Pubic Ministry: Nicodemus (3:1-21)

Introduction:

Continuing with this amazing gospel of which the Spirit of God inspired John the apostle to write, we saw the last two weeks how that Jesus, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, and the implementor of the New Covenant, turned water to wine, and cleansed the temple. Jesus is seen as the new wine of blessing and salvation, replacing the ceremonial traditions of the Jewish leadership. In cleansing the temple, Jesus revealed that he himself was the temple of God, replacing that physical temple that would be destroyed with his own body, though this body would die, it would be resurrected to never die again!

But if this is true, and the physical temple will no longer be needed, what is it that this New Covenant provides as a way of salvation; as a way in which God can dwell with man? Jesus explains this to none other then one of the religious leaders of Israel, Nicodemus, in John 3:1-21.

Text: John 3:1-21

John 3:1–21 ESV

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Main Idea: Because Jesus is the main focus of the new covenant, it is only by a new birth through faith in him can we draw near to God.

Background:

As a reminder, the Pharisees were members of a Jewish party that exercised strict piety according to Mosaic law. The Pharisees were a sect within early Judaism, becoming active around 150 bc and enduring as a distinct party until they were absorbed into the Rabbinic movement around ad 135.

The Sanhedrin were the supreme council in charge of Jewish affairs in Roman Palestine. While the exact makeup and nature of the Jewish governing body in first-century Palestine is uncertain, the varying depictions of the Sanhedrin reveal a group consisting of priests and religious teachers who meet to decide on legal matters with religious, political, and social ramifications.

Nicodemus was an influential Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin who showed interest in Jesus’ teaching and possibly became a believer. John is the only Gospel that mentions Nicodemus, and seems to show that he is probably “a secret disciple whose faith grew slowly”. Nicodemus’ relationship with Jesus develops over three episodes:

Here in John 3.

Then again in John 7, we see him defending Jesus before the Pharisees at the Festival of Booths.

Finally, in John 19, where he prepares Jesus’ body for burial along with Joseph of Arimathea.

I. Nicodemus Seeks Truth (1-8)

A. Nicodemus Secret Meeting and Testimony (1-2)

(1) Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

A Pharisee - The Pharisees were conservatives who externalized religion and who made oral tradition to have equal authority with the Scriptures.

A Ruler of the Jews - The rulers of the Jews were members of the Sanhedrin.

A teacher of Israel (3:10) - The word the is in the Greek text of verse 10.

(2) This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

This man came to Jesus by night - This might betray a fear of being seen, or it might be a sign of deference to Jesus, a rabbi who should not be distracted during the day.

Understood symbolically, Nicodemus is a person living in the darkness of this world, who now encounters the light. Since night, usually carries a symbolic overtone of spiritual darkness elsewhere in John (9:4; 11:10; 13:30).

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God - Coming from the “teacher of Israel” (3:10), the address Rabbi (meaning “teacher”) denotes respect, especially since it was known that Jesus did not have formal rabbinic training (cf. 7:15). How does he know this…?

for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him - though John only includes some of Jesus miracles, the synoptic gospels show many miracles performed by Jesus in Jerusalem (cf. 2:23), which to the religious leaders was a sign of authenticity.

B. Jesus’ Response and Explanation (3-8)

(3) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

It’s like Jesus cuts him off from his formal introductions and gets right to the heart of the matter.

Truly, truly (amen amen [emphatic particle] - used 3x in this passage)- used to express intensity, its double use shows that what is about to be said is extremely and intensely important, so wake up and listen!

unless (ean [conjunction]) - A subordinating conjunction that introduces a condition that must occur or be met before another action or event can occur. What is that condition?

one is born again. The literal translation is “born from above”, and accords well with the discussion of “earthly” and “heavenly” things in v. 12, and the discussion of ascending and descending in v. 13. This is the meaning of the Gk. adverb in other places in this gospel (19:11, 23). Nicodemus apparently understands it to mean “a second time,” since he speaks of reentering his mother’s womb. It is possible that both meanings are intended—a new birth that is a birth from above.

Regeneration is the theological term used to describe being born from above. It refers to a new generating, a new genesis, a new beginning. It is not “turning over a new leaf”; it marks the beginning of a new life in a radically renewed person.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit upon those who are spiritually dead (see Ephesians 2:1–10). The Spirit recreates the human heart, quickening it from spiritual death to spiritual life. Regenerate people are new creations. Where formerly they had no disposition, inclination, or desire for the things of God, now they are disposed and inclined toward God. In regeneration, God plants a desire for Himself in the human heart that otherwise would not be there.

he cannot see the kingdom of God - the action or event that will not occur if one is not born again.

(4) Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

How can a man be born when he is old? - This answer certainly does not necessarily imply that Nicodemus was an old man. Jesus had uttered a saying which would apply to any adult person.

Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? - The very suggestion seems utterly impossible to this Pharisee. To his rhetorical question he expects a negative answer.

(5) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Truly, truly - again, extremely emphatic.

unless - again Jesus uses this conjunction and drills done into further meaning of the condition that must happen…

born of water and the Spirit.

Some suggest that the “water” is the release of amniotic fluid that accompanies physical birth, but linguistic considerations point to understanding “water” and “Spirit” as referring to a single spiritual birth.

Many interpreters understand “water” here as the water of baptism, but such a reference, before Christian baptism was instituted, would have been meaningless to Nicodemus.

Others find a reference to John’s baptism, but Jesus nowhere makes John’s baptism a requirement for salvation.

Probably the statement refers to OT passages in which the terms water and (kai [copulative conjunction] - binds two words together in close relationship of logic flowing from the same context) Spirit are linked to express the pouring out of God’s Spirit in the end times, and the purification and new life that flow from His arrival, thus describing the elements needed for the new birth to happen (Is. 44:3; Ezek. 36:25–27).

Isaiah 44:3 ESV

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESV

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

The presence of such rich OT imagery accounts for Jesus’ reproof of Nicodemus (v. 10): as a “teacher of Israel,” he should have understood these things. Jesus next elaborates on the means of this new birth…

(6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (8) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

These passages emphasizes the priority and sovereignty of God in the work of salvation. It does not exclude the reality and necessity of human response in repentance and faith, but it shows that this response is the fruit of the Spirit’s work and not the means by which we are regeneration. Regeneration always precedes faith.

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Wind and Spirit translate the same Greek and Hebrew words.

We see next that Nicodemus continues in his confusion as…

II. Jesus Reveals Truth (9-15)

We see here that Jesus not only elaborates on this truth, but exhorts Nicodemus for his lack of understanding.

A. Jesus’ Exhortation (9-12)

(9) Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” - “I don’t get it…”

(10) Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

As a prominent teacher (the teacher of Israel), Nicodemus should be able to understand Jesus, since this new life is like the resurrection depicted in Ezekiel 37 (Valley of dry bones) and the new heart in Deut. 30:6

Deuteronomy 30:6 ESV

6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

and in Jeremiah 31…

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(11) Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

Truly, truly - third use of this emphatic call.

we speak ... and bear witness. Jesus speaks on behalf of His people, since He has begun to gather disciples, but He particularly identifies His testimony with that of John the Baptist, whose mission was to be a witness (1:7, 19, 31–34; see 3:27–30). Though there are these witnesses…

I say to you ... you do not receive our testimony. The first “you” is singular (Nicodemus) and the second “you” is plural (you and those whom you represent, Pharisees and other members of the Sanhedrin).

(12) If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Earthly things probably refers to Jesus’ teaching about the new birth, which takes place in a person’s life on earth. If Nicodemus as a teacher cannot even understand this, then Jesus cannot convey deeper truths to him (heavenly things). You is plural (in Gk.) in all four uses in v. 12.

B. Jesus’ Declaration (13-15)

(13) No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

who descended from heaven. It could be said that in His divine nature Christ continued to dwell “in heaven” even during His life on earth, but Jesus’ point is that in His incarnation He came to earth from the presence of His heavenly Father (8:38). Thus He has authority to speak of heavenly things, delivering the words given Him by the Father (15:15; 17:8).

the Son of Man. Jesus’ preferred self-designation has its roots especially in the vision of Dan. 7:8–14, wherein “one like a son of man” enters heaven and receives from God universal and eternal authority to rule. He further clarifies his purpose by using an analogy the Nicodemus would have been very familiar with…

(14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Num. 21:4–9 records the story of the rebellious Israelites, who murmured and complained. God sent fiery serpents into their midst to punish them. Then God told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole, with the promise that whoever looked at it would live. Jesus’ comparison implies that His impending crucifixion under God’s curse will likewise impart salvation to those who look to Him in faith.

must ... be lifted up. The phrase “lifted up” is an important one in this gospel (8:28; 12:32, 34), and carries the double meaning of crucifixion and exaltation. Christ’s death on the cross, His resurrection, and His glorification together reveal the glory of God. The word must points to God’s sovereign purpose. The crucifixion was the keystone of God’s eternal plan to save His people (Acts 4:27, 28, seen in Peter’s prayer to God for boldness).

Acts 4:27–28 ESV

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

(15) that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. - the analogy is clear, just as the Israelites could only be saved from the fiery serpents by looking to the brass serpent lifted up, so will anyone who looks to Jesus and trusts in him has eternal life.

So what prompted God’s act to send Jesus, enabling new birth…?

III. God’s Love for the World (16-21)

A. God’s Love Gave (16-18)

(16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Here is the most famous summary of the gospel in the entire Bible. For connects to v. 15 (believing in him) and explains what happened to make it possible that someone can “have eternal life” (v. 15), that is, through believing in Christ.

God so loved the world was an astounding statement in that context because the OT and other Jewish writings had spoken only of God’s love for his people Israel. God’s love for “the world” made it possible for whoever believes in Christ, not Jews alone, will have eternal life.

God’s love for the world was not mere sentiment but led to a specific action: he gave his only Son, which John elsewhere explains as sending him to earth as a man (v. 17) to suffer and die and thereby to bear the penalty for sins (see note on 1 John 2:2; cf. Rom. 3:25).

On only Son see note on John 1:14, which contains the same Greek phrase (speaks of the uniqueness of the Son and that he was eternally begotten not made). The purpose of giving his Son was to make God’s great gift of eternal life available to anyone whoever believes in him, that is, whoever personally trusts in him.

Jesus makes clear that the salvation of those whom the Father gives Him is not a mere possibility but an absolute certainty. All of those whom God has chosen will come to Christ, who has laid down His life only for His sheep and not for those who have not been chosen from the foundation of the world (John 6, 10)

Not perish means not perish in eternal judgment, in contrast to having eternal life, the life of abundant joy and immeasurable blessing in the presence of God forever. Those who “believe in” Christ have that “eternal life” and already experience its blessings in this present time, not yet fully, but in some significant measure.

(17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

send his Son. John’s favorite designation of Jesus is that of the Son “sent” by the Father (see also 34–36; 5:19–26; 6:40; 8:35–36; 14:13; 17:1). There was a familiar concept in Jewish life that the messenger is like the sender himself (John 13:16, 20).

to condemn the world. Jesus elsewhere says that judgment does attend His coming into the world (9:39; 12:31). His point is not that He will not judge, but that the time has not yet come. The world was already under threat of judgment before He came, but with His coming, salvation becomes a reality offered to a hostile world.

(18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned - belief in Jesus begins peace with God, and will not enter into his condemnation…

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

but whoever does not believe is condemned already

Those who do not believe and trust in Christ have neither a positive nor a neutral standing before God. They stand condemned already before God for their sins because they have not trusted God’s solution for guilt, the only Son of God. This verse also refutes the assertion that a sincere person following any religion can have eternal life with God

Unbelief is not the only basis for condemnation, but it constitutes the climax of rebellion by resisting even God’s gracious offer of salvation in Christ. Jesus comes into a world that is already condemned because of its rejection of God’s self-revelation (natural revelation - Rom. 1:18–32); and apart from the faith that unites one to Christ, individuals remain under condemnation for their sins (John 3:36).

Hebrews 10:29 ESV

29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

We see finally that God’s love reveals or exposes darkness…

B. God’s Love Reveals (19-21)

(19) And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (20) For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (21) But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Jesus gives the reason for the world’s rejection of Him: He is the light who exposes whether a person is righteous or not, and the world, loving wickedness, not only hates this exposure, but also hates the One who is light itself.

This elaborates on the prologue’s reference to the world’s darkness and unbelief (1:5, 10–11). The evil of human beings is reflected in their fleeing from the light; at the same time, anything good is the product of God’s work.

So What?

Do we realize that Jesus came to this earth in order that helpless sinners can look to him for salvation?

He did not come to set an example for us to follow, but that sinners may look to him for salvation.

Do we allow the light of God’s truth and righteousness to exposes his works in us or do we prefer to cower in darkness?

Those who have truly been born again will allow the light of God’s truth to expose them and make them vulnerable before the dark world.

Are you truly born again? If not, you are already under God’s condemnation.

1 Peter 1:23 ESV

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;