John 3 (TNIV)

John 3
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again." 4 "How can anyone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (this was before John was put in prison) 25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."
27 To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less."
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 The person who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them.

John 3: 1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night (we see pride here, he in no way wanted to show his peers that he began to doubt himself and the religious system, he cared more about what they thought that who Jesus was—even though his curiosity got the best of him, his heart of pride, blinded him from falling at the feet of Jesus and worshiping him.) and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him (Again, what we see here is pride, though they knew these things, they could not publicly declare it less they loose their respect and authority)."
3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again." (If you take this just on the level of a common response, the truth is at face value, it doesn’t make since as a response to Nicodemus’ statement. We know Jesus seemed to be a literary genius. He had a way of asking questions as a response to a question to draw people in or to even trap them in their own thoughts and accusations. We see this again—here Jesus answers, well, he doesn’t even really answer his question, as much as redirects the conversation, by making a statement that confuses Nicodemus, thus drawing him deeper into something Jesus is wanting to reveal to him. So, let’s break this down – The word, anwqen, can mean one of two things: again or from above. So which one does Jesus mean? We know Nicodemus thought that Jesus was talking about a physical re-birth based off of his response to the question, and we can assume that Jesus knew that is what Nicodemus would think. Jesus says something which is misunderstood by someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant, which is usually Jesus creating an opportunity to explain who he really is! Doesn’t Jesus still do this today? How many times have we been put in a situation, or a circumstance that doesn’t make since according to how we understand the way ‘God’ is supposed to act. But God puts us in that situation in which our understanding leaves us confused – then we are left with one of two responses: walk away despondent, committed to our own self; or allow it to push us further into God, because our small reasoning has just been revealed as it truly is, thus we are left with only relying on God rather than self.) 4 "How can anyone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"

5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit (This is not talking about water baptism. Rather a ‘spiritual washing’ that will happen when the Spirit begins to dwell inside of us. Jesus is probably referencing Isaiah 44:3-5 & Ezekiel 36:25-26. Nicodemus should have understood this, because as a Rabbi, he not only knew the passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel, but he had them memorized, thus it is pretty reasonable that Jesus would use them in a conversation about entering the kingdom of God. Another thing to consider is that the word ‘spirit’ which can also be translated as ‘wind’ is probably not a direct reference to the Holy Spirit, but that both water and wind are figures that represent the regenerating work of the Spirit in the lives of men and women. Texts found in Titus 3:5 and Ephesians 5:26 might give good insight into this as well). 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh (Flesh [sarx] emphasizes the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as Paul uses it. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh” and as is described Philippians 2.), but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' (We have to understand this is not an imperative statement, but an indicative one. In other words, Jesus is not giving Nicodemus a command to do something that is impossible for him to do, rather he is giving him a statement-of-fact designed to point out to Nicodemus his total spiritual need and lack of ability on his own to enter the kingdom of God.) 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (Jesus is talking about the work of regeneration done by the Holy Spirit, on no effort or work of man. “The wind blows wherever it pleases…” is talking about either our inability to understand it, or the “just-is-factor” of the way God works, and that we must know. It’s as if Jesus is saying, you must be born again, you must be regenerated, and then responds to an assumed question, “How do I do that,” to which he basically says “you can’t do that, the spirit does it, and he does it when and wherever and to whomever He pleases…”)."

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we (the word ‘we’ here is probably used as a distinguishing word. To distinguish different teams, if you will. Back in verse 2 Nicodemus “…we know that you…” Jesus is probably using we here to denote that he is not some single dude out there on his own, but as the ‘we’ in Nicodemus’ statement denoted some sort of group with authority, so did Jesus’ so whether the ‘we’ is talking about is the Trinity or some disciples of his, we’re not sure, we can lean towards the trinity because the Spirit is the subject here, but either way, we can be sure that Jesus’ ‘we’ is denoting another authority above and beyond that of the Pharisees.) speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (This a prophetic statement of Jesus’ crucifixion, compare to John 12:32. In the book of John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven.), 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him (I find it very interesting that Jesus doesn’t say, “…that whoever believes him…” In other words, that whoever believes what he says, believes his teachings, etc, etc…Rather he says, “…who ever believe IN him…” The Greek phrase here is pisteuo eis auton can also be translated to mean, “believe into him.” Meaning, that ‘believe’ is an activity which takes men out of themselves and makes them one with Christ. Thus, the word, believe is not meant to be an intellectual assent, but to also include a moral element of personal trust and reliance on instead of my own self and personal reasoning and desires.) shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (This last line can be unpacked by simply reading Romans 1:18-3:20). 20 All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed (On verses 18-20 let me simply quote John Piper: The reason people do not come to the light is because they do not love it. Love for the light is not caused by coming to the light. We come because we love it! Otherwise, our coming is no honor to the light. Could there be any holy motivation to believe in Christ where there is not taste for the beauty of Christ? To be sure, we could be motivated by the desire to escape hell or the desire to have material riches or the desire to rejion a departed loved one. But how does it honor the light, when the only reason we come tot he light is to find those things that we loved in the dark?). 21 But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God (John 3:16-21 provides an introduction to the idea that Judgment has come; eternal life may be possessed now, in the present life, as well as in the future. What is interesting is the presence of the element of choice portrayed here. If there is a twofold reaction to Jesus in John’s Gospel, it should be emphasized that that reaction is very much dependent on a person’s choice, a choice that is influenced by his way of life, whether his deeds are wicked or are done in God [John 3:20-21]. For John there is virtually no trace of determinism at the surface. Only when one looks beneath the surface does one find statements like “no one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him” [John 1:6-13; John 6:44; John 17]).

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing (First of all John sees it as the next necessary event to record directly after the story before or as a continuation of the point made to Nicodemus, that is, the necessity of being born “from above.” Second, let’s recognize that John the Baptist describes Jesus as “the one who comes from heaven” in 3:31 which is the same word as in 3:3—The subject of dispute is ceremonial washing [3:25], which either comes from stories that were spread from the miracle of water to wine at the wedding feast in 2:6. Or to show that Jesus in just the 2 chapters we have of his life has been emphasizing that ceremonial purification is not what they think it is, and he is assaulting this thought with his ministry. This section ultimately concludes with the ideas begun in chapter 2 and continued in chap. 3. Although the author does not give us details, one scenario would be this: The disciples of John, perplexed after this disagreement with an individual Jew [or with the Jewish authorities], came to John and asked about the fact that Jesus was baptizing and more and more were coming to him. John had been preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sin [Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3]. Possibly what the Jews reported to John’s disciples was that Jesus was now setting aside the Jewish purification rituals as unnecessary for repentance. This would seem to John’s disciples that Jesus may be leading people away from John’s own teaching, so John’s disciples came to him troubled about an apparent contradiction in doctrine though the explicit problem they mentioned is that Jesus was baptizing and multitudes were coming to him. The real point at issue is the authority of Jesus to “overturn” the system of ritual purification within Judaism. John replied to this question of 'the authority of Jesus' in 3:27-36. In 3:27-30 he reassured his disciples, reminding them that if more people were coming to Jesus, it did not threaten him at all, because “heaven” had ordained it to be so [v. 27].). 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

27 To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given from heaven (cross reference this with John 19:11 – John’s statement here is to simply point out that he does not see Jesus as competition, rather as the very One for whom he has had the honor of preparing the way for.). 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend (a better word for our culture is best man, and his job in that culture was to take care of the all the wedding arrangements.) who attends the bridegroom (Here John is using OT imagery that the prophets…Isaiah 49:14-26; Isaiah 54:4-8; Jeremiah 2:2; Ezekiel 16:8-14; Hosea 2:16-23-We have to understand that this mini-parable is important, not only because it draws OT imagery, but because it gives a clearer picture of how God feels about his chosen people…he was not some angry pissed of God, he was the bridegroom to his bride.) waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice (What we have here being described is a custom that took place back then in which the ‘best-man’ would stands guard outside the house while the groom goes in to sleep with his wife for the first time. The phrase, ‘the voice of the bridegroom’ refers to the shout of joy when the groom as successfully completely finished their first time of sex. Once the best man heard the voice of the bridegroom the celebration began! The point though, is that the best man is not supposed to marry the bride, but is to take joy in his role in the marriage ceremony). That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less."

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 The person who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful (this is probably a commentary from the author of the book, John the Disciple, as to the roles of Jesus and John the Baptist). 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit (this would have been controversial because according to the Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 it says “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” So again, we have Jesus going against two of the religious social laws of Judaism, which would have been very controversial). 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes (refers to a belief that leads to obedience) in the Son has (this is not a future tense word, it is something of the present, that we begin to enter into now, and it is a word of promise, something that will be completed in us) eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will (this is not a future tense word, it is something of the present, that we begin to enter into now, and it is a word of promise, something that will come to completion in some) not see life, for God's wrath remains on them.