his divine status by defeating death and returning to heaven (16:5-11 v).
Summary for John 3:14-15: 3:14-15 w Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that all people could understand the way of salvation, look to him in faith, and have eternal life.
Summary for John 3:16-21: 3:16-21 x Because there are no quotation marks around Jesus’ speech in the Greek text, translators debate where Jesus’ speech ends and John’s commentary begins; 3:16-21 y might be John’s commentary. 3:16 z The truth that God loved the world is basic to Christian understanding (1 Jn 4:9-10 aa). God’s love extends beyond the limits of race and nation, even to those who oppose him (see thematic note for The World at end of chapter).
• The Son came to save—not condemn (3:17 ab)—men and women who habitually embrace the darkness (3:19-21 ac).
3:18 ad As light penetrates and exposes the world’s darkness, God’s judgment on the world has already begun. Those who see this light and recognize the tragedy of their own situation have the responsibility of believing in God’s ... Son (3:16-17 ae).
Summary for John 3:19-20: 3:19-20 af When people live in spiritual darkness, they do not desire to be enlightened by Jesus, “the light of the world” (8:12 ag; 9:5 ah). Evil and darkness do not ignore the light; they wage war against it, trying to bring it down. But the darkness cannot extinguish the light (1:5 ai). Those who refuse to believe live in darkness (cp. 13:30 aj) and stumble because they cannot see (11:10 ak). In the end, however, their sins will be exposed (5:28-30 al; Rev 20:11-15 am).
Summary for John 3:22-36: 3:22-36 an John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the one who is truly from above (3:31 ao); this requires John’s followers to shift their allegiance to Jesus. 3:22 ap Jesus spent some time ... baptizing: See 4:2 aq, which clarifies that Jesus’ disciples did the baptizing.
3:24 ar Before John was thrown into prison (see Matt 14:1-12 as; Mark 1:14 at; 6:14-29 au; Luke 3:19-20 av), he and Jesus worked in close proximity at the Jordan River. Once John was arrested, Jesus moved north into Galilee (Mark 1:14 aw).
3:26 ax everybody is going to him: Jesus’ popularity made some of John’s followers envious.
Summary for John 3:27-35: 3:27-35 ay John the Baptist’s speech was inspired by two issues: (1) Some had questioned the legitimacy of his baptism (see 1:26 az), and (2) his disciples were concerned that people were beginning to follow Jesus instead of John (3:26 ba).
3:29 bb John the Baptist saw Jesus as the bridegroom and himself as the bridegroom’s friend. His response deflected glory from himself and elevated Jesus’ stature.
3:31 bc Jesus had come from above, so he was uniquely able to reveal the Father (1:18 bd; 3:13 be).
Summary for John 3:34-35: 3:34-35 bf The Father gives the Son the Spirit without limit as a sign of his profound love (3:35 bg). It also illustrates Jesus’ divinity. John presents the one God as three persons (cp. 1 Jn 5:5-12 bh).
3:36 bi God gave the gift of eternal life, promising new life and intimacy in a present experience with God.
• Those who reject the Son will not see life. The world in its darkness stands under God’s angry judgment (Rom 1–3 bj).
Thematic note: The World
One of the most frequently used words in John is “world” (Greek kosmos). In Greek-speaking Jewish thought, kosmos refers to the heavens and the earth as created by God (Gen 1 bk; see also John 1:3 bl, 10 bm; 17:5 bn, 24 bo). John extends the concept to include the world of humanity (e.g., 1:10 bp; 3:16 bq).
Although it was created as good, the human world is hostile to God (1:10-11 br; 3:19-20 bs; 12:37-41 bt). It is controlled by a darkness that cannot comprehend the light and, in fact, resists the light (3:19 bu). The world is dead and needs life (6:33 bv, 51 bw), yet it hates the one who can save it (7:7 bx). The world is under the dominion of Satan (12:31 by), who will one day be judged.
God loves the world of humanity, despite its hostility and rebellion against him. Jesus died to take away the sin of the world (1:29 bz; 3:16-17 ca; 1 Jn 2:2 cb). But God’s love for the world he created stands alongside his necessary judgment of the world (John 3:18-21 cc, 36 cd; 5:27-30 ce; 12:47-48 cf). Christ’s followers experience this same tension in their mission. We are called into the world to bring the message of God’s love, but we will experience conflict because the world will be hostile to our message (see 15:18-27 cg; 17:13-26 ch).
Passages for Further Study
Gen 6:11-12 ci; Pss 2:1-6 cj; 9:8 ck; Isa 61:11 cl; 66:16 cm; Matt 5:14 cn; 13:38-40 co; John 1:9-10 cp; 3:16-19 cq; 7:7 cr; 8:12 cs; 14:17-19 ct; 15:18-19 cu; 16:7-9 cv, 33 cw; John 17:5-26 cx; Acts 17:31 cy; 1 Cor 1:20-28 cz; 3:3 da; 6:2 db; 2 Cor 5:19 dc; Eph 2:2 dd; Col 2:20 de; Jas 4:4 df; 2 Pet 1:4 dg; 2:20 dh; 1 Jn 2:15-16 di; 4:3-5 dj
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