John 3 Commentary
Chapter 3 is home to the world-famous verse, 16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The main character is Nicodemus. He has yet to upgrade his knowledge of Jesus from ‘Rabbi’ to ‘Word’ – the Word that was with God and was God, and the Word through whom and by whom creation came into existence.
This kind of upgrade cannot happen until one is born again. Nicodemus is curious. He wants to know more about this new teaching. And thanks to Nicodemus’ curiosity, we now understand the nature of the new creation.
It is not physical but has physical consequences. Like the wind, you cannot see it but you can sense its presence. Nicodemus doesn’t have to go back into his mother’s womb.
It is about the ‘becoming’, the transformation. There is no self-help; the process is initiated and completed by God. Who decides the what, when, how, and where elements of one’s birth.
As it was in the beginning, the Creator God (Jesus) undertakes the task of creating humanity anew. His breath gave life to the heap of clay. Even now, His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) would give life to dead humans.
No one wants to be hard on the good Pharisee Nicodemus. These are deep truths!
How does it work? Jesus refers to a near-future event at which the Son would be lifted up like Moses’ bronze snake in the wilderness. We can see how these teachings keep pointing to the Cross.
The reference to the snake is very strange. It doesn’t sit well with today’s saint who knows what the serpent represents.
The thought could be that the cross represents the bad, the worst, and the evil of the snake. It is all nailed to the cross. By deception, humanity assumed the place of the snake and the LORD duly punished the snake at the cross. Salvation comes by looking to the cross and the realities of the full punishment Jesus received on your behalf.
The new birth should not be confused with ritual or ceremonial cleansing. That is the point in the second section of this chapter. Baptism may be thought of as ritual washing. It wasn’t a new concept. Ritual washing was always part of the Temple rituals. Jesus got involved (actually His disciples – and they continued even after Jesus’ resurrection, The Book of Acts).
The real deal is Jesus; listen to Him. John has a simple answer to questions about Jesus’ baptism or ritual washing.
The last 3 verses mention the Spirit (like the God who is with us or remains with and in us), the Son (who gives life by the Spirit), and the Father (who sends the Son, the Word, God Almighty Himself). The three elements are one and the one element is actually three – at least from these 3 verses.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9.
Who doesn’t love this confusion? So we have a child, a son, Wonderful, Counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace. This gospel is about all of this? Nicodemus should begin to put all these pieces together. John explains there is much more beyond ritual washing (baptism).
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